Behrend’s Open Lab Opportunities and Enrollment Expand
Enrollment growth supports investments in academics and campus infrastructure
The number of first-year and transfer students at Penn State Behrend increased for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, mirroring growth in the college’s academic programs, research expenditures and campus infrastructure.
New-student enrollment grew by 4.4%.
Residential enrollment increased by 1.4%, to 3,368 students. Online enrollment in World Campus programs taught by Behrend faculty members increased by 6.4%, to 1,018 students.
That growth complemented the expansion of Behrend’s research enterprise, which now includes nearly $10 million in annual expenditures. It bolstered the college’s industry and community engagement, including a planned $22.5 million Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness. It also demonstrated the appeal of innovative academic programs, including new majors in Polymer Engineering and Science and Interdisciplinary Science and Business.
The college also has developed a new bachelor’s degree in Functional Data Analytics, where students build expertise in Big Data.
“We have been strategic and intentional as we develop and enhance new academic programs, expand our research and industry partnerships, and invest in campus infrastructure,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “At every step, we weigh the benefits to our students: We bundle the power and prestige of a Penn State degree with a close-to-home campus and a consistent commitment to providing return on investment.”
Behrend is ranked in the top 10 percent of all colleges and universities in Pennsylvania for best value, according to Payscale.com and SmartAsset.com. The programs in the Black School of Business rank in the top 10 percent in the nation in terms of financial return, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce.
Behrend’s engineering and business programs are ranked among the nation’s best, according to U.S. News & World Report. The college is ranked at No. 138 among regional universities in the north.
Expansion of the physical campus
Investment in campus facilities, including Erie Hall, a new fitness, recreation and wellness center, has accelerated enrollment growth at the college, said Andrea Konkol, director of enrollment management.
“Our conversations with prospective students often focus on ‘fit,’” Konkol said. “We want them to thrive not only in class, but on campus. Athletics and student clubs and organizations are central to that. When students feel at home, they are more likely to engage in academics and life on campus in ways that transform their entire college experience.”
Many students find their “fit” in undergraduate research, working closely with faculty members as they develop critical thinking, leadership and field skills. Behrend provides nearly $350,000 every year for student research.
The college’s research enterprise is approaching $10 million in annual expenditures, including projects funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA and the U.S. Army. Behrend is the academic and translational research partner for MWRI-Erie, a women’s health initiative that has brought locally focused clinical medical research trials to the Erie region.
Student-led projects in the James R. Meehl Innovation Commons, a prototyping lab in Behrend’s Burke Center, have led to 12 patent applications.
Credit: Penn State Behrend
In 2025, Behrend will begin construction of the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, a $22.5 million research facility that will include plastics and metal-casting labs. The center, which will be built in Knowledge Park, a 106-acre innovation complex on campus, also will house the nation’s first heavy-haul battery-testing facility, where researchers and industry partners will work to improve the safety and efficiency of battery packs for the rail, marine and mining industries.
A second new building will create a 50,000-square-foot production facility for Kyocera AVX, which manufactures crystal oscillators and frequency-control products for the aerospace, defense and commercial satellite industries. That facility is expected to open in the spring of 2025.
The expansion of Knowledge Park will advance Behrend’s Open Lab approach to learning, which pairs students and faculty experts with business and industry partners. Working in teams, students create new products and processes, from immersive, virtual reality museum exhibits to automated lighting displays at Presque Isle State Park. Another project — a rubber dog toy that was designed by Behrend students — was featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Undercover Billionaire.”
In the James R. Meehl Innovation Commons, a prototyping lab in Behrend’s Burke Center, Open Lab projects give students a clear advantage as they enter the job market: Projects in the Innovation Commons have led to students being named on 12 patent applications.
“College is a major investment,” Ford said. “We never lose sight of that. The Open Lab environment encourages students to approach problems in inventive ways. That helps our industry partners, who tap into student energy and ingenuity. It brings even more benefit to our students, who learn to adapt their skills and think critically, and can, at the end of a project, point to a product or a research accomplishment and say, ‘I did that.’”
