Aligning academic programs with industry needs is a chief target for colleges and universities hoping to revitalize their value proposition in preparing students for the workforce. President Glynis Fitzgerald, aided by Alvernia University’s deep connection with the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, and Berks County, has built the blueprint to scale such programs rapidly.
“I think it’s healthy for a university in this world that we’re in right now to be nimble and address workforce needs quickly—but with logic and data and close collaboration with boards and accrediting bodies,” the two-year president says.
Alvernia has created at least three new academic programs in the past year, from graduate programs in health and business to non-degree certificates. Their development is a direct response to regional workforce demands, Fitzgerald says.
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“We have a very embedded relationship with our community, and it continues to grow as the university’s footprint in the tri-state area continues to expand.”
One of Alvernia’s most impressive accomplishments was the creation of an engineering school—from design to program development—in one year. Fitzgerald learned from regional employers about the need for Alvernia to support Reading’s engineering and manufacturing industries, which struggle with employee turnover.
“We were starting with a blank slate, and collaborating with faculty experts who worked directly with industry allowed us to learn from established practices and also establish new models ourselves,” says Fitzgerald, who was provost at the time of the school’s development.
Founded in 2022, the John R. Post School of Engineering graduated its first cohort this spring. Eight of the 12 students have secured jobs within the county, echoing a tradition of community service. About 70% of the nurses working in Reading’s local hospital are also Alvernia graduates, Fitzgerald says.
Fitzgerald reflects on Alvernia’s long-storied relationship with Reading and the broader tri-state region of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Expanding Alvernia’s footprint
Alvernia established its engineering school in downtown Reading, about two miles from its main campus. The university refurbished rundown buildings at a bargain price to create CollegeTowne, a 240,000-square-foot living and learning facility founded in 2021.
Aside from the engineering school, CollegeTowne also houses its academic programs in cybersecurity, data science and data analytics.
“We’re able to get these programs up and active, and get students enrolled and graduated in the same time that probably would have taken us to get through zoning in the first place,” Fitzgerald says. “It’s just the nature of building projects versus rehabbing and using existing infrastructure.”
Alvernia also recently acquired a 30,000-square-foot building in a neighboring county in part to expand its nursing program.
Fitzgerald believes a compounding benefit of operating downtown is the experiential learning opportunities students gain by working with nearby businesses. The O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, located in CollegeTowne, has assisted more than 250 small businesses and entrepreneurs in the last four years by developing a talent pipeline to aid economic growth in the region.
Watch how Fitzgerlad believes Alvernia and Berks County can grow together.
