A Coworking Space Transformed This Pennsylvania College Town In 2010, a group of graduates set out to change the relationship between students and their community.

Penn State University is the lifeblood of State College, Pa., but its 46,000 undergrads rarely interact with the township that encircles it. In 2010, a group of graduates set out to change that. Here's how coworking space and networking group New Leaf Initiative brings everyone together.

Set up shop

The campus and downtown are divided by College Avenue. "Getting students to cross was the first challenge," says executive director Galen Bernard. "But we secured a space downtown and started helping turn student ideas into action. The community downtown saw what we were doing and said, "Hey, we could use some of that, too.'"