Welcome to Penn State New Kensington! You are visiting us at an extremely exciting time in our 60-year history. I encourage you to explore what is happening on our campus and through our relationships in the region. I think you are going to find us student focused, forward thinking, and connected to a world of opportunity through the power of Penn State and our deepening connections to the community and the Pittsburgh region. We’re at the forefront of preparing our students for the jobs of the future in a world that is changing quickly by enhancing your education with opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Penn State New Kensington offers a high-quality blend of academic programs, teaching, research, student support, scholarships, entrepreneurial and innovative programs, and community engagement. More than 80% of our freshmen come seeking four-year degrees in Administration of Justice, Biobehavioral Health, Business, Communications, Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology, Information Sciences and Technology, Nursing, Project and Supply Chain Management, or Psychology. Others come for our well-known two-year degrees including Biomedical Engineering Technology, which is one of seven accredited nationwide by ABET, or Radiological Sciences, which has a high average of job placement rates for graduates. In all of these majors, our students build relationships with their faculty, staff, and fellow students. They learn by doing internships, community engagement projects, working on research projects with faculty, and participating as leaders in our clubs and/or working on student-led philanthropy projects such as THON.
One of the initiatives that we are most excited about is the innovative training we can provide through Penn State’s Invent Penn State initiative, which helped make our innovation hub, The Corner, possible. These programs and services help students and community members strengthen skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, communications, adaptability, creativity, and resilience – all things that employers and organizations are looking for in employees of all fields. Another great aspect of Invent Penn State is that it also allows students and individuals the opportunity to take an idea from conception to business or product and Penn State is investing millions of dollars to help make those dreams a reality.
But, at Penn State New Kensington, we haven’t stopped there. Major companies, such as Arconic and Siemens, have been working with us to refine this programming because the workers of the future need the innovative mindset and the skills just mentioned. We are involved with almost 30 partners in an effort to prepare our students and region for success in a digital age. If you are in high school or college today, then you are likely to have between four and eleven careers in your lifetime. Your professional career will be dominated by advances in technology, data, and more. At PSNK, we see that, and we are working to figure out how we can best prepare you for jobs that don’t yet exist rather than for those that will no longer be. We don’t have all the answers, and we’re just getting started, but at Penn State New Kensington, we are one of the first to be thinking about this and actively working on it so that our graduates have the tools they need to succeed over the course of their lives.
So, regardless of what you want to major in or do in life, we are going the extra mile to make sure you have the tools to achieve your goals. We’re excited about the future and all that it holds for you. Come visit us in person and see what the Penn State New Kensington experience is all about – small classes, big dreams, and the powerful engine of Penn State to get you where you want to go.
Dr. Kevin J.G. Snider
Chancellor
