Barn/Classrooms and Café Plan.
Porreco barn.
Continued from page 43
Applied Science degree model, which is
unique in the region in offering college
credit for approved technical or on-thejob training, Ritchey said. AAS degrees
in aeronautics and public safety are
planned for fall 2015, and others are
being explored, along with partnerships
with manufacturers and the region’s large
agriculture and food industries.
Ritchey, who led the effort to launch
Porreco College after spending two years
working on a similar effort at Youngstown
State University in Ohio, praised the
potential of the 26-acre former estate and
working farm, which also was a gift to the
university from Louis Porreco in 1986.
A
bout 300 students now attend
classes there, with most facilities
located in the renovated ground
floor of the main barn. Ritchey said
there is capacity for about 150 additional
students this fall.
He shared plans for additional
renovations in the barn and other
44 724.942.0940 to advertise | Millcreek
“It’s critical to
boost educational
attainment so the
emerging workforces
in Erie County are
attractive to employers.”
buildings to accommodate an enrollment of
up to 1,500 students. The facilities all will be
developed within the footprint of existing
structures, he said, and the rural charm of
the property will be retained.
Ritchey said full development of the
property’s considerable
potential will take place
over several years. The
addition of classrooms on
the main floor of the barn,
where the announcement
event took place, will begin
in 2015 using a $2.8 million
state grant, he said.
The schedule for further
construction will be
determined by need and
funding, which will come from private
donations.
“I’m personally delighted that
the university has given me a role in
developing the full potential of this
exceptional property for the benefit of
the community,” he said.
Applications for fall semester
enrollment are now being accepted,
and a Porreco College Open House
for prospective students will be held
Saturday, May 3, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Additional information, including
answers to frequently asked questions,
is available on the Porreco College web
pages at porreco.edinboro.edu. Call the
college at 814.836.1955 to learn more. ■