Featured in the photo above are (from left):
• Gwendolyn Simmons - member Cal U Council of Trustees
• Ann K. Balazs - senior vice president, L.R. Kimball & Associates
• Dr. Angelo Armenti, Jr. - Cal U president
• Leo Krantz - chairman, Cal U Council of Trustees
• Larry Maggi - Washington County Commissioner and Cal U alumnus

CALIFORNIA (Aug. 5) – The California University of Pennsylvania held a formal groundbreaking ceremony for its new Convocation Center on Thursday at the building site near Hamer Hall.

The 142,000-square foot building will include a 6,000-seat arena that will be the new home of the Vulcan volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams. The Convocation Center will be the largest indoor venue between Pittsburgh and Morgantown and will feature an 80-foot tower with scrolling text and digital images that will be visible from the campus entrance.

“The Convocation Center will be a landmark building for our campus,” said Cal U President Dr. Angelo Armenti, Jr. “Besides meeting the University's needs, it will serve as a cultural resource and contribute to the economic vitality of Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

The Convocation Center is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2011 and will have room for Commencement ceremonies, NCAA and WPIAL tournaments, trade show, concerts and other events. The building will also be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and facilities to support executive-level conferences.

Total cost of the project is estimated at $54 million.

Below is a rendering of the Cal U Convocation Center.




08/05/09