The Penn State Board of Trustees approved renaming the IST Building to the Westgate Building by unanimous vote at its meeting Friday.
The building, which spans the east and west sides of North Atherton Street, will be renamed to Westgate Building to accurately reflect “the original vision of the building, which was to serve as a gateway to the West Campus,” College of Information Sciences and Technology Dean Andrew Sears said in a Sept. 16 note to faculty, according to Penn State News. “Conversations have been underway for nearly a year regarding changes that could be made to the building to better address issues of both identity and way-finding.”
Because the building also is shared by the College of Engineering, the new name will further accommodate the building’s multiple purposes.
Leaders from the two colleges worked with faculty to address issues with navigating through the large, complex building. In addition to the name change, the rooms in the building will be renumbered and new signs will be hung throughout the building to help visitors find their way.
Each entrance will also specify which college is housed in that area of the building — College of Information Sciences and Technology or School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
