Penn State McKeesport
Encyclopedia
Penn State Greater Allegheny, commonly referred to as PSUGA, is a Commonwealth Campus
of the Pennsylvania State University
in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
. Formerly known as Penn State McKeesport, the Penn State Board of Trustees initially voted to rename the campus to Penn State Greater Allegheny during its September 2006 meeting. The board subsequently approved the current name in January 2007.
Also in 1955, a group of area businessmen formed the Penn State McKeesport Advisory Board whose purpose was to search for a permanent location for the McKeesport Center. In 1957, the current location was obtained and the Main building was constructed. Since then, Penn State Greater Allegheny continues to play a large role in education the population of the Greater Pittsburgh area.
A majority of the students are African American, making it one of the greatest affirmative action schools in the area. PSUGA has received multiple affirmative action awards and recognition, and quite frequently gives academic scholarships to minorities.
Admission to the honors program is by invitation and based on quality of academic performance as well as experiences outside of the classroom. Eligible incoming first year students will receive a letter of invitation during the admission process. For current students, the invitation is made by the Honors Committee at the end of each academic year.
Each honors student must meet the set requirements each year to remain a part of the program. Generally, a student must maintain a 3.33 GPA, complete at least one Honors course each semester and participate in activities sponsored by the Honors program.
Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to full tuition are available. Many scholarships are renewable if the recipient continues to fulfil the requirements of the scholarship. Most scholarship recipients often participate in the Honors Program as well as in leadership and service activities. All freshman offered admission to Penn State Greater Allegheny will automatically be considered for these scholarships.
Many students are African Americans, as this is one of the leading affirmative action schools in the area.
It was named after George Crawford.
Students living in the dorms have an opportunity to become Resident Assistants (RAs). In exchange for reduced housing costs, students are trained to become para-professional leaders who help develop a sense of community among the students living in the dorms.
Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Campus
The Pennsylvania State University is a geographically dispersed university system with campuses located throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...
of the 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...
in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
. Formerly known as Penn State McKeesport, the Penn State Board of Trustees initially voted to rename the campus to Penn State Greater Allegheny during its September 2006 meeting. The board subsequently approved the current name in January 2007.
Campus History
As early as 1934, The Pennsylvania State College has offered technical courses in the Pittsburgh and McKeesport region to train industry workers for the booming technology and steel industries surrounding Pittsburgh. In 1948, the Penn State McKeesport Center opened in Dravosburg, offering courses in occupational training and self-enrichment for returning veterans. The center eventually moved to McKeesport in 1952 and established complete associate degree programs with the first graduates in 1955.Also in 1955, a group of area businessmen formed the Penn State McKeesport Advisory Board whose purpose was to search for a permanent location for the McKeesport Center. In 1957, the current location was obtained and the Main building was constructed. Since then, Penn State Greater Allegheny continues to play a large role in education the population of the Greater Pittsburgh area.
A majority of the students are African American, making it one of the greatest affirmative action schools in the area. PSUGA has received multiple affirmative action awards and recognition, and quite frequently gives academic scholarships to minorities.
Degree programs
Penn State Greater Allegheny offers a select few complete programs. For those students interested in a major that is not offered, the Change of Campus program is available. The complete programs that are offered are as follows:Bachelor's Degree Programs
- Business, B.S.
- Options: Management/Marketing, Individualized Business
- Communications, B.A.
- Options: Corporate Communications
- Options: Integration & Application; People, Organizations and Society
- Options: Liberal Studies
- Note: Includes some online courses through Penn State's World Campus
- Applied Psychology, B.A.
Associate's Degree Programs
- Business Administration, A.S.
- Options: General
- Note: Three semesters must be completed at Penn State Greater Allegheny and the final semester at Penn State University Park
- Options: Science
- Science, A.S.
- Options: General
Online Degrees
- This online degree is offered in conjunction with Penn State Online, which allows general education courses to be taken on campus and the general core curriculum through a series of online classes.
Change of Campus
In addition to the full programs offered at Penn State Greater Allegheny, nearly all of Penn State's 160 bachelor's degree programs can be started at the branch campus. Students may complete the first four semesters of their degree program locally and then transfer to Penn State's main campus, University Park, to complete their studies. To be eligible for transfer, students must complete a set of core curriculum requirements as well as a maintain the cumulative grade point average minimum set by the individual majors.Honors Program
Penn State Greater Allegheny offers a prestigious honors program which has many benefits such as early class registration, special library privileges, small class sizes and advanced research projects. Students that are a part of this program may earn honors credits by taking honors courses, participating in honors options or pursuing independent studies.Admission to the honors program is by invitation and based on quality of academic performance as well as experiences outside of the classroom. Eligible incoming first year students will receive a letter of invitation during the admission process. For current students, the invitation is made by the Honors Committee at the end of each academic year.
Each honors student must meet the set requirements each year to remain a part of the program. Generally, a student must maintain a 3.33 GPA, complete at least one Honors course each semester and participate in activities sponsored by the Honors program.
Scholarships
More than 45 scholarship funds have been established by the generous alumni and friends of PSUGA. Penn State uses these funds to offer both merit and need-based scholarships to students who display exceptional academic performance, leadership abilities or commitment to community.Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to full tuition are available. Many scholarships are renewable if the recipient continues to fulfil the requirements of the scholarship. Most scholarship recipients often participate in the Honors Program as well as in leadership and service activities. All freshman offered admission to Penn State Greater Allegheny will automatically be considered for these scholarships.
Many students are African Americans, as this is one of the leading affirmative action schools in the area.
Campus Buildings
- Main Building, 1957
- Constructed in 1957, Main building was the first building on campus. Formerly containing the campus administrative offices, Main now houses the Education, English, Communications, Psychology and other Liberal Arts departments as well as the continuing education office and three multimedia equipped classrooms.
- Crawford Building, 1959
- Crawford is the technology hub of campus, containing three computer labs, the technology help desk and the digital commons (funded by the Digital Commons Initiative) as well as two large multimedia equipped classrooms and the offices for the Theatre Department.
It was named after George Crawford.
- The crawford computer labs include over 80 computers with a mix of Macintosh and PC platforms. The Computer labs can also double as classrooms and contain digital projectors.
- Frable Building, 1969
- Named in honor of Milton Frable, the first campus Advisory Board president, Frank Building houses most of the campus administration offices including the chancellor's office, academic affairs, admissions and police services. The second and third floors are home to the Business, Engineering, Information Sciences and Technology, and Mathematics departments along with several classrooms and technology related labs. In addition, many guest speakers and special performances are held in Frank's multi-room conference center on the first floor.
- Wunderley Gymnasium, 1971
- Named in honor of John M. Wunderley, the Wunderley Gymnasium contains both classrooms and faculty offices in addition to the gymnasium. The building is located directly across from McKeesport Hall on a hill overlooking the center of campus.
- Kelly Library, 1972
- The Kelly Library contains the campus library as well as the Ladrin Learning Center and the Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) program. Some computers are also available for student use.
- Ostermayer Laboratory, 1972
- Ostermayer houses the Biology and Chemistry departments. In addition to several dedicated lab classrooms, there is a large multimedia equipped classroom used for science as well as psychology and CTE (State Vocational Education Program) lectures.
- The Student Community Center, 2003
- The new Student Community Center, commonly referred to as the SCC, was constructed in 2003 with a total cost of $5.5 Million. The building is located at the center of campus and contains the dining commons as well as the student book store, game room with pool table, campus radio station and the Student Government Association (SGA). The SCC features many student and campus programs ranging from live music and theatre productions to guest speakers and job fairs.
- The Lion Shrine, 2003
- The Penn State Nittany Lion is the heart of Penn State pride. The campus Lion Shrine was dedicated on Obtober 18, 2003 as a result of a gift from the alumni association. The shrine is located at the front of the Student Community Center and is open to the public for pictures.
Living on Campus
Penn State Greater Allegheny offers housing for out of the area students in McKeesport Hall. All rooms in the residence hall are identical. Rooms come uncarpeted with curtains and offer free basic cable, microwave, refrigerator, high speed internet, individual thermostats, furniture, mattress, trash can and mirror. McKeesport hall also contains a recreation room with ping pong, foos ball, air hockey and pool tables as well as a dart board.Students living in the dorms have an opportunity to become Resident Assistants (RAs). In exchange for reduced housing costs, students are trained to become para-professional leaders who help develop a sense of community among the students living in the dorms.
Commuting
A majority of the students attending PSUGA commute from home due to the close proximity to vast suburban neighborhoods. PSUGA supports these students with a very large parking system. All students, faculty and staff are required to register their vehicles and display a hanging parking permit. The permits are free and denote which lot you are allowed to park in. Students usually get to choose which lot they would like for convenience. There are seven separate lots denoted by color:- Visitor Parking
- Red Lot, Located directly across from the Student Community Center
- Faculty Parking
- Blue Lot, Located behind Frable Building
- Event Parking
- White Lot, Located behind Wunderley Gymnasium
- Student Parking
- Green Lot, Located next to Ostermayer Laboratory
- Brown Lot, Located across from Kelly Library
- Yellow Lot, Located across from Main Building
Athletics
Penn State Greater Allegheny offers many different varsity and intramural sports including:Varsity Sports
Fitness Facilities
A new state of the art fitness center was recently constructed at Penn State Greater Allegheny in the spring of 2005. The fitness center is located next to McKeesport Hall and contains a variety of fitness equipment totaling $130,000. Some of the equipment includes: treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals, free weights and weight machines.Student Clubs
Many student run organizations are active at PSUGA. There is an involvement fair held at the beginning of every semester where current and prospective clubs recruit new members. Some active clubs include:- Absence (Literary Magazine)
- Black Student Union (BSU)
- Collegian (Student Newspaper)
- Drama Club
- Information Technology Organization (ITO)
- Lion Ambassadors
- Psychology Club
- Residence Hall Council
- Student Government Association (SGA)
- WMKP Radio
- THON