Northampton Community College (NCC) students seeking a four-year bachelor’s degree in hospitality management can now add Penn State Berks or the School of Hospitality Management in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State University Park, to their list of possible schools at which they can pursue their academic degree in hospitality management.
Leaders from Penn State and NCC signed a transfer and articulation agreement this spring. The agreement establishes a program-to-program enrollment articulation agreement in hospitality management.
NCC students who successfully complete the requirements for an associate program within four years of their first enrollment at NCC are eligible to enter one of the Penn State programs (at Penn State Berks or at in the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State University Park) with junior status in either programs’ baccalaureate degree program.
“This articulation agreement is a wonderful new addition to our existing partnership with Penn State, creating yet another opportunity for our students,” says Mark Erickson, president of NCC. “What makes me happiest is that this agreement further expands access to higher education, which is at the core of our mission. We’re very proud to create this NCC-Penn State seamless pathway to a bachelor’s degree in a field that is coming back stronger than ever.”
Access to these high-quality programs provides students from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be poised for success in their career journey.
“The joint articulation agreement between NCC and our Penn State programs at UP and Berks in Hospitality Management provides a choice of pathways for students to pursue their degree in hospitality management” said Donna Quadri-Felitti, associate professor and Marvin Ashner Director of the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State, “The industry touches every community, small and large, and with a solid start at NCC, students choosing to continue their studies at Penn State have options for what works best for them and their professional dreams.”
Janelle Larson, associate professor and Head of the Division of Engineering, Business and Computing at Penn State Berks, further noted, “A baccalaureate in Hospitality Management from Penn State prepares students to join and lead the dynamic hospitality sector in eastern Pennsylvania.”
Hospitality management represents a sector of the economy that is poised for significant growth, leading to tremendous opportunities for students, no matter where they elect to complete their studies. In a March 2021 article in Forbes Magazine, hospitality industry professionals were surveyed and over half of respondents predicted 2022 to be the year of complete travel recovery. United States 2021 summer reservation volume is 110% higher when compared to summer in the states this time last year. The resilient hospitality industry is poised for the demand for travel that is predicted to come with vaccines being more available while lockdown and other restrictions are eased.
“As the COVID vaccine reaches more people and the economy settles into a new post-pandemic stride, there is pent-up demand of consumers to be outside of their four walls,” says Dr. Denise Francois-Seeney, NCC’s dean of business and industry.
When transferring to Penn State Berks or Penn State University Park, NCC students must apply for admission, submit required transcripts and meet Penn State’s admissions requirements. Penn State application fees will be waived for NCC students who apply for the hospitality management baccalaureate program.
For more information about the Hospitality Management program at NCC, contact David Schweiger, director, at 610-332-8660 or dschweiger@northampton.edu, or visit www.northampton.edu/hospitality; at Penn State Berks contact Jennifer Wakemen at jvp5@psu.edu; at Penn State University Park, contact David Rachau, academic adviser in the School of Hospitality Management at dqr5@psu.edu, or Chris Arbutina at caa1@psu.edu in the College of Health and Human Development Center for Student Advising and Engagement.
