The College
• With more than 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students, 40-plus academic programs, and a 725-acre campus, Penn State Behrend is the second largest campus in the Penn State system.
• Penn State Behrend is ranked among the top public colleges and universities in Pennsylvania for student-to-faculty ratio, SAT scores, first-year student retention rate, and graduation rate, based on U.S. News & World Report data.
• U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly list our MBA program among the best graduate schools in the country.
• According to the latest senior survey, 95 percent of our graduating seniors would recommend us to friends who are considering college. And among all Penn State students, ours were the most satisfied with their overall academic experience, according to a recent University-wide survey.
• Among those Penn State Behrend students who go on to graduate with Penn State degrees, nearly three-quarters complete their degrees here at the college.
• The campus was originally the Glenhill Farm estate of Ernst Behrend, co-founder of Erie’s Hammermill Paper Company, later acquired by International Paper. In 1948, Mary Behrend donated the Glenhill property to the University in memory of her late husband, and the college opened that same year with just 146 students.
Academics
• Penn State Behrend offers thirty-four bachelor's, two master's, and six associate degrees, plus continuing education training programs for youth, business and industry, and area residents.
• The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:16, and the average class size is 26.
• Academic areas of study are organized within four schools: the Sam and Irene Black School of Business, School of Engineering, School of Humanities and Social Science, and School of Science, along with a nursing program.
Athletics
• The Behrend Lions have 21 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s varsity athletic teams: men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and water polo; men’s baseball; and women’s softball and volleyball.
• The college is a charter member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECMC). The Behrend Lions have captured the AMCC Presidents' Cup, given annually to the member school with the strongest overall program, eight of the nine times it has been awarded.
• Four intercollegiate club sports and 22 intramural sports are also offered.
Campus
• The 725-acre campus features more than 50 buildings, from the original Glenhill Farmhouse to the 160,000-square-foot Research and Economic Development Center.
• Beautiful walking and hiking paths make their way through Wintergreen Gorge, located on the western edge of campus. Recognized as an arboretum through its membership in the American Public Gardens Association, the Penn State Behrend campus is home to more than 200 species of native and exotic trees.
• The college is located just minutes from the heart of Erie, Pa., and the shores of Lake Erie, and is within about 100 miles of Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Buffalo.
Enrollment
• Enrollment as of Fall 2009: 4,767 (4,031 full-time; 369 part-time).
• Students represent 32 states and territories, and 25 countries.
Faculty and Staff
• Penn State Behrend has nearly 700 employees, including more than 330 faculty members.
• The college is led by Dr. Jack Burke, who has been at Penn State Behrend for more than two decades, and was appointed chancellor in 2001.
Alumni
• Penn State Behrend has more than 25,000 alumni. Graduates are involved in the Penn State Behrend Alumni Society and the Lake Erie Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association, both of which develop programs to encourage campus involvement, community outreach, and social interaction.
Student and Residence Life
• There are more than 110 clubs and organizations on campus, including those of an academic, fraternity and sorority, service-oriented, recreational, arts, and multicultural nature.
• Nearly 1,700 students live on campus in three traditional-style residence halls, six suite-style halls, and nine apartment buildings, including housing specifically for students enrolled in Freshman Interest Groups and housing for honors students. All of the college's residential buildings are named for commanders or ships that took part in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
Research and Outreach
• Research is a critical area of focus for the college's faculty, staff, and students. Annually, the college funds nearly $250,000 in undergraduate research opportunities and faculty participate in $4.5 million of sponsored research. The college also oversees operation of more than two dozen outreach centers, programs, and initiatives for business and industry, area school students, and the community.
• The college is also home to Knowledge Park, a 200-acre research and development complex on the eastern edge of campus that gives companies housed there access to the college’s strengths in applied research and technology transfer, while providing internship and employment opportunities for students and graduates.
For more information on Penn State, check out the University's Fact Book.