ALLEGHENY COLLEGE
Meadville, Pennsylvania
The College
Founded on America's western frontier in 1815, Allegheny is a classical, selective college of the liberal arts and sciences. Although highly regarded as a preprofessional school, its impact on students goes well beyond career preparation. Allegheny not only develops in its students such essential skills as writing, critical thinking, and problem solving, it also fosters a capacity for lifelong learning, the ability to manage everyday affairs, responsible citizenship, social skills, and values. While nonsectarian in outlook and practice, Allegheny has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1833.
Allegheny's nearly 2,000 students come from thirty-three states and twenty-five other countries. About 7 percent are members of minority groups and three fourths reside on campus. On-campus residence is required of first-year students and sophomores and juniors and is optional for seniors, but it is guaranteed for all four years for all who seek it. Faculty members describe Allegheny students as active and hardworking. Approximately 65 percent come from the highest fifth of their high school class, 1 in 3 was a leader of a student organization, and 70 percent were active in volunteer service groups. Regardless of their particular academic program, Allegheny students are strongly encouraged to participate in education-enriching activities outside the classroom. Choosing from more than 100 clubs, committees, and organizations in drama, dance, vocal and instrumental music, publications, radio, religious life, politics, social service, professional and multicultural interest areas, and the governance of student life, students explore and develop their own unique combination of interests. Intramural athletics involve three fourths of the students, and the varsity program is one of the best in NCAA Division III.
Location
Located in Meadville, Pennsylvania (city population 14,000; county population 90,000), in the picturesque rolling foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, Allegheny's students take advantage of the enormous variety of recreational opportunities in the area. The students also use the shopping centers, entertainment venues, and restaurants in the city, and most are actively involved in volunteer work with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
Students also enjoy the many advantages of Pittsburgh and Cleveland, both 90 miles from Meadville. These and other cities are easily accessible by several interstate highways, and Meadville is served by bus.
Majors and Degrees
Departmental majors leading to Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees are offered in applied computing, art (studio or history), art and technology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, communication arts, computer science, economics, English, environmental geology, environmental science, environmental studies, French, geology, German, history, international studies, mathematics, music, neuroscience, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, Spanish, theater, and women's studies. Preprofessional programs are offered in dentistry, law, medicine, and veterinary medicine.
The independent study option allows students to pursue an interest not included in the formal College curriculum. Through this option, each student designs a course program, with the agreement of a faculty adviser, to be completed on or off campus.
The College offers cooperative 3-2 liberal arts/professional programs in engineering with Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Duke University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Washington University. There is a 3-1 program with the University of Rochester that leads to a bachelor's degree from Allegheny and certification in medical technology, while a 3-4 program in nursing leads to a doctorate from Case Western Reserve. It has a 4-2 program in physical therapy and physician assistant studies with Chatham College. The College has an exclusive agreement with Teachers College Columbia University, for guaranteed interviews for students seeking admission to its competitive graduate programs in teacher education. Allegheny also has a guaranteed graduate admissions agreement with the University of Pittsburgh School of Education.
Academic Programs
Allegheny has as its first concern intellectual growth. The curriculum and graduation requirements are designed to provide educational depth as well as intellectual breadth, allowing students to combine their varied interests and talents. It is not unusual to double major or create one's own course of study. Allegheny ensures that students develop wholeness across the divisions of knowledge (arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences) as well as expertise in one or more fields. Each student must complete 131 semester credit hours; the major may require 32 to 48 semester credit hours, including a junior seminar and the distinctive Senior Comprehensive Project, while the remainder are electives and Liberal Studies Program courses. The innovative Liberal Studies Program includes two first-year seminars, with strong advising, writing, and speaking components; a sophomore writing and speaking course; and some in-depth study in a subject outside the division of the major. Writing proficiency is a central objective of the seminars. It is developed further in the sophomore writing course, after students have mastered some college-level material, and it must be demonstrated in all other courses. The Senior Comprehensive Project, a capstone of the Allegheny education, is not a mere report or semester paper but a significant piece of independent study, research, or creative work. An oral defense, required by most departments as the culminating point of the Senior Project, may involve a comprehensive examination of the student's departmental studies.
The College supplements the wide range of courses and programs offered locally with cooperative and special arrangements that increase the choices available to students. Faculty advisers working with their advisees usually find themselves consulting this section more often than any other part of the Catalogue.
Every first-year student is assigned both a student adviser and a faculty adviser (the latter teaches the first freshman seminar); students may choose a different adviser in later years. Entering students who have no commitment to a major field are encouraged to use the first two years to investigate the offerings of various departments. They also are offered special advising to help them identify a major by the start of the junior year.
Off-Campus Programs
Allegheny College recognizes the enormous value of off-campus study and offers a variety of programs and services to its students in order to facilitate participation in such opportunities. Allegheny's sponsored programs include direct enrollment programs at Lancaster University (England), James Cook University (Australia), University of Natal (South Africa), and Karls-Eberhard University of Tübingen (Germany); language and area studies programs in Seville (Spain), Angers (France), and Köln (Germany); an intensive language program in Queretaro (Mexico); and internship programs in London, Paris, and Washington, D.C. Programs geared to specific majors are also available, including programs in environmental studies at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (Israel) and the Center for Sustainable Development (Costa Rica), marine biology at the Duke University Marine Lab in North Carolina, and political science through the Washington Semester at American University. Allegheny faculty members have led domestic summer-study tours to locations that include New York, Yellowstone, Austria, Costa Rica, and South Africa. Individually arranged study abroad has taken students to Argentina, Canada (Nova Scotia), China, Cuba, Greece, Italy, Mexico, and Scotland.
An extensive array of undergraduate internships enable students to relate their academic preparation to associated career areas, often while earning college credit. The Allegheny College Center for Experiential Learning (ACCEL), established in 1998, uniquely coordinates student access to real-life opportunities, including internships, off-campus study, service-learning, and leadership development programs.
Academic Facilities
The library has a collection of 420,000 bound volumes, 227,000 titles on microform, 1,000 periodicals, and 261,000 U.S. government and Pennsylvania state documents. The library also houses noteworthy Americana and Ida Tarbell collections. A computer laboratory, an audiovisual center, and a music listening system are in the main library as well.
On campus, more than 200 PCs are networked and available 24 hours a day for students' use in all disciplines. All residence hall rooms provide direct high-speed access to the Internet and the campus network for students with their own computers. College facilities also include a 283-acre environmental research reserve, an observatory and planetarium, a state-of-the-art television studio, and the Bowman, Penelec & Megahan Art Galleries. Two science buildings serve as national models, and a $13-million sport and fitness center opened in 1997.
Costs
For 2003–04, tuition at Allegheny was $24,100, an inclusive fee that covered health service, activities and laboratory charges, and all extra charges except those for private instruction in music. The annual fee for room and board was $6180. Several payment plans are available.
Financial Aid
A large number of merit-based scholarships are awarded annually, making the College more affordable even to families who do not qualify for need-based financial aid. Trustee Scholarships, which award up to $60,000, are guaranteed for four years of study at Allegheny. Also, scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment are awarded to students who need assistance to meet College expenses. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which establishes an applicant's eligibility for virtually all institutional, state, and federal assistance, must be submitted by February 15. Notices about the receipt of financial aid are sent to students shortly after their acceptance by the College.
Faculty
Allegheny's faculty is deeply committed to teaching, advising, and working closely with students. Ninety percent of the 134 full-time members hold terminal degrees in their respective fields, and there is a balance between highly experienced teachers and younger faculty members. All are active and highly regarded in their disciplines. The faculty includes authors of scholarly books (such as Congressional Women and Comedy from Shakespeare to Sheridan), research scientists, and performing artists.
Student Government
Through Allegheny Student Government (ASG), undergraduates assume an active role in formulating College policy, developing curricular changes and improvements, governing their personal conduct, organizing and promoting cultural programs, and implementing the social calendar. Through its administration of the student activity fee, ASG serves as coordinator of most campus activities. Nearly all committees of the faculty include students, so that the student point of view can be represented in the governance of the College.
Admission Requirements
The College actively seeks an academically able, geographically diverse, and ethnically varied student body with a broad distribution of special talents and individual experiences. This heterogeneous mix of first-year and transfer students enriches the learning process for all students, both in and out of the classroom setting.
In the selection process, all information available on each applicant is carefully considered. The College places more importance on performance in school than on standardized test scores or other criteria. Candidates for admission should follow a college-preparatory program in high school that includes four solid or major subjects, such as English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language, each year. Either the SAT I or ACT must be taken by January of the final year of high school.
Early decision, early admission, deferred entrance, and advanced standing programs are offered. Personal interviews are strongly encouraged. Transfer students are admitted both semesters.
Application and Information
The application for admission should be submitted by February 15 (January 15 for early decision), and the SAT I or ACT results should be forwarded to the College by each candidate. Applicants for early decision are notified on a rolling basis through January 31. Regular applicants are informed of the admission decision by April 1.
