Centre County’s new community college is ready to welcome students.
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College leaders and local officials gathered Friday to celebrate the opening of the college’s new location at the Match Factory building in Bellefonte.
Steve Nunez, Penn Highlands president, said the college’s first Centre County location has been several years in the making.
“Our commitment to affordable, accessible, and quality education, to community enrichment and to local economic development remains unwavering,” Nunez said. As with any project of this scope, there are many partners to thank including the CBICC, the Borough of Bellefonte, and the Bellefonte Intervalley Chamber of Commerce. A big thank you to all that helped us get here.”
Located on the second floor of the Match Factory building, it is the college’s seventh campus. The a 5,200-square-foot space includes classrooms, a computer lab, a conference room, offices and a dedicated area for student activities.
Penn Highlands Centre County currently offers 14 associate degree and certificate programs that can be fully completed online. Four courses will be offered in-person for the Fall 2024 semester: English Composition 1, US History 1, Mathematical Concepts & Application and General Psychology.
The college expects to increase degree options and classes in 2025.
Penn Highlands has more than 160 articulation agreements for transferring credits with nearly three dozen colleges and universities
The college has also signed articulation agreements with State College Area School District and the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology to apply credits earned in certain courses at the schools toward associate degree programs at Penn Highlands.
“Everyone in the area has been so welcoming and supportive of Penn Highlands becoming a part of Centre County,” Marissa Davis, Regional Center Director, said. “Business and industry, county school districts, local governments and so many others have supported our arrival. We’ve already made so many great partnerships. I’m looking forward to building more as we serve the area. We are all looking forward to being a part of such a great community.”
Bellefonte Borough Manager Ralph Stewart, who serves as Centre County representative on the Penn Highlands Board of Trustees, called Friday’s ribbon cutting ceremony “a great day for Centre County and the surrounding area.”
“Penn Highlands Community College has established a first-class education and training facility here at the Match Factory for Centre County residents,” Stewart said. “It is going to be great to see Penn Highlands help people get the education and training they need in order to be competitive and to thrive.”
Information on Penn Highlands Centre County degree and course offerings is available at pennhighlands.edu/centre.
