UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- “Quality close to home” has been the tag line for Penn State New Kensington for many years. Located in the heart of the Alle-Kiski Valley, the campus offers western Pennsylvania residents a world-renowned Penn State education. Three juniors in the information sciences and technology (IST) program personify the slogan.
Riaz Khatri, of Monroeville, and brothers Rafael Rodriguez and Juan Rodriguez, of Allison Park, enrolled at the campus for a variety of reasons, including staying closer to home, saving money on tuition and housing, and feeling more comfortable with smaller class sizes. They also chose New Kensington because of the high caliber of the IST program and the academic excellence of the faculty.
“Penn State New Kensington is a small school but with great opportunities,” said Khatri, a product of Gateway High School. “Smaller classroom settings make it much easier to learn and understand the material.”
“Penn State New Kensington is well-known for its great education," said Rafael, an adult learner. “It offered a major that I am passionate about.”
“The Penn State New Kensington campus is very friendly,” said Juan, a transfer from the Community College of Allegheny County. “Its great professors and supportive staff make it easy to adjust coming from a community college.”
Rafael, 29, and Juan, 23, were born in Mascota, Mexico. They immigrated with their family to the United States in 1999 and settled in Pittsburgh. Both are graduates of Fox Chapel Area High School.
Prior to coming to the New Kensington campus, Rafael worked for several years and took classes at Community College of Allegheny County. He realized a bachelor’s degree would open the door to success and that the IST program at New Kensington could provide the key to his future.
“About a year and a half ago, I decided to go full-time, finish my general classes at the community college, and transfer to Penn State New Kensington,” Rafael said. “This is my first semester, and I feel welcomed. I made the right choice by enrolling at this campus.”
In addition to sharing a major, the students share the distinction of earning campus scholarships. Funded by alumni and friends of the campus, scholarships are awarded to eligible students based on academic promise, leadership qualities, community service and financial need.
Rafael is the recipient of the Dr. Karl and Jennifer Salatka Trustee Scholarship. Lower Burrell residents Karl and Jennifer Salatka established the scholarship in February. Knowing the impact that higher education can have on a community, the donors wanted the scholarship to be given to New Kensington students whose ethnic, cultural and national backgrounds contribute to the diversity of the student body. The Salaktka gift is the first to support diversity on the campus.
Juan is the beneficiary of the Gertrude A. “Trudi” Miller-Clements-Booth Trustee Scholarship. Local businessman Chuck Booth created the scholarship in honor of his second wife, Trudi Clement Booth. Chuck has endowed five scholarships at the campus, including the Laura Lee “Lolly” Benner-Booth Trustee Matching Scholarship, a memorial to his first wife. Trudi also paid homage to a deceased spouse. She honored her late husband by establishing the Dr. David H. Clements Jr. and Gertrude “Trudi” Clements-Booth Trustee Matching Scholarship.
Khatri is one of the inaugural recipients of the Raymond Mastre Professional Advancement Trustee Scholarship. The scholarship was established this year by Ray Mastre, a 2004 IST grad from the campus. The scholarship is designed specifically for IST students. Mastre was a member of the third campus class to earn a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology from the campus.
The Information Sciences and Technology program gives students a background in the core technical areas of networking, databases, programming and system integration. Graduates are trained in key business areas, such as project management and organization theory. The campus program is one of best in the Penn State system. Gary Heberling, program coordinator, recently was named the IST Faculty Member of the Year. The University-wide award is bestowed annually by the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
None of this is lost on Khatri and the Rodriguez brothers, all of whom came to the campus because of the reputation of the IST program. In addition, the students commute to classes and work to offset college expenses.
“The IST program at Penn State New Kensington is exactly what I was looking for,” said Juan Rodriguez, a server at Hartwood Restaurant. “It allows me to live at home, work part-time and save some money.”
“New Kensington offers a bachelor’s degree in IST, so I can stay here for all four years,” said Khatri, a sales consultant for Best Buy. “I don’t have to travel to the University Park campus, and it’s cheaper than other colleges such as Duquesne University and Robert Morris University.”
In addition to the IST degree, 13 other bachelor’s and associate degrees can be completed at the New Kensington campus. In addition, students can begin the first two years of studies in more than 160 Penn State degree programs on the New Kensington campus and finish their work at the University Park campus or another Penn State campus. Known as 2+2, the program is the most common path to a Penn State degree for approximately 60 percent of students.
For more about the IST program, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/Degrees/44621.htm.
For more about the 2+2 plan, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/Degrees/45469.htm.
For more on campus scholarships, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Giving/endowments.htm.