In 1963 a group of local citizens formed the Shenango Valley Citizens College Procurement Committee with the purpose of expanding the higher education opportunities in the area. After a series of meetings with the Penn State Board of Trustees, a plan was developed in 1964 for creating a new Penn State campus in Sharon that would allow students to start their college career locally and transfer to the flagship campus in University Park. The State Board of Education approved this proposal, and the first students were admitted to the Penn State Shenango Valley campus in 1965. Initially, classes were held in Kennedy Catholic High School as funds were raised for the construction of a permanent campus. After briefly considering building a campus from scratch in Hickory Township, the directors instead chose to base the campus around existing buildings in downtown Sharon. The first buildings to be purchased for the campus were Sharon Hall and Lecture Hall, which were purchased from the Sharon Central School District. As programs and enrollment grew, new buildings were constructed or purchased adjoining Sharon and Lecture Halls during the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1980s the "Valley" was dropped from the official name of the campus. At the start of the 2006-2007 academic year, a $9.4 million renovation of campus was completed. The renovation updated Sharon and Lecture Halls linking them with an enclosed glass atrium. The renovations also transformed the former gymnasium space in Sharon Hall into the Great Hall including new food service, fitness, and student activities spaces. Currently the campus is entering a capital campaign to raise funds for modernizing the Auditorium Building with an eye to adding increased accessibility, new restroom facilities, and updating the space for multiple uses. Construction on the first phase of this project was completed in 2009. Chadderton Laboratory was completely renovated in 2013 to house the newly formed Occupational Therapy Assistant program and contains office, laboratory, and classroom space for this program
Athletics
Penn State Shenango supports varsity squads in men's basketball, and women's volleyball. The school competes in the Penn State University Athletic Conference. Penn State–Shenango intramural sports include: men's golf, flag football, basketball, volleyball, and tennis.
Facilities
The Shenango campus consists of ten educational and support buildings, including:
Sharon Hall The primary classroom and office building on campus houses administration, faculty offices, computer labs, classroom space, and the Great Hall student center.
Lecture Hall Includes campus admissions and financial aid offices, classroom space, and faculty offices. A glass atrium connecting Sharon and Lecture halls was constructed in 2006.
Science Building Includes faculty offices and science classrooms.
Forker Laboratory Science labs, classroom space, and the Forum, a large classroom used for lectures and events is located here. It is connected to the Science Building.
Chadderton Laboratory The former headquarters of the local television cable company, this building was renovated in 2013 and houses the Occupational Therapy Assistant program, including office, classroom, and laboratory spaces.
Lartz Memorial Library Originally housing a commercial laundry, and then a local steelworkers union hall, the Library was renovated in 1996 and houses the campus library collections, study areas, a classroom, and the Media Commons.
Physical Therapy Laboratory Another former office building now houses the Physical Therapy Assistant program.
Penn State Theatre The former Auditorium of the Sharon Central School District, now used for large gatherings including commencement, concerts, and the Penn State Lecture Series. A multi-phase renovation project began in 2008.
Maintenance Building Houses campus maintenance department and services.
