Meadville's Allegheny College will introduce technology degree programs this fall

MEADVILLE — Allegheny College will take a new direction this coming fall with the launch of three technology degree programs, in software engineering, data science and industrial design.

The new programs will be the school's first true technology programs, developed to meet employer needs and the interests of prospective students at a time when the population of college-aged students is declining.

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"Our new programs will be attractive to the current generation of students who value return investment on education and are tech savvy and equity minded," Allegheny President Ron Cole said.

The technology programs will include a strong infusion of the liberal arts that have been the college's focus for more than 200 years, since its founding in 1815, Cole said.

"Students will be taking courses in computer science, for example, for the data science major. And integrated into the major will be courses in ethics, communications and statistics that you wouldn't typically find in programs that focus on the technical aspects of the major.

"It's an intersection, an interweaving of computer science and technology with the humanities, including philosophy and religious studies," Cole said.

The new programs are part of a plan to reframe liberal arts education to prepare students for jobs of the future, Cole said.

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"Leaders of the future can be enormously more effective when technology is paired with the transformational skills, including problem solving, communications and team work, offered through a liberal arts education. In order to grapple with emerging technologies like AI and the use of big data, new multidisciplinary thinking will be essential for new solutions, new applications and new protections," he said.

Also new this fall will be a public humanities degree program. The program will include instruction in democracy, art, history, technology, sustainability, social change and other disciplines for careers in nonprofits, urban design, museum administration, historic preservation and other public pursuits.

Current faculty will teach the new programs.

"Most of the faculty teaching these programs are already at Allegheny College," Cole said. "They worked collaboratively across academic departments to develop these programs, and we are excited for them to share their expertise across these areas."

Public humanities, for example, will include faculty from the history department, art department, computer science and other areas.

The college is in the process of hiring additional faculty for computer science.

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"We will also look for opportunities to build staffing in these new programs or other areas," Cole said.

For the new technology programs, the college has invested in CNC machines, 3-D printers, laser cutters and a high-end computing lab for 3-D modeling, design and video production.

Allegheny, like other colleges and universities nationwide, has been coping with declining enrollment in recent years as the college-aged population declines. Allegheny enrollment is down from a peak of about 2,000 students a dozen years ago to about 1,400 last fall.

A number of small colleges have closed or merged because of the decline, too, of tuition dollars. Others have been reviewing and revising academic programs, reducing faculty and staff positions, and casting a wider net to recruit students.

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At Allegheny, there's been more focus on attracting students from Florida, California, Texas and other states where the college-aged population is increasing. About 45% of Allegheny's students this year are from outside Pennsylvania.

Eligible Pennsylvania students accepted at Allegheny will get free tuition beginning this fall. The college's new Commitment to Access program will cover 100% of tuition costs for up to four years for first-year, transfer and continuing students from families earning less than $50,000 a year.

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Allegheny College will add technology degree programs this fall