Penn State Scranton
1.What should we know about Penn State Scranton?
Penn State University initiated academic services for the Scranton area in 1923 with the establishment of an Extension Branch School, which offered evening technical institute programs. In 1951, The Scranton Center was established and offered day and evening technical programs until 1953, when the courses were redesigned as associate degree programs. During the 1950s, The Scranton Center began planning for a permanent campus outside of the city to serve a larger area and its growing educational needs. A public fund-raising campaign was instituted to solicit funds from labor, business, industry, former students and friends. The Center's board then purchased land and began planning the new campus.
In 1968, those efforts paid off and the campus was established at its current location along the O'Neill Highway in Dunmore with the construction of the Dawson Building.
Since that time, five more buildings have been added: the Library, the Study Learning Center, the Multipurpose Building, the James D. Gallagher Conference Center, and a Business Building. In 2018, the campus purchased the former Grainger Building, located on the corner of Ridge View Drive and the O'Neill Highway, which will house the campus' new Mechanical Engineering degree program, starting in Fall 2021. The campus also has its own cross-country track, and soccer, softball and baseball fields.
In addition to its physical growth, Penn State Scranton has evolved from its origins as a two-year, commuter campus to a full-service campus that offers 13 bachelor degrees, four associate degrees and the first two years of over 275 Penn State degrees. Penn State Scranton now offers local students the ability to get an internationally-recognized, big-name degree close to home, while also being affordable and accessible with one of the lowest tuition rates in northeastern Pennsylvania. We provide students with all the resources of Penn State, along with high-quality academics and a world-class, supportive faculty that prepares them for the future.
Our David and Ann Hawk Student Success Center provides tutoring and other academic services to help students be successful and our campus awards over 170 scholarships to qualifying students each year. We have a continuously growing number of active student clubs, as well as PSUAC and intramural athletics and a student services staff that provides a variety of activities for our students throughout the year - from lunch-time concerts to games that award winning students prizes to movie nights and gaming events.
Penn State Scranton also prides itself on being a welcoming campus with an increasingly diverse population, and events highlighting cultural diversity such as Diwali, Chinese New Year, MLK Day of Service and Cinco de Mayo.
2. What’s something interesting to know about Penn State Scranton?
The current and popular Nittany Lion mascot, familiar to so many people regardless of whether or not they attended Penn State, was modeled after the Pennsylvania mountain lion, but the original mascot was actually an African Lion; however, before the Nittany Lion there was Old Coaly, a pack mule from Kentucky who came to State College with his owner, Piersol Lytle. Lytle's son, Andy, was a laborer working on Old Main, the first building constructed at the main University Park campus, and recruited the mule for help in hauling the stones that were used to build Old Main from the local rock quarry to the construction site. When construction ended after six years, the University decided to buy the mule they'd grown to love, and Old Coaly became a symbol of Penn State pride for the student body.
3. How is Penn State a leader in its industry?
Penn State is a leader in higher education, with a name that is recognized globally, and carries out its mission of teaching, research, and service with pride and focus on the future. Our leadership in administration, faculty, and staff make our mission come alive every day. We strive to celebrate diversity in all aspects of our educational and operational activities, and our strategic plans are designed to result in ongoing improvements that help prepare future generations of leaders.
4. Is Penn State a leader in the community?
Penn State Scranton makes a high-quality college education both accessible and affordable, with one of the lowest college tuition rates in the region. Over 90% of our students are from within our five-county service area in northeastern Pennsylvania, making us a true community institution of higher education. In addition to our 13 bachelor degrees and four associate degrees, we also offer a wide range of continuing education programs including AutoCAD, e-commerce, human resources, real estate, supply chain management, technology, customized training programs for businesses or schools and summer programming for youths and teens. In 2018, we established the LaunchBox in South Scranton, a business pre-incubator that provides educational and technical support for aspiring entrepreneurs and facilitates networking opportunities for faculty, professionals and students who are passionate about building a vibrant community in downtown Scranton and the surrounding area.