The Pennsylvania State University Breazeale Reactor has supported numerous education and research programs. The education programs are primarily traditional resident instruction laboratories but also include training of International Atomic Energy Agency fellows, high school science teacher institutes, power reactor operator training, and informational tours for high school classes and the general public. Research programs, which range from developing new techniques and applications to using these as a service to other experimenters, include sponsored academic research, services in support of research performed throughout the university, service to regional institutions through the U.S. Department of Energy reactor sharing program, and service to industry. The evolution of an effective university research reactor program is traced from the era when the reactor was a laboratory curiosity to its present status as a research tool serving a multifaceted research university. Strategic planning is required to ensure continued viability of research reactor facilities and programs.