Commonly referred to as “Happy Valley,” State College is known for its carefree living and is the home of the Pennsylvania State University. This community of 40,700 has been designated one of the least stressful places to live in the United States by Psychology Today. Even so, State College has a robust economy and unemployment rates well below both the state and national averages. For this reason, Forbes magazine ranked it among the top ten small metro areas in which to start a career or business. The American Institute for Economic Research ranked it the third best college town in the country.
Penn State University is certainly a very fine institute of higher learning, but it also helps enrollment and recognition to have a historically great football team. In fact, they have popped up as #1 on ESPN preseason rankings this year.
However, just sixty-two miles away from State College is another college city that has TWO thriving colleges and is getting noticed for more than sports. With a population of two-thirds of State College, Williamsport hosts two highly rated colleges.
Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport has earned several recognitions, including being named a national leader in applied technology education, a Carnegie Foundation Opportunity College, and a top-ranked innovator by U.S. News & World Report. It has also been recognized as a SkillsUSA Pennsylvania Partner of the Year for its support of the organization. Additionally, the college has received a high rating from Military Times as a college for veterans.
Penn Tech (the popular name for the college) has also been recognized worldwide, with students coming from India, Pakistan, Belize, China, the Ivory Coast, Myanmar, and Saudi Arabia, according to the Penn Tech college’s website.
Pennsylvania College of Technology has the wind behind its back because this is certainly the way that society is going.
Yet on the other end of the city is Lycoming College, another excellent academic institution that is working on its third century. Founded in 1812 as Williamsport Academy, it has continued to grow and succeed with its curriculum centered on the liberal arts and sciences.
Higher learning in these fields and the colleges offering them have been going through rough times in the past decade. In that time period, 119 colleges in the United States have closed, and another 20 are expected to close this year. In Pennsylvania, seven colleges have closed in the past three years. Given all this, Lycoming College is truly amazing.
They were included in the Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” guidebook for five consecutive years and were named a Best Value College for 2022. This recognition highlights Lycoming College’s commitment to providing a great education with excellent career preparation at an affordable price. Lycoming College is also unique in drawing students from around the world. With an enrollment of 1,200, 77 international students are coming from 26 countries.
Both schools have been blessed with strong leadership. Davie Jane Gilmore retired three years ago as President of Penn College, which she had held since 1998. Michael J. Reed is now president and is known as a national leader in applied technology education.
Lycoming College had Ken Trachte at the helm since 2013 and is retiring as of July 1st of this year, turning over leadership to the college’s executive vice president, Charles Edmonds.
I have a particular soft spot for Dr. Trachte because he was one of the very first people that I interviewed when I began writing columns for Webb Weekly. I was hoping for twenty minutes, given how busy he was, but we talked for an hour, and it was worth every minute.
Williamsport may not have as loud a roar as State College, but we have seen excellent leadership in rocky times and have a hopeful future on the horizon.
