Looking out from their East Halls dorms in 2005, students will see an agricultural sub-campus rather than the current parking lot.

The Department of Food Science and the University Creamery are moving a half-block east from their current locations at Borland Lab to a home near the intersection of Shortlidge and Curtin roads, now part of Lot 80.

In addition to the new food science building and Creamery, a forest resources building is another major project outlined in the three-year strategic report released by the College of Agricultural Sciences last month.

These projects are part of Penn State's Grand Destiny Campaign, a university-wide effort to raise $1 billion in endowment funds by June 2003.

Total expenditures for the construction, design and furnishing of the food science building are estimated at $22 million, according to the report. The money will come from a combination of state and private funds. Of this amount, an ultimate goal of $6 million must be raised through private philanthropic support, said John Floros, head of the food science department.

While the design phase has begun, construction is scheduled to start in the middle of 2003 and be completed by the spring of 2005, Floros said.

"The building will be state-of-the-art, with the most efficient facilities and the newest technology," Floros said.

Construction will not be affected by the university's recent budget cut, said Paul Wangsness, senior associate dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences.

"The funds have been released by the state Department of General Services and the selection process for architects has begun," Wangsness said. "These signs indicate that the money is available and the project outlook is good."

The Department of General Services is accepting proposals from bidding architects for the project, Wangsness said.

The new building will provide much-needed space and updated facilities to allow the department to better compete with other schools for students and grant funds, Floros said.

Major components of the structure are research laboratories, a new Berkey Creamery and more than 6,000 square feet of teaching facilities. Pilot processing plants, making up another 6,000 square feet, will provide facilities for small and medium business use.

The Berkey Creamery is named after 1948 Penn State graduate Jeanne Claycomb Berkey and her husband Earl Berkey in recognition of their $3 million donation.

At present, just over $5 million has been raised by private giving, said John Krumrine, director of development for the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Krumrine said the food science building and Creamery are just one component of an expansive development plan for the Lot 80 area, which also includes a parking deck and a business administration building. Also, about 400 acres north of campus will eventually contain botanical gardens and conservatories between Park Avenue and the Mount Nittany Expressway, he said.