Tying the Past, Present and Future together: York College of Pennsylvania, Partners, Debut State-of-the-Art Knowledge Park on Campus

York College of Pennsylvania is proud to debut the state-of-the-art Knowledge Park, as part of our campus.

Several YCP leaders were joined by WellSpan Health, Warfel Construction, JDB Engineering, MANTEC, and MRG Labs to take part in a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the trailblazing facility.

“This moment marks not just the completion of a challenging and transformational capital project, but the beginning of a new era for our College, our students, and the York community,” York College President Thomas Burns, Ph.D said.

Located in a historic warehouse that used to be Schmidt & Ault Paper Company, York College worked with Warfel Construction to transform the building into a world-class facility that will house major business partners in the York area. The building dates back to the 1800s.

“We are deeply grateful to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, whose investment and belief in the power education and innovation have in stimulating economic development helped make this vision a reality,” Dr. Burns said.

Continuing to Grow with New Partners

Construction began in May 2022 and has been a work in progress ever since. 

“Understanding the unique aspects and needs when it comes to education, design, and construction helps us provide exemplary spaces for these special audiences. Amazing environments lead to life with collaboration, confidence, and growth,” Colleen Lynn, Director of Business Development with Warfel Construction, said.

WellSpan will be moving a production studio into Knowledge Park. The space will feature top-rated space and equipment for videos, podcasts, photoshoots and more within this new, vibrant setting.

“The studio will be a center for creativity and learning, where we’ll work alongside York College’s talented communications and marketing students on a variety of project-based learning initiatives. Together, we’ll provide real-world experiences in producing meaningful, impactful content—skills that are essential in today’s digital landscape,” Cindy Fruitrail, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff of WellSpan Health said.

WellSpan’s space at Knowledge Park is also available as a resource for community organizations, businesses and nonprofits to create their own content and foster innovation and collaboration.

Ready for New Partners

Knowledge Park is ready for additional tenants. Various floors are fully equipped and adaptable to transform into whatever space a new tenant needs. 

Dataforma, a longtime tenant of York College’s JD Brown Center incubator, will soon hatch from that incubator and move into Knowledge Park as well. 

MRG Labs is a Knowledge Park partner deeply involved in a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development-funded research program that develops cutting-edge solutions in automation and robotics.

Andrew Mott ‘24, worked with MRG Labs as a co-op on that program and has seen the value of Knowledge Park first hand.

“​​To me, Knowledge Park represents the future—where students, faculty, and industry leaders collaborate to solve real-world problems. For students like myself, this is more than just an academic exercise, it’s an opportunity to make an impact on meaningful projects, to collaborate and build relationships with York’s businesses, and to simply be a part of something bigger than ourselves” Mott said.

The possibilities for York College and Knowledge Park are endless and will play a valuable role in the success of the York area for decades to come.