Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, has announced plans to develop its recently purchased fossil park into a visitor attraction comparable to the likes of the “Smithsonian, Metropolitan and Franklin Museum.”

The university purchased the 65-acre (263,000sq m) former quarry in September last year for US$1.95m (€1.77m, £1.58m), promising to use the site as a “naturally built classroom for research”. But following a US$25m (€22.7m, £20.3m) donation from Rowan graduates Jean and Ric Edelman, the site will become much more, being transformed to include a museum and visitor center, fossil lab, nature trail, palaeontology-themed playground, social spaces, and a place for students and families to participate in archeological digs.

"We want the Fossil Park to be a world-class destination for families on the same scale as the Smithsonian, Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Franklin Institute," said Ric Edelman. "We want our giving to have a measurable impact on people's lives."

Dubbed the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park at Rowan University, the site is rich in history, with thousands of 65-million-year-old fossils from the Cretaceous period buried on site.

"The Edelmans' passion for sharing discovery and science will transform and expand Rowan's capacity to educate for generations to come," said Rowan University president Ali A. Houshmand.

"Their vision and generosity will make it possible for tens of thousands of students, families and researchers to explore a range of hands-on sciences at a globally significant site – palaeontology, of course, but also geology, biology, environmental science, and more."