Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Encyclopedia
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College is a state-related public university institution and a Commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University
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...

 located in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...

.
The college in recent years has added a number of facilities, including an athletics and recreation center (The Junker Center), chapel and carillon (Smith Chapel), astronomy observatory, large residence halls (Senat Hall), Knowledge Park at Penn State Erie, and a baseball and softball complex. The $30 million, 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²) Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center that houses the School of Engineering and the Sam and Irene Black School of Business
Sam and Irene Black School of Business
The Sam and Irene Black School of Business is the business school of Pennsylvania State University – Erie, The Behrend College, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Penn State Erie is a part of the Pennsylvania State University commonwealth system...

 opened in 2006. It features teaching and research labs, including the largest academic plastics lab in the United States. In 2010, the $4 million Robert and Sally Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center opened.

Academics

Students can complete 34 bachelor's degrees and 22 minors, three pre-professional programs, two master's degrees, six associate degrees, and a number of continuing education programs at Penn State Behrend. It also offers the first two years of more than 160 Penn State bachelor's degrees.

Bachelor's degrees

Accounting, B.S.; Biology, B.S.; Business Economics, B.S.; Business, Liberal Arts, and Science, B.S.; Chemistry, B.S.; Communication, B.A.; Computer Engineering, B.S.; Computer Science, B.S.; Creative Writing, B.F.A; Economics, B.A.; Electrical Engineering, B.S.; Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology, B.S.; English, B.A.; Finance, B.S.; General Arts and Sciences, B.A.; History, B.A.; Interdisciplinary Business with Engineering Studies, B.S.; International Business, B.S.; Management, B.S.; Management Information Systems, B.S.; Marketing, B.S.; Mathematics, B.S.; Mechanical Engineering, B.S.; Mechanical Engineering Technology, B.S.; Nursing, R.N. to B.S.N.; Physics, B.S.; Plastics Engineering Technology, B.S.; Political Science, B.A.; Psychology, B.A., B.S.; Science, B.A.; Science, B.S.; Secondary Education Mathematics, B.S.; Software Engineering, B.S.

Associate Degrees

Electrical Engineering Technology, A.ENGT.; General Business, A.S.; Letters, Arts, and Sciences, A.A.; Mechanical Engineering Technology, A.ENGT.; Nursing, A.S.; Plastics Engineering Technology, A.ENGT.

Minors

Accounting; Biology; Chemistry; Communication; Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Economics; English; Finance; History; International Studies; Management; Management Information Systems; Marketing; Mathematics; Operations and Supply Chain Management; Physics; Political Science; Psychology; Statistics; Technical Sales; Women's Studies

Master's Degrees

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Master of Project Management (M.P.M.)

Student organizations

Some of the larger organizations at Penn State Behrend include the Lion Entertainment Board (LEB), the Student Government Association(SGA), the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the Multi-Cultural Council (MCC), and the school newspaper, the Behrend Beacon.

The Lion Entertainment Board is responsible for bringing entertainment to Behrend's student population. There are weekly bands, comedians (some have included Mitch Fatel, Lewis Black, Jim Gaffigan), and other shows. In the past, bands brought to Behrend have included the Goo Goo Dolls (1998, 2010), Shaggy, The Clarks, Third Eye Blind (2008) and recently, The All-American Rejects and Shiny Toy Guns (2009).

The Student Government Association (SGA) of Penn State Behrend is the governing body of the student population and of all student organizations on-campus. It is open to all students; elections are run twice a year - once in the fifth week of Fall semester, and again towards the last half of Spring semester. Students who are interested in politics, or want to represent their fellow students, normally run for Senator or as a Council Representative first, then later may run for an executive board seat (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary).

The Multi-Cultural Council(MCC) organizes many groups to promote a multi-cultural environment, unity, and cooperation between groups at Behrend. The MCC is prominently located as a student organization in the Reed Union Building, and coordinates celebration of many different events, such as Martin Luther King Week, Hispanic and Black History Month, and many more.

Student Media

Each week, the Beacon runs stories regarding news events at Behrend, arts events both at the college and in Erie, and sports coverage for Behrend's athletes. It also provides an "Opinion" page for students to publish their own perspectives on political or local events. The Opinion page provides a student forum for ideas and debate, and has seen increased use in the last year due to controversial events at the college and the presidential election. The paper also runs investigative articles written by Behrend journalists regarding current events or processes at the college.

Students from any and all majors, including even mechanical engineering, chemistry, and meteorology, work on the paper. Usually, those interested in Communications or Journalism will work for the newspaper in an effort to decide whether they want to pursue journalism as a career interest. Students normally start out as a staff writer, where they will get the opportunity to write news, sports, or arts stories for the paper. Editor positions, which are paid positions and not limited by major, deal more with layout of the actual newspaper, and organizing content in a specific section.

Greek Organizations

Behrend has a Greek life system. There are three campus recognized social fraternities: Delta Chi
Delta Chi
Delta Chi or D-Chi is an international Greek letter college social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890,at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 29, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership social fraternity, eliminating the requirement for men...

, Kappa Delta Rho
Kappa Delta Rho
Kappa Delta Rho is an American college social fraternity, with 77 chapters spread out over the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions...

, and Sigma Tau Gamma
Sigma Tau Gamma
Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity also named "Sig Tau" or "the Knights" is a U.S. all-male college secret-social fraternity founded on June 28, 1920 at University of Central Missouri...

. Triangle Fraternity
Triangle Fraternity
Triangle Fraternity is a social fraternity, limiting its recruitment of members to male students majoring in engineering, architecture, and the physical, mathematical, biological, and computer sciences...

 has recently formed an interest group at Behrend, where they plan to colonize by spring 2012. There are three campus recognized social sororities: Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Alpha is a US national sorority founded on November 15, 1901 at the Virginia State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia...

, Alpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Sigma Tau is a national Panhellenic sorority founded on November 4, 1899, at Michigan State Normal College...

 and Theta Phi Alpha
Theta Phi Alpha
Theta Phi Alpha women's fraternity was founded at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor on August 30, 1912. Theta Phi Alpha is one of 26 national sororities recognized in the National Panhellenic Conference...

. There is one campus recognized professional fraternity: Delta Sigma Pi
Delta Sigma Pi
ΔΣΠ ' is one of the largest co-ed professional business fraternities. Delta Sigma Pi was founded on November 7, 1907 at the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance, New York University, New York, New York and is currently headquartered in Oxford, Ohio...

.

On-Campus living

Most freshman live in Lawrence, Niagara and Perry Halls. Some students may also get housing in Senat Hall, a freshman-only hall reserved for those who join a "FIG" or Freshman Interest Group. The newest residential hall, Senat is suite-style, located centrally on the campus and therefore is often considered to be the best place to live on campus. Honors students live in Almy Hall. Sophomores, juniors and seniors often opt to live in 8 person/4 bedroom suites in Tiffany, Tigress and Porcupine Halls. Ohio Hall contains smaller 4 person/2 bedroom suite style housing options. On campus apartments are available too at the Behrend Apartments, located in the upper section of the main campus area.

Residential facilities have been recently renovated and all rooms have relatively new furniture in good condition with wall-to-wall carpeting and a microfridge (microwave/refrigerator) in all of the dorm rooms.

Off-Campus living

Many students find housing off-campus in the city of Erie or in other housing options within a few miles of the campus.

Others rent apartments from the University Gate Apartments directly across the street from the main entrance to the college. University Gate is currently building more apartment buildings, and has recently opened a mini-plaza with a Hungry Howie's pizza shop, workout room, lounge area, and new office and laundry facilities.

On-Campus Dining

There are three on-campus dining facilities: the newly renovated Dobbins Dining Hall, Bruno's Café in the Reed Union Building, and the Clark Cafe in the REDC. Dobbins is the campus's main dining hall consisting of all you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as daily specials. Bruno's is an on-campus cafe where students can get all types of food and drinks for dine-in or to-go. It is located in the Reed Union Building and has wireless internet access for students. It tends to be open longer and later than Dobbins: till about 11 PM on weekdays and midnight on weekends. There is often live entertainment on weekends at Bruno’s Café. The Clark Cafe offers a variety of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and drinks, and it provides students with wireless internet access.

Class size

The student:teacher ratio is 15:1 at Penn State Behrend. During the first two semesters, many students may find themselves in bigger classes for some popular intro courses but classes decrease in size in their sophomore year.

Athletics

Known as the Behrend Lions, Penn State Behrend men can compete in 10 varsity sports while women can compete in 11. Penn State Behrend is a member of the NCAA Division III, Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the States of Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.-Current members:The league currently has...

 (AMCC) and Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...

 (ECAC).

Men's Varsity Sports

For information on each varsity sport, including schedules, history, and other information, click the link after each sport.

- Baseball http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/baseball/index.htm

- Basketball http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/mbball/index.htm

- Cross Country http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/crosscountry/index.htm

- Golf http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/golf/index.htm

- Indoor Track http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/trackandfield/index.htm

- Soccer http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/msoccer/index.htm

- Swimming http://www.psblions.com/sports/mswimdive/index

- Tennis http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/tennis/index.htm

- Track & Field http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/trackandfield/index.htm

- Water Polo http://www.psblions.com/sports/mwaterpolo/index

- Volleyball (Starting in Fall 2010) http://www.psblions.com/landing/index

Women's Varsity Sports

For information on each varsity sport, including schedules, history, and other information, click the link after each sport.

- Softball http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/softball/index.htm

- Basketball http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/wbball/index.htm

- Cross Country http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/crosscountry/index.htm

- Golf http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/golf/index.htm

- Indoor Track http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/trackandfield/index.htm

- Soccer http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/msoccer/index.htm

- Swimming http://www.psblions.com/sports/wswimdive/index

- Tennis http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/tennis/index.htm

- Track & Field http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/trackandfield/index.htm

- Water Polo http://www.psblions.com/sports/wwaterpolo/index

- Volleyball http://www.behrend.psu.edu/athletics/volleyball/index.htm

Intercollegiate Club sports

Penn State Behrend also has 4 intercollegiate club teams participating in ice hockey, rugby, and men's/women's lacrosse. The ice hockey team plays in the College Hockey East league and is a member of the ACHA.

Changing Assignment to University Park

The vast majority of students at Penn State Behrend stay at the college and do not change assignment to another Penn State campus. However, 20% of incoming freshmen eventually change assignment to University Park at the end of their second year in order to complete a program that Penn State Behrend does not offer. In order to change assignment, a person must 1) declare a major by the end of their sophomore year 2) satisfy a few required classes for that major and 3) maintain a sufficient GPA. In most popular majors, about 5-9 specific courses need to be completed (usually a few introductory courses relevant to the major) and roughly a 3.0 GPA needs to be maintained. It is recommended that the student know what their major will be, what classes (if any) are required before changing assignment for their major and if they meet minimum GPA requirements by about third semester or earlier. This is beneficial because if a student is missing any courses or needs to boost their GPA, they can do so in their fourth semester and change assignment to the University Park campus easily and successfully.

Students who declare certain majors (architecture, agricultural business) can change assignment to University Park after their freshman year (instead of after their sophomore year which is more common) because the majors aren't offered at Behrend at all, or as in-depth as it is offered in University Park.

It should be noted that while many majors are offered in University Park and not Behrend, six majors are offered only at Behrend and not University Park: International Business (offered only as a minor at UP), Interdisciplinary Business with Engineering Studies, Plastics Engineering Technology, Software Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology, and a BFA in Creative Writing. This is a major contributing reason why some students do not change campuses.

Knowledge Park

Knowledge Park is a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) research and development area located on the campus of Penn State Behrend in a park-like setting. The park enables knowledge-based organizations to take advantage of the college's intellectual and physical resources as well as the resources of other colleges and universities in the region.

Points of interest

  • Arboretum at Penn State Behrend
    Arboretum at Penn State Behrend
    The Arboretum at Penn State Behrend is an arboretum located across the campus of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is open daily without charge.The arboretum was dedicated in 2003...

  • Sam and Irene Black School of Business
    Sam and Irene Black School of Business
    The Sam and Irene Black School of Business is the business school of Pennsylvania State University – Erie, The Behrend College, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Penn State Erie is a part of the Pennsylvania State University commonwealth system...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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