IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Fall 2016 | Page 51

Photo by Chris Bombardo, PTC graduate.

Photo by Volkmar Kuntz, PTC marketing department.

PTC was founded in 1946 and since then it has grown to include 23
associate degree programs and eight certificate programs. About 2,000
students attend classes at the 130-acre campus in North Fayette as well
as online. Gary Lasser, a supervisor at Westinghouse Nucl ear, spoke at
the renaming ceremony and recalled that, when he graduated in 1977,
there were only 80 students and two majors they could select.
A number of state and local officials also attended the renaming
ceremony, including Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. He
issued a proclamation praising PTC as an integral part of the region’s
education system. The college will help provide trained graduates who
are attractive to local employers, Fitzgerald said.
PTC will also offer students the ability to enroll in two bachelor’s
degree programs starting this fall—business administration and
information systems and technology. DeFeo says PTC decided to
offer the programs because students, alumni and employers had all
requested them. The announcement has already generated a lot of
interest from alumni who are eager to enroll. DeFeo says the first
cohort will enter the programs this fall and the first degrees could be
awarded within the next 15 to 18 months.
It took about a year to complete the necessary paperwork for
establishing the new bachelor’s degree programs. PTC hired
additional faculty because about 25 new classes will be offered as part
of the business administration and information systems degrees.
DeFeo says PTC hopes to offer additional bachelor’s degrees in
the next five years, including nursing. The college’s strategic plan also
includes provisions for additional residence halls and a gymnasium.
PTC currently has housing for about 900 students, and will consider
adding more extracurricular activities and sports. It already offers
several intramural sports clubs, including softball and a flag football
league.
However, according to DeFeo, PTC’s leaders will only do what
they can afford to accomplish without major tuition increases.
He adds, “The transition from a commuter campus to a residential
campus seven years ago was one of our biggest institutional changes.
It provided a lot of opportunities for students to gain social skills and
leadership opportunities they didn’t have before.”

PTC President Gregory DeFeo (right) and Allegheny County
Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

If growth continues, PTC could even become a technologyoriented university at some point, although it would be after DeFeo’s
tenure.
“We are happy where we are today,” he says. n

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