UPPER BURRELL, Pa. — Penn State New Kensington was named the sixth safest college campus in Pennsylvania by Niche, a company that surveys and reviews colleges nationwide. The campus was ranked 57th nationally.
The 2016 Safest College Campuses rankings were based on statistical data and student reviews of 1,713 public and private four-year colleges and universities. Using surveys and mandatory annual reports submitted by colleges, Niche compiled a list of seven factors that were used to determine the safest campuses. The factors included student surveys on safety, crime rates, local crime statistics, alcohol-related arrests and drug-related arrests. Also considered were freshmen retention rates and graduation rates.
“We are delighted that this ranking verifies our experiences at Penn State New Kensington,” said Kevin Snider, chancellor of the campus. “Our students, faculty, and staff are here for the right reasons, and their caring and respect for each other has resulted in a campus community with very little crime. While we are excited by this, we know that we have to keep working to keep our students safe, and that is what we do every day.”
New Kensington was the only Penn State campus in western Pennsylvania to be recognized in the state’s upper tier. Niche also regards the campus as the safest undergraduate institution in Westmoreland County. Three other Penn State campuses — Lehigh Valley (2), Abington (3), and York (8) — finished in the top 10 in the state.
Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Clark’s Summit graded out as the Commonwealth’s safest college. Holy Family University (4), Carlow University (5), Chatham University (7), Messiah College (9) and Wilson College round out the top 10.
Across the country, the New Kensington campus’ safety is ranked between the two highly regarded private institutions in Pittsburgh — Carlow (55) and Chatham (60). The most safe college in the country is Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Originally known as CollegeProwler.com, Niche is one of the largest startup companies in the country. Founded in 2002 by students at Carnegie Mellon University, the company provides insight on colleges, high schools and elementary schools to students, families and professionals who need guidance on making personal decisions. In selecting a post-secondary institution, aspiring students can sort through more than a million in-depth reviews by their peers. Information on majors and scholarships is a part of the Niche process.
In addition to education, Niche offers information on neighborhoods and communities. Rankings and statistics on every city in the United States give families the opportunity to seek the best places to live, work and go to school.
For a list of the rankings, visit https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/safest-colleges/s/pennsylvania/.
About Penn State New KensingtonThe New Kensington campus is located in Upper Burrell Township, within easy commuting distance from almost anywhere in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Indiana and Westmoreland counties. One of the advantages of attending the New Kensington campus is the small classes and one-on-one interaction with the faculty, many of whom are recognized nationally and internationally in their disciplines.
New Kensington faculty bring new developments from their fields into the classroom and are at the forefront of a national trend of hands-on, student-centered, active-learning techniques into the classroom. Faculty welcome opportunities to incorporate internships, service-learning projects, and community involvement into their courses and programs as employers continue to look very closely for these experiences in applicants' resumes.
New Kensington offers 10 baccalaureate degrees. Students can earn bachelor of science degrees in administration of justice, biobehavioral health, business, electro-mechanical engineering technology, information sciences and technology, nursing, project and supply chain management and psychology. Bachelor of arts degrees are available in communications and psychology.
Biobehavioral health (BBH) and project and supply chain management, which begin in the fall, are the campus’ newest four-year programs. The BBH program is an innovative and interdisciplinary program designed to explore health from all angles. Scholarship and teaching focuses on how biological, behavioral, psychological, sociocultural, and environmental variables interact to influence health across time scales and levels of analysis. Research topics include physiological processes; health behaviors; genetics and epigenetics; chronic disease; neuroscience; global health; psychological states and processes; environmental exposures; bioethics; health disparities; and intervention science.
The Project and Supply Chain Management major concentrates on developing knowledge, skills, and abilities in project management, an important discipline in modern corporations. Project management skills include the development of new projects and coordinating procurement and project delivery systems. The major also emphasizes the integration of manufacturing and service operations, logistics, purchasing, and distribution that enable organizations to develop supply chain networks.
In addition to bachelor’s degree programs, the campus offers five associate degree programs: biomedical engineering technology; business; information sciences and technology; letters, arts and sciences; and radiological sciences.
For more information about admissions to Penn State New Kensington, contact the admissions office at 724-334-LION or 888-968-PAWS or visit http://nk.psu.edu/Admissions/default.htm.