Penn State New Kensington

Penn State New Kensington, located 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is one of twenty-four campuses that make up Pennsylvania State University. The campus has an enrollment of 1,000 and offers a master's degree program, eight bachelor's degree programs, and five associate's degree programs as well as seven men's and women's sports.

History

The New Kensington campus was founded in 1958 as a result of a study of the local need for higher education in the Alle-Kiski Valley. The first class graduated in 1960 at the New Kensington Center in the city of New Kensington. The Center moved to the old Parnassus School in 1963. The current campus opened with the Engineering Building in 1966 on 35 acres (140,000 m²) donated by ALCOA. Two years later the Science, Activities, and Administration buildings and the Library were completed and an additional 30 acres (120,000 m²) were purchased from a neighboring farmer. In 1969 the Physical Education Complex opened followed by the Theatre in 1971 and the Student Learning Center in 1975. The Science and Technology Center opened in 1990. After a ten-year building hiatus, the Conference Center and Classroom Building was dedicated in March 2001.

Campus

Financial aid and scholarships

70 percent of students receive aid (loans, scholarships, grants, work-study); Thirty-five campus scholarships awarded to 140 students.

Campus life

More than 20 clubs and social organizations; On-campus cultural and entertainment events.

Athletics

Penn State–New Kensington teams participate as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The Nittany Lions are also a member of the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC). The school sponsors seven varsity sports: men's soccer; wrestling; men’s basketball; women’s volleyball; softball; co-ed golf and co-ed cheerleading, as well as numerous club and intramural sports.

Facilities

Ten buildings on seventy-two wooded acres that includes a multi-purpose Conference Center, the 350-seat Forum Theatre, 600-seat Athletics Center; Art Gallery.

• Blissell Library: Over 40,000 books, 200 journal and newspaper subscriptions, and a small video collection. Electronic access to nearly four million volumes in Penn State’s Libraries system.

• Information Technology Center: Dedicated in June 2000, the $3 million IT Center is equipped with state-of-the-art software and computer technology. The Center contains the 35-seat Allegheny Ludlum Technology Classroom; two additional multi-media classrooms, a video conferencing room, a laboratory for network simulation and pc troubleshooting, and a smaller learning studio. The IT Center contains high-end Pentium 4 workstations and it is located in the Activities Building.

• Ten Specialized Laboratories: Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Measurement & Instrumentation Laboratory; Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Control Systems Laboratory; Mechanical Engineering Laboratory; Robotics Laboratory which includes separate stations and milling stations; Electrical Engineering Technology Lab; Power Laboratory; Computer Aided Drafting and Design Laboratory; Drafting Classroom; Biomedical Engineering Technology Laboratory (one of only three in the country); Biomedical Engineering Technology Operating Laboratory.

• Computer Center: Large student laboratory, two teaching laboratories and a faculty laboratory; five-to-one student to computer ratio is one of the lowest ratios in the University; students receive e-mail and Internet account.

Academic programs

Students can complete 5 associate degrees and 8 bachelor's degrees at the Penn State New Kensington campus. Penn State New Kensington also offers the first two years of more than 160 Penn State baccalaureate majors.

Five associate degrees

Biomedical Engineering Technology; Business Administration; Information Sciences and Technology; Letters, Arts, and Sciences; Radiological Sciences.

Eight bachelor’s degrees

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology; Bachelor of Science in Psychology; Bachelor of Science in Business; Bachelor of Arts in Communications; Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology; Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences and Technology; Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership.

Master’s degree

Master of Business Administration.

See also

• Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Campus

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennsylvania State University.

• Penn State New Kensington official website
• Penn State New Kensington official athletics website
• Blissell Library, Penn State New Kensington
• The Pennsylvania State University official website
• Penn State Campuses

Coordinates: 40°33′04″N 79°41′50″W / 40.551138°N 79.69727°W / 40.551138; -79.69727