Penn State Lehigh Valley
Encyclopedia
Penn State Lehigh Valley is a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University
. It is located in Center Valley
, outside of Allentown
in the Lehigh Valley
region of Pennsylvania
, in the United States
. Founded in 1912, Penn State Lehigh Valley is the oldest of Penn State's commonwealth campuses.
veterans.
By 1951, the curriculum had expanded to include associate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology, business programs, and graduate credit classes for teachers. The University purchased a converted factory building at 725 Ridge Avenue in Allentown to house the "Allentown Center."
In the 1970s, the Allentown Campus grew rapidly and moved first to larger quarters in the Fogelsville School Building, and then, in 1977, to its campus in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania which was built on a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) tract of land donated by Mohr Orchards. Along with the new facilities came a new mission to provide the first two years of Penn State baccalaureate degrees in addition to expanded continuing education programming.
The 1990s brought considerable change and subsequent growth to the campus. Changing its name to Penn State Lehigh Valley to better reflect the community it serves, the campus became part of a college within the University composed of Penn State Lehigh Valley and Penn State Berks
. The two-campus college was designated Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College. Together the campuses shared faculty and developed four-year baccalaureate degree programs in a number of disciplines.
With the addition of four-year baccalaureate degree programs came an increase in enrollment, and in 2003 Penn State Lehigh Valley opened a second site, the Corporate Learning Center, located at 100 Brodhead Road in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
. The Bethlehem site currently housed continuing education programs as well as the Elementary Education degree program classes.
In 2005 the University restructured across the state, and discontinued the Berks-Lehigh Valley College partnership.
Currently, approximately 800 undergraduate students attend Penn State Lehigh Valley. An additional 3,000 students participate each year in its continuing education programs.
On March 20, 2009 the Penn State University board approved the purchase of the facility owned by Lehigh Valley College
in Center Valley, PA. Classes moved to Center Valley in September 2009. Penn State shared the facility with Lehigh Valley College
until that school closed in December 2009. The new facility more than doubled the size of the building on the old campus. With the increased space programs at the Corporate Learning Center are currently being moved to Center Valley and the Corporate Learning will be closed at the end of 2010.
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. It is located in Center Valley
Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Center Valley is an unincorporated village one mile north of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 309 and Pennsylvania Route 378 in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
, outside of Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1912, Penn State Lehigh Valley is the oldest of Penn State's commonwealth campuses.
History
In 1912, Penn State opened its first permanent "branch school" in the attic of an elementary school in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Designed to provide professional training to employees, the Allentown Branch School offered evening courses in engineering. Over the next few decades additional programs were added, including three-year evening programs in engineering, technology, and business administration, as well as "continuation school" offered one day a week for workers in silk mills and other local factories. Eventually the evening programs were compressed into a one-year daytime program designed to meet the needs of returning World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans.
By 1951, the curriculum had expanded to include associate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology, business programs, and graduate credit classes for teachers. The University purchased a converted factory building at 725 Ridge Avenue in Allentown to house the "Allentown Center."
In the 1970s, the Allentown Campus grew rapidly and moved first to larger quarters in the Fogelsville School Building, and then, in 1977, to its campus in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania which was built on a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) tract of land donated by Mohr Orchards. Along with the new facilities came a new mission to provide the first two years of Penn State baccalaureate degrees in addition to expanded continuing education programming.
The 1990s brought considerable change and subsequent growth to the campus. Changing its name to Penn State Lehigh Valley to better reflect the community it serves, the campus became part of a college within the University composed of Penn State Lehigh Valley and Penn State Berks
Penn State Berks
Penn State Berks is a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University located in Spring Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.-History:First known as Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute, Penn State Berks became part of the Penn State system in 1958. The Berks campus has experienced many changes...
. The two-campus college was designated Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College. Together the campuses shared faculty and developed four-year baccalaureate degree programs in a number of disciplines.
With the addition of four-year baccalaureate degree programs came an increase in enrollment, and in 2003 Penn State Lehigh Valley opened a second site, the Corporate Learning Center, located at 100 Brodhead Road in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
. The Bethlehem site currently housed continuing education programs as well as the Elementary Education degree program classes.
In 2005 the University restructured across the state, and discontinued the Berks-Lehigh Valley College partnership.
Currently, approximately 800 undergraduate students attend Penn State Lehigh Valley. An additional 3,000 students participate each year in its continuing education programs.
On March 20, 2009 the Penn State University board approved the purchase of the facility owned by Lehigh Valley College
Lehigh Valley College
Lehigh Valley College was a college owned by Career Education Corporation, a for-profit educational company. The college was located near Allentown, Pennsylvania, in Center Valley which is approximately outside of Philadelphia and offered associate degree programs in a variety of vocational...
in Center Valley, PA. Classes moved to Center Valley in September 2009. Penn State shared the facility with Lehigh Valley College
Lehigh Valley College
Lehigh Valley College was a college owned by Career Education Corporation, a for-profit educational company. The college was located near Allentown, Pennsylvania, in Center Valley which is approximately outside of Philadelphia and offered associate degree programs in a variety of vocational...
until that school closed in December 2009. The new facility more than doubled the size of the building on the old campus. With the increased space programs at the Corporate Learning Center are currently being moved to Center Valley and the Corporate Learning will be closed at the end of 2010.
Degrees Offered
| Baccalaureate Degrees | Associate Degrees |
|---|---|
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Business Administration Information Sciences and Technology Letters, Arts and Sciences |