3 min read January 2023 — In an interview with Invest:, Kevin Snider, chancellor of Penn State New Kensington, discussed the new Digital Foundry at New Kensington initiative, its programs, diversity and workforce development. “We are all trying to figure out the next steps. I think it will be about providing a digitally enhanced, future-ready workforce,” he said.
What has been a key highlight for Penn State New Kensington over the last 18 months?
The campus, working with the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland, opened up the Digital Foundry in the City of New Kensington. It is a place where individuals, students and companies can learn about cutting-edge technology with an emphasis on manufacturing. We introduce that technology to the many small to midsize manufacturing companies in the region, as well as to their workers, our students and those who may be underemployed. Our team is in place and the facility has been open since June, allowing us to continue serving our University’s land grant mission in exciting new ways. The Foundry was also named one of seven Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centers (SMICs) in the country by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in partnership with the CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute. We’ve also received four grants from the regional Build Back Better initiative to help with workforce development and to engage higher education faculty across the region in becoming aware of digital-age technology and integrating it into the curriculum. One of the grants is for extending the Digital Foundry, and the other grants will help extend training throughout the region, while we also work with the ARM Institute to develop a robotics entrepreneurial center involving the Foundry and our Invent Penn State innovation hub, The Corner, which is also in downtown New Kensington. We are strengthening what we hope will be a replicable model for other small Rust Belt towns so that communities can put together similar components to help drive economic and workforce development, sustainability, as well as revitalization. With the rapid advances in technology in all fields and all around us, we want to provide people and communities with the skills needed to survive and thrive in the digital age.
How have the majors and the programs that you offer shifted?
Change is usually a slow process in academia. With our work at the Digital Foundry, with our industry partners and our innovation hub, The Corner, we know there are some fundamental building blocks that students will need to be contributing members of a digital age society after graduation. Some of those essential skills are familiar to us such as emotional intelligence and the ability to think deeply and carefully about issues and challenges. When it comes to technology and the pace of discovery, however, higher education is not as familiar and is sometimes defensive and reluctant to accept that change. We are seeing and adjusting to that world at Penn State New Kensington. Our degree in electro-mechanical engineering technology (EMET) is about robotics, technology and automation. Our other degree programs such as biobehavioral health, communications, and criminology are exploring things such as building digital environments like digital crime labs, factory floors and virtual classrooms. We are now constantly thinking about how technological needs can be incorporated into our offerings to help all students in every major prepare for the digital world. I think the real change occurs when faculty understand that this it is needed and we are getting to that point.
How are higher education institutions managing diversity and what is Penn State implementing in this regard?
DEI in higher education has been very important. It is even more important in Western Pennsylvania. With the declining numbers of traditional-aged, high-school students entering higher education, the need to bring a diversified pool of people together is vital. Many of our students come from school districts that are not diverse. Our student population at our campus is growing and diversifying, and we are committed to making sure all students feel like they belong and have equal opportunities to pursue their dreams. Diversity brings a richness and strength to our society, and we will keep emphasizing that.
How is Penn State contributing to workforce development in the region?
Our Digital Foundry is our latest and most comprehensive example. We’ve already started providing training to current and future workforce through new certificate programs aimed to skill and reskill workers with technology, smart manufacturing and professional development knowledge. Another example is our G.R.E.A.T. (Growing Regional Excellence through Experience, Academics, & Training) Program, which is now in its twelfth year. We started the program because local engineering companies and manufacturers were struggling to find engineers. What was unique about the program is that it was designed to have first-year engineering students be hired by our partner companies for part-time employment, while also teaching them important professional development skills throughout the year. The companies put them on 10- to 15-hour weekly special projects during the school year and full-time in the summer. That program has been successful, and has been a way to match local talent with companies in Western Pennsylvania. Starting in the fall, the G.R.E.A.T. Program will be open to students from all majors, not just STEM-based majors, so that we can infuse the future-ready technology awareness as previously mentioned in many of our initiatives.
We also worked together with five municipalities to develop an economic revitalization program called WEDIG (Westmoreland Economic Development Initiative for Growth) to create regional efforts and partnerships. I believe that part of the role of higher education is to invest in communities and be a partner in solving challenges. As a campus of Pennsylvania’s land grant institution, we have found ways to make sure our students, and our communities, thrive and learn together.
Finally, we are also leading a consortium of fourteen school districts, called ABC CREATE, which helps teachers across grades and across districts integrate technology, STEAM, entrepreneurship, and innovation into curriculum so that all students from these districts are prepared for the digital age.
What are some of the challenges that you see for higher education and Penn State for the next couple of years?
The common answers to this question are declining enrollments and budgets. However, I think the larger challenge for higher education is in how we interact with partners and adapt to the pace of change. There are good reasons for us to be cautious and not jump into fads; however, technology and society are moving at a different pace now than ever before. We have to find ways to be proactive and ahead of the game while providing education. The Digital Age presents new and significant challenges to our students, communities, and way of life that must be addressed as technology continues to invade our personal and professional lives. Higher education has to play a leading role in identifying and developing solutions to these problems. We have to understand that the world is different and need to adapt and be ready to offer that service to society and to our students in a way that prepares them for a world that is constantly changing.
What is your outlook for Penn State New Kensington and the Greater Pittsburgh higher-education sector for the next few years?
It is full of promise. Pittsburgh has always benefited from and embraced its higher-education institutions, and I suspect you are going to see a much larger presence from Penn State. I think that educational institutions are collaborating in ways we have never done before. We are each utilizing our strengths to provide for a more robust region and I think Penn State will continue to find ways to contribute to and partner with universities in the region. I believe that higher education must be a partner in this process if Pittsburgh is going to continue to succeed and grow.
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