HACC and LVC celebrate moving community college campus to Annville

Harrisburg Area Community College and Lebanon Valley College celebrated the Lebanon HACC campus’s move to LVC’s campus on April 23 with talks from staff and students, time to socialize, and snacks.

HACC’s Lebanon campus is currently in the city municipal building at 735 Cumberland St., but moving to LVC will give students a dedicated educational space and more resources, according to HACC president John Sygielski.

He said they will have space on the lower floor of the Vernon and Doris Bishop Library, along with two labs in the science building.

“The enhancements are they have access to the full breadth of the library, to dining services, to the athletic facilities, and any other resources that are on this campus, which is really wonderful because when we were on Cumberland Street, we were limited — limited in parking, we had no athletic facilities, we had no dining services — so this, is going to be the full breadth of a collegiate experience,” Sygielski said.

(The community college clarified later through a spokesperson that HACC students will not have access to all services and resources on LVC’s campus, including athletic facilities. A full list of available resources is posted here.)

He said even with additional resources, costs will remain the same.

“It will still be affordable, accessible, and quality education,” he said.

HACC said that the move came after it explored other facilities within Lebanon County as it neared the end of a five-year lease agreement with the city and began to negotiate a new lease. HACC said that it “engaged LVC in discussions about a mutually beneficial partnership.”

Read More: HACC to move Lebanon campus to LVC; city already negotiating with new lessee

HACC said it will offer the following programs at the new LVC campus:

• Exercise Science (associate in science)
• Liberal Arts (associate in arts)
• Liberal Studies (certificate)
• Social Science (associate in arts)

“As many of you know, there is a tsunami that is happening in higher education, and this is one example of how we’re addressing the very changing, uncharted waters that higher education is involved with, at least over the last couple of years, and we believe, going forward,” Sygielski said to the crowd. “To be able to form a partnership with LVC is very exciting for us.”

LVC and HACC will remain separate institutions and will not merge curricula, faculty, or classes.

James MacLaren, LVC president, said giving space to HACC could lead to students starting at the community college and then transferring to LVC to complete a four-year degree.

He said some students decide that the two-year degree is all they need to accomplish their goals, but others might want to move forward through higher education and do not know how.

“We hope that that will at least provide that opportunity and the information to students coming out of the associate’s degree programs that LVC is a financially affordable option for them,” he said.

LVC offers a $1,000 LVC-HACC dual admission transfer scholarship for students with a 2.75 GPA or above.

HACC will pay LVC to use its space. MacLaren said he didn’t know the exact number off the top of his head, but it was a good price for the community college.

“I think it’s less than market rates in Lebanon because I know when the finance team was setting it up, they looked into what the market rates would be, and we tried to be fair because what we really wanted was strength in partnership and the opportunities for students,” he said.

MacLaren said he sees the collaboration as representative of “the future of higher education,” highlighting teamwork, a student-centered approach, and a focus on community.

Olivia Tasso is a student who spent two years at HACC and is finishing her four-year degree with LVC. She said she chose LVC because of how personalized her experience was. Her campus tour was one-on-one with a current student, and when she met with her adviser, she said they had all of her information ready. She also received a substantial scholarship.

She said this campus move will be great for HACC students socially and could help with a possible transition from the commuter campus to a four-year institution.

“I’m honestly really excited about the collaboration because I feel like if I had had that kind of opportunity now, I think it would have shifted the commuter experience,” she said. “I think being around other people all the time and kind of being thrown in with people that do live here allows you to make friendships, make relationships, see what the four-year university experience looks like, which I think would have made it and will make it a lot easier for people that are at a two-year transition to the four-year experience.”

HACC will move out of its Cumberland Street home by June 30 to start classes at the LVC campus on Aug. 25.

Editor’s note: This article was updated after publication to include additional comment from HACC about which resources will be available to HACC students at the LVC campus.