Berks County’s five institutions of higher learning touch the lives of hundreds of people every day. But while you may drive past them, read about them, attend them or even work for them, there are still things you may not know about our local colleges and universities. New developments happen every day as our local campuses adapt to keep pace with new trends in education and to serve our community.
Albright College
Having just opened their newly renovated and expanded Science Center in 2011, Albright is now turning its attention to plans for a new Center for Business, Civic and Global Leadership to be created at the Rockland Center on 13th Street. With a planned opening in 2014, this interdisciplinary facility will house the departments of economics, business, accounting and political science as well as the successful Center for Excellence in Local Government. The 30,000-square-foot space will include technologically advanced classrooms, offices and meeting spaces.
Technology is also influencing the creation of new majors at Albright, such as music business, arts administration, digital studio art and digital video arts. “Studio classes in technology and creative skills, such as acting/directing for the camera, sound editing and screenwriting,” says Jeffrey Lentz, artist in residence in theater and music, “will be offered alongside classroom seminars in the history of moving image, script analysis and project management.”
Albright’s most exciting news recently is the commitment to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need for its incoming freshmen in fall 2013. Students will receive aid from college, federal and state aid programs, including grants, federal student loans and work-study jobs. “We have a history of access and affordability that has made it possible for generations of students of limited financial resources to attend, graduate and be successful,” says Greg Eichorn, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission. “It’s time to extend that history to the next generation of leaders.”
Did You Know? This year men’s swimming won its third straight Middle Atlantic Conference title and women’s swimming its second straight.
Albright by the Numbers
Students: 1,600 full-time day; 600 accelerated degree students; 65 graduate students
Graduates in 2012-13: 350 undergraduates; 70 accelerated degree, 5 master's degree
Majors available: most popular majors include business administration, sciences, social sciences and fashion
Rooms on campus: 603 student rooms plus 9 affinity houses
Faculty: 122 full-time
Check out Albright.edu for more info.
Penn State Berks University
“Plans are now in progress,”says Lisa Weidman, Director of University Relations, “to build a new athletics facility to support some of our current teams and open the door to additional sports and activities at the college.” The new facility will be a regulation-size soccer field with “the look and feel of a small-scale stadium,” Weidman says. Located behind the current gymnasium, the artificial turf field will feature lights for night games, an electronic scoreboard, permanent seating for 300 and provisions for press box facilities.
Athletics at Penn State Berks are thriving. For the first time in the college’s history, the athletics department was awarded the North Eastern Athletic Conference Presidents’ Cup. This honor goes to the school with the highest combined level of success in all sports that it competes in. Winning seasons for women’s soccer, softball, tennis, cross country and volleyball helped them to capture first place in the women’s NEAC. The men placed fifth, helped by the basketball team winning the South Division title for the first time. Baseball, golf, tennis and cross country also contributed. In all, the men’s and women’s teams earned 80 out of a possible 107 points to win the conference award.
Those students interested in getting involved in an activity other than sports are in luck. Penn State Berks boasts more than 30 special-interest clubs and organizations, and a range of theatre, arts and entertainment options, too!
Did You Know? Penn State World Campus, the university’s online distance learning service, enrolls nearly 12,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
Penn State Berks by the Numbers
Students: 2,747
Graduates in 2012-13: 318
Majors available: 6 Associate and 15 Baccalaureate degree programs
Rooms on campus: two suite complexes offer amenities like meeting space, a fireplace and outdoor patio
Faculty: 216 full-time and adjunct
Online courses available: include university-wide courses, regional courses, courses taught by Berks campus faculty and hybrid courses
Check out bk.psu.edu for more info.
Alvernia University
Carey Manzolillo, Communications Specialist at Alvernia says, “Two big topics in higher education right now include a demand for healthcare workers and the need for experiential learning, and Alvernia is proud to be leading the charge on both of these fronts.” The university’s initiatives to train current and future healthcare workers include new majors in healthcare science and medical imaging and a doctoral degree in physical therapy. A new agreement also allows Alvernia students to gain early acceptance to the Florida and Pennsylvania campuses of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, the nation’s largest medical college.
Alvernia’s focus on experiential learning is evident in the availability of numerous internships, field experiences, co-ops, clinical assignments, research projects, and community service and study/service abroad programs. Students can travel to the Washington Center, do an internship at a European Parliament, or serve locally in service projects with community-based partner organizations. Manzolillo says, “Our learn-by-doing philosophy allows students to discover their passion while providing opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of others.”
The university also strives to make a difference with its annual Literary Festival in October. This year’s festival will open with a speech by author Eboo Patel, who stresses the need for interfaith cooperation. Patel is founder of the Interfaith Youth Core and serves on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.
Successful Alumni:catcher for theNew York Mets Anthony Recker ('95)
Did You Know? This fall Alvernia will begin offering its healthcare programs on the campus of Montgomery County Community College.
Alvernia by the Numbers
Students: about 3,000, including 1,500 traditional undergraduate students
Graduates in 2012-13: 691
Majors available: Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees available in more than 50 majors and minors
Rooms on campus: nine residence halls, including traditional halls, suite-style apartments, townhouses and apartment-style halls
Faculty: more than 100 full-time
Online courses available: 15 in a variety of fields
Check out Alvernia.edu for more info.
Kutztown University
Kutztown’s highly successful Department of Communication Design will begin offering a new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in the discipline. Communication Design has the largest number of majors within the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Kutztown and enrolls students internationally from countries like India, Japan and Germany. According to the university, the MFA program will “emphasize personal creative design exploration” and allow students to choose from courses in Product Design, Jewelry Design, Printmaking, Painting and Wood Design. It will be “a one-of-a-kind degree that prepares graduate students for further advancement in their communication design careers.”
The arts at Kutztown will also be enhanced by the planned September 2013 reopening of the Schaeffer Auditorium. In addition to interior restoration, the building will get a new green room, dressing rooms and practice space. A 14,000-square-foot expansion will include smart classrooms and rehearsal halls, and a new connection between the Auditorium and the Sharadin Arts Building will feature gallery space in a glass stairway.
The renovated auditorium will provide a state-of-the-art theater for the popular KU Presents series as well as renovated space for the university’s music department. This year, Kutztown’s Wind Ensemble was chosen to perform at the Kennedy Center. The Jazz Ensemble played with Kurt Elling at Berks Jazz Fest as well as traveling to Italy to perform.
Did You Know? Kutztown was 1 of 4 schools in the country to have both men’s and women’s rugby teams selected for the national Collegiate Rugby Championship, featured on NBC Sports.
Kutztown by the Numbers
Students: 9,804
Graduates in 2012-13: 2,175
Majors available: more than 100 majors, minors, and concentrations for undergraduates and 28 graduate degree programs
Rooms on campus: traditional style residence halls, suites, apartments
Faculty: 362 full-time
Online courses available: winter session is entirely online
Check out Kutztown.edu for more info.
Reading Area Community College
Wade Davenport, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost at RACC identifies a major trend in higher education as “the digital online learning experience.” RACC is poised to provide that experience with many online courses across a number of disciplines. Some college divisions are even working to create fully online degree programs as students demand more flexibility in academic scheduling. RACC’s commitment to online learning is further supported by a new articulation agreement with American Public University, a fully online school.
Another new articulation agreement is with Lancaster General School of Health Sciences. Recognizing the increasing need for healthcare education, Davenport says, “There are more things to do than just clinical.” A new program in Electronic Health Records leads to either a certificate or an Associate’s degree.
RACC further serves the educational needs of the community with its Technical Academy. Through a partnership with Berks Career and Technology Center, high school students can begin taking courses tuition-free in the high-demand field of Mechatronics Engineering Technology. Upon graduation, students continue their studies at RACC with the option of going on to local four-year schools for their Bachelor’s degree.
Programs at RACC’s Miller Center for the Arts serve both the community and students. Director Cathleen Stephen says that the 20-25 annually scheduled programs in dance, theater, film and multi-media are chosen both to appeal to the community and attract student interest. For a recent production of Around the World in 80 Days by the Walnut Street Theatre, RACC partnered with local libraries to offer free tickets, and the college held an Around the World taste testing with students sampling ethnic cuisine from local vendors.
Did You Know? Students who transfer to four-year schools say their community college classes were at least as demanding as those at their transfer college.
RACC by the Numbers
Students: 4,791
Graduates in 2012-13: 429
Majors available: 54
Faculty: 61 full-time; 186 part-time
Online courses available: 43
Check out Racc.edu for more info.
BY DOROTHY LEHMAN HOERR | PHOTOS BY MIKE NOBLE
