College Town Pittsburgh Part 5

Editor’s note: We thank the top leaders of this region’s universities for penning a response to the following question: Given continuing enrollment declines and our civic need to attract and keep young people, is it desirable to significantly build on fledgling programs to get students off campus and engage them in this region’s amenities, thus building our College Town dynamic as well as a stronger long-term connection with our area? If so, in what ways could you envision contributing to such a project?
Previously in this series: College Town Pittsburgh Pt. 4

Susan Traverso, Thiel College
Thiel College has strong ties to Pittsburgh, with hundreds of active and proud alumni in and around the city, including many talented recent graduates pursuing career opportunities and advanced studies in the Pittsburgh region. As a sponsored institution of Pittsburgh’s Dietrich Foundation, Thiel provides innovative educational programs, attracting hundreds of students to this region and connecting them to the careers and amenities available in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. For more than 55 years, Thiel students, alumni and friends have embarked on a fundraising walk from Greenville to the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital, raising nearly $2 million for the hospital. Each year, Thiel students join outstanding businesses and organizations in Western Pennsylvania, as well as selective graduate and professional programs in Pittsburgh. Internships, field placements, and our collaboration with Penn-Northwest Development Corporation introduce students to opportunities in the region. Thiel’s allied health programs in nursing, physician assistant, speech-language pathology and health care administration are likewise designed to produce graduates prepared to meet the needs of regional health care systems. And finally, the college’s well-respected education program partners with local school districts to prepare the next generation of teachers. Beyond academics and community service, the college sponsors activities that connect students with Pittsburgh’s rich cultural and recreational amenities. In this way, the college infuses new talent and positive energy to the Pittsburgh and northwest Pennsylvania region, and supports the economic and social vitality of Western Pennsylvania.

Calvin Troup, Geneva College
At Geneva, education is preparation for real-world callings that always involve community. Community engagement makes a Geneva education more attractive, which is contributing to enrollment growth for the coming year, an increase of 100-plus more new students than last year.

Geneva’s presence in the community has shaped and continues to shape our educational offerings. Through the work of our Center for Calling and Career and Center for Student Engagement, our students learn to serve wherever they are called. This includes active engagement in our local schools and through organizations like YoungLife, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Special Olympics, and more. Commitment to serving in the community encourages spiritual development, while equipping students with skills and experiences that provide strategic knowledge that will be useful in their callings and life’s work.

We are building and expanding these connections through strategic partnerships. Our new Associate Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Lindsay Courteau, is working closely with many key stakeholders and engaged in discussions on what it looks like for the college to contribute to development of Beaver Falls itself, to attract new businesses, to retain and support families, and to engage more deeply in the life of our hometown.

Our educational model invites Geneva students to learn the lessons of community engagement as part of their college experience, serving personally to build the overall well-being and vitality of the region. Putting community engagement into practice benefits students today and builds a foundation for sustained service in the community by alumni.

Michael Driscoll, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
It has always been, and will remain, important for college students to engage in off-campus activities and the local and regional amenities that the college’s home community and the region offer.

Students enrich communities, and the experiences they have in the community enrich the lives of students in many different ways. Students work in local businesses, gaining professional experience and filling workforce gaps. Students are also passionate and dedicated volunteers in many communities, from education majors as tutors in literacy programs to students caring for animals at the local shelter or ecology majors working at a community garden. Internships and job-shadowing opportunities help students decide if their volunteer interests could turn into careers.

Any town with a college would say, with certainty, that the presence of a university makes the town a more dynamic environment for its residents.

IUP students love their adopted hometown. Many choose to stay here after graduation; the only limit on the number of our alumni who become residents is the number of jobs available to them, so we work actively with our communities to develop those opportunities. Engaged students become engaged alumni who make “coming home” a tradition.

While conditions facing universities change, creating connections with our community is not new: We maintain strong communication channels, we get to know one another, we build partnerships, and we work together to encourage student engagement. Everyone learns and benefits, especially our students.