Penn State Schuylkill celebrates 80th anniversary in 2014

The official kickoff of Penn State Schuylkill’s year-long 80th anniversary celebration is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 30 at noon in the lobby of the Student Community Center on campus. Students, faculty, staff, advisory board members and the community are invited to join in this event to commemorate the 80-year partnership with the Schuylkill community. Details on all the events scheduled during the yearlong celebration will be unveiled at the kickoff. 

“We’re especially excited about this year-long celebration of our 80th anniversary,” said Kelly M. Austin, chancellor of Penn State Schuylkill, “since it provides us with the opportunity to thank the Schuylkill community for their commitment to the campus. This truly is a partnership.

"The campus has been able to provide a high quality, world-class, post-secondary education for residents of the county due, in no small part, to the efforts of our highly involved advisory board. At the same time, the campus’s economic impact on the local community is approximately $70 million. We look forward to this continued partnership so we can help create good jobs to keep our talent in our area.” 

Penn State Schuylkill remains firmly committed to the Schuylkill community. More than 11,000 alumni who have completed their education at the campus and many more started their education here prior to completing their degrees at other Penn State campuses, including University Park. The campus currently offers five baccalaureate degrees and four associate degrees that may be completed without leaving Schuylkill County. Plans for this fall include the addition of three more baccalaureate degrees in areas related to high demand occupations, seeking to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in an increasingly competitive world. Recognizing that attending college presents a financial dilemma for many students and their families, Penn State Schuylkill offered more than $600,000 in merit based scholarships for 2013 freshmen and anticipates additional scholarships this fall.

"Celebrating our 80th anniversary provides the opportunity to review our legacy of excellence over the past 80 years; to renew our current commitment to providing a student-centered education, steeped in strong academic excellence and rich with opportunities for community engagement; and to re-energize for a long and prosperous future, bright with endless opportunities to partner with the Schuylkill community for the continued success of both Penn State Schuylkill and the surrounding community," said Mary Sacavage, director of continuing education and coordinator of public information.