The two schools are seeking state approval to bring degree programs into the region.
East Stroudsburg and Bloomsbury universities are working to bring satellite campuses to the Lehigh Valley.The state universities are answering the call of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to bring 14 universities’ degree programs to more communities across the state.
“Whatever the need is, we are trying to offer it,” said Kenn Marshall, system spokesman. “Our universities offer a quality education at a much more affordable price than what may be available in these areas.”East Stroudsburg is searching for a Lehigh Valley space, potentially in Bethlehem, to offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health and hospitality management, said Doug Smith, university spokesman. The internal and state approval process is in the works.
“The Lehigh Valley is key,” Smith said.The majors fit a region that's home to two major hospital and health networks, along with the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. The degree programs were chosen after an internal study that examined local demand, Smith said.
An analysis showed ongoing increases in the number of Lehigh Valley students transferring and attending classes on East Stroudsburg’s main campus, as well as an enrollment spike with its existing graduate courses in the Lehigh Valley, Smith said.
The university hopes to start classes this fall, which could lead to several hundred students attending classes at its Lehigh Valley satellite campus, he said.
Bloomsburg is awaiting state approval of an applied science degree in technical leadership that would be offered through a partnership with Lehigh Career & Technical Institute and Lehigh Carbon Community College, said Rosalee Rush, Bloomsburg spokeswoman. If approved later this month, classes would start in the fall with about 24 full-time equivalent students.
Students could be able to start the program in high school at the institute, Marshall said. College classes, including Bloomsburg’s program, will meet at the LCCC North Whitehall Township campus, Rush said.
The program is geared toward students already attending LCCC but also Lehigh Valley residents working in the field who do not have a bachelor’s degree. Graduates could work in fields like Web design or network technology programming, Rush said.
“Our research showed there was need for degrees such as this,” she said, adding LCCC asked Bloomsburg for a partnership.The majority of East Stroudsburg’s programs will be traditional face-to-face classes, although some could offer a hybrid model with portions taught online or via video-conferencing, Smith said.
The tuition in the Lehigh Valley will match the system set tuition of $260 a credit for undergraduate state residents and $416 a credit for state residents in graduate courses, he said.
The expansion to the Lehigh Valley is part of an approach PASSHE is taking across the state, Marshall said. In Philadelphia, Cheyney and East Stroudsburg universities offer courses in a downtown center. The schools are looking for a new larger location since Millersville and West Chester universities will be joining the two schools, he said.