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Cedar Crest College is a private liberal arts women's college in
Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 census. It is the fastest-growing major city in Pennsylvania an ...
. At the start of the 2015-2016
academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...
, the college had 1,301 undergraduates (628 traditional age, 673 adult) and 203 graduate students. Men may pursue any master's degree, bachelor's degree, certification, and certificate program offered through evening and weekend study and are welcome to study nursing and nuclear medicine by day. Founded in 1867, the college is historically tied to the United Church of Christ, though it remains academically independent.


Academics

The college's Bachelor of Arts and science programs span more than fifty majors. The curriculum also includes programs in Pre-Law, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Medicine and Pre-Veterinary Medicine. In addition, Cedar Crest also offers
master's degrees A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
. Undergraduate and graduate programs are also offered to adult students through the college's School of Adult and Graduate Education (SAGE).


Performing arts


Theatre

The Theatre major at Cedar Crest College is a holistic major that encompasses both technical experience and performance in the theatre field. First Fridays are offered starting in a student's sophomore year to allow collaboration between those in the Performing Arts majors. In their senior year, students complete their Senior Capstone Project which is meant to feature their work cumulatively throughout their four years at the college. The college stages four major stage productions which typically includes two musical productions and two straight plays. To feature the female students of the predominately women's college, productions chosen feature strong female leading, supporting, and ensemble roles with outside male performers from the surrounding Lehigh Valley community and beyond in any leading, supporting, or ensemble roles.


Faculty

Directors for mainstage productions vary, but faculty at the college include Technical Theatre Professor Kevin Gallagher and Professor Roxanne Amico.


Scholarships

The department offers scholarships based on an audition on a Performing Arts Scholarship Day or submitted by video. These are typically $1,500 per year, four-year renewing scholarships, contingent on the student's participation in productions or classes within the Dance or Theatre majors.


Campus

Cedar Crest is located off
Cedar Crest Boulevard Cedar Crest Boulevard, colloquially known as Cedar Crest and The Boulevard, is a major north-south highway in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. South of Interstate 78 (I-78), the road is part of Pennsy ...
at 100 College Drive on the western edge of Allentown. The campus is adjacent to the city's Cedar Beach Park. Some campus buildings include:


Allen House

What is now known as the Allen House was built in 1927 and was originally home to college President William F. Curtis and his family. This building was later converted to a library and eventually to an office building named in honor of the late William and Roberta Ritter Allen '36, generous supporters of the college.


Blaney Hall Administration Building

Blaney Hall was named after President Dorothy G. Blaney. She was the president of Cedar Crest college for 17 years and championed the cause of elevating the education of women to the kinds of rigorous academic achievement once reserved only for men. She took over the Allentown women's college in October 1989 and gave it new stature and renewed vigor. During Blaney's tenure, the college's enrollment doubled from 700 to more than 1,400 students, the number of honor students rose 35 percent, and the endowment grew fourfold, from $1.2 million to $5.7 million, with a current goal of $3.5 million. For almost all her career at the 139-year-old school, she contributed opinion columns to The Morning Call, writing on women's and local issues. During the ceremony that made her Cedar Crest's 11th president, she told the crowd to "transform knowledge into wisdom and wisdom into action. We need to expand our minds to embrace the diversity of other cultures and the ideas of the world."


Donald P. Miller Family Building for Art, Science and Peace

On the anniversary of Donald P. Miller's death, the executive committee of Cedar Crest College's trustees announced that the school would name its planned $4 million art, science and health complex after his family. Miller, who died at age 89 from natural causes on Jan. 23, 1996, was ''The Morning Call''s former publisher and chief executive officer. Over the years, the Miller family has provided funding and services to such Lehigh Valley institutions as the Allentown Public Library, the Allentown Art Museum, the Allentown Symphony, the Boy Scouts, the Phoebe Home, and Muhlenberg College, which is Donald Miller's alma mater. Its ties to Cedar Crest College are deep. Miller was a college benefactor every year and for every campaign from the 1950s until he died. He was named a Cedar Crest honorary doctor of humane letters in 1968. The college's original location at 4th and Turner Streets in Allentown was previously the family homestead of Marjorie Wright Miller, Donald Miller's first wife. Marjorie Miller was a 1930 graduate of Cedar Crest who served on the board of trustees in the 1940s, '50s and '60s and was her class agent for decades. After she died in 1977, Miller honored her passion for poetry in 1980 through a memorial fund that helped establish the "Poet's Corner" inside the college's Cressman Library. Inside the Miller Building is the Harmon Hall of Peace, which was donated by Elaine Oberkotter Harmon '59 and her husband, John. In the building are five large flags representing the United States; the United Nations; Croatia, for Elaine Harmon's adopted son; Japan, because Elaine Harmon supported Japanese exchange students who attended Cedar Crest; and Ghana, the home country of the then-Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who dedicated the Miller Building and received an honorary degree from Cedar Crest. The Peace Pole, located directly outside of the Miller Building, is one of over 100,000 that exist in 60 countries as international symbols of peace. This pole represents the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in 12 different languages.


Harold and Miriam Oberkotter Center for Health and Wellness

The Harold and Miriam Oberkotter Center for Health and Wellness, a 10,000 square foot building on the western edge of the Cedar Crest campus, added much needed laboratory and classroom space. Since 2001, Cedar Crest has experienced a 50 percent increase in traditional-aged science and nursing students. The number of students interested in forensic science alone has increased tenfold since this program's inception in 2000. The lifelong learning population at Cedar Crest has increased as well. Since the launch of the evening weekend nursing program in 2000, the number of lifelong learning students who are nursing majors has increased more than 105 percent. The main features of the facility include the 100-seat, state-of-the-art, Berta and Harold Keen Multi-Media Classroom; faculty offices including one dedicated to Lorraine Clark Laicha and given by Tom and Stephanie Zimmerer, Ed.D. '72; a forensic science-biological science lab; a biochemistry lab; a student lounge and restrooms.


Lees Hall and Fitness Center

Lees Hall is named in honor of Fortunetta Schlough Lees from the Class of 1897. The Basketball and Volleyball teams both compete in the gym which is located in Lees Hall. The athletic offices and Fitness Center are also located in Lees Hall. Lees has a seating capacity for athletic events for more than 300; for other events, 750. Other facilities in Lees Hall include a fitness center, athletic training room and offices for the athletic department staff. Fitness Center hours of operation are 6:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. Starting in the Spring of 2014, Cedar Crest College will be updating its basketball court (design to be released).


South Gate

The giving of gifts to the college by the senior class is a long-standing tradition at Cedar Crest. One of the most well-known senior class gifts is the South Gate. In 1922, when President William F. Curtis learned that the highway department planned to build another road near campus, the Class of 1922 agreed to fund construction of a new entrance, incurring an expense that would take them years to pay off. After the gate's completion at the south end of campus, the highway department changed its plans, so the entrance sat useless until 1972, when it was moved to the west end of campus on Cedar Crest Boulevard, during the presidency of Pauline Tompkins, as a fiftieth reunion surprise for the Class of 1922.


The Bell "Dorothy"

The bell is a sculpture by
Toshiko Takaezu Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American ceramic artist, painter, sculptor, and educator who was known for her rounded, closed forms that viewed ceramics as a fine art and more than a functional vessel. She is of Japane ...
that resides on the quad, in a garden that was built by the Trustees in 2005 to honor Dorothy Gulbenkian Blaney's presidency. The bell, named Dorothy, was donated by the internationally renowned sculptor to honor President Blaney. It was the first bell that Takaezu ever named. It is meant to have a calming effect and is rung at Open Door Ceremony and at the 50th Reunion memorial service.


Quad

The quad is the grassy area that flows from the front of Blaney Hall, surrounded by Hartzel Hall, Allen House, Cressman Library, Moore Hall, Curtis Hall and Butz Hall. The quad features Abe and Tretchie's Place, a gazebo that was donated by the board of trustees in memory of Abram Samuels and in honor of his wife, Tretchie.


Spirit Rock

In Keeping with the tradition of presenting the college with a senior class gift, the Class of 2013, in addition to raising over $6,000 for the Cedar Crest Fund, donated the Spirit Rock to start a new tradition on campus. This rock is meant to provide luck to all who rub it. Incoming freshmen are encouraged to touch the rock for luck during orientation and it is placed strategically so that all graduating seniors can touch it for luck on their way into the graduation tent. An inscription on the plaque reads: "If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life."


Tompkins College Center

The most notable feature of the Tompkins College Center (TCC) is its floor-to-ceiling windows that frame park-like views of the Cedar Crest campus. The TCC was named for Pauline Tompkins, Cedar Crest president from 1967 to 1978, and is primarily the student union, featuring the Falcon's Nest, the post office, lounge areas, Samuels Theatre and meeting spaces. A generous estate gift of $3.5 million from Verna Orcurto Canova '38 provided for renovations to the dining hall area in January 2015.


Wishing Steps

Between Allen House and the Cressman Library is an area dedicated to the college's historic wishing steps. Over 50 years ago, Cedar Crest women walked with their sweethearts, often men from Lehigh, Lafayette and Muhlenberg, through the woods behind campus, leading to what is now the Allentown Rose Garden. These woods affectionately became known as "Proposal Park" because legend had it that if a student and her date counted the same number of steps while walking to the park and sealed your wish with a kiss, she would get a proposal at the end. The Wishing Steps were ranked number 10 on the list of 25 Most Romantic College Traditions by College Ranker in 2015.


Other buildings

Other campus buildings include Cressman Library, Dorothy Rider Pool Science Center, Alumnae Hall for Art and Performing Arts, and Rodale Aquatic Center for Civic Health. Additional classroom and faculty buildings include Hartzel Hall, Curtis Hall and Hamilton Boulevard Building. The college also has four residence halls: Butz Hall, Moore Hall, Steinbright Hall and the upper level of Curtis Hall. Cedar Crest's collection of 140 species of trees is designated as the William F. Curtis Arboretum, which is registered with the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. The arboretum is named for the college's seventh president, who after purchasing the property in 1915, beautified the campus by planting flowers, shrubs and trees from all over the world. The campus is also the site of the Da Vinci Science Center, an independent science demonstration facility that opened in 2005.


Athletics

Cedar Crest, known athletically as the Falcons, competes in NCAA Division III athletics and has teams in
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...
, field hockey,
lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
, soccer, softball, tennis, swim & dive, track & field, and volleyball. In addition, the Rodale Aquatic Center on campus is home to the college's swim & dive team. During the 2007 season, the Cedar Crest Falcons tennis team placed 4th in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC), now known as the
Colonial States Athletic Conference The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) is an NCAA Division III collegiate athletic conference in the Mid-Atlantic United States. There are currently nine full member institutions as of 2018. The conference's membership, as with most M ...
(CSAC). The team also broke two school records, one for the most wins in a season (12) and one for the most PAC wins (7). The team's record was 12–3. Coach Lynn Pigliacampi, at the time, was two games away from becoming Cedar Crest's winningest tennis coach. Pigliacampi played both at local Easton Area High School (class of 1999), where she was undefeated, and at Division I Drexel University. Her father, Jules Pigliacampi, is an assistant coach. The
United States Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis ...
named her
Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...
in 2008. Cedar Crest's Falcons basketball team finished the 2008–09 season at 13-11 overall and 8–8 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference. The team posted more conference victories than in the previous nine seasons combined, earning a CSAC playoff berth for the first time in a decade. Head coach Valerie Donohue (Cedar Crest, '95) led the Falcons in tying the school record of 13 season wins set in 1998–99, the last time the team made the playoffs. The 6th-seeded Falcons beat Centenary College's women in the 2009 tournament's opening round. Donohue was subsequently named the Colonial States Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year.


Cynthia L. Blaschak Softball Field

In the spring of 1997, Cynthia L. Blaschak made a donation to Cedar Crest to build a softball field. This was done as part of her support of the new NCAA Division III varsity softball team that was beginning their season that year. Blaschak was a student athlete herself while attending Cedar Crest. She participated in both basketball and badminton.


Notable alumni

*
Jane Amsterdam Jane Ellen Amsterdam (born June 15, 1951) is a former American magazine and newspaper editor. After successive magazine editorships during the 1970s, she joined ''The Washington Post'' as section editor. She later became founding editor of '' Man ...
, editor of ''
Manhattan, inc. ''Manhattan, inc.'' was an American monthly magazine published in New York City. From 1984 to 1990 it profiled the rich and powerful figures of New York City's business world, and featured stories by prominent freelancers such as John Seabrook, Ro ...
'' and the '' New York Post'' * Rita Kogler Carver, theater and lighting designer *
Judy McGrath Judith Ann McGrath (born July 2, 1952) is an American television executive. Early life and education She is a graduate of Scranton High School in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Career In 2004, McGra ...
, former CEO of
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
* Dorothy Page, former actress * Suzanne Fisher Staples, author and international news reporter * Blenda Wilson, former California State University-Northridge and University of Michigan chancellor


Notable faculty

*
Chrystelle Trump Bond Chrystelle Lee Trump Bond (January 1, 1938 – May 6, 2020) was an American dancer, choreographer, dance historian, and author. Bond was the founding chair of the dance department at Goucher College. She was the co-founder and director of ' ...
, former American dancer, choreographer, and dance historian * Anthony S. Caprio, former president,
Western New England University Western New England University is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. Academic programs are provided through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, School of Law, and College of Pharmacy and ...
* Richard Druckenbrod, former theology professor and
Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spe ...
language scholar *
Fred Benjamin Gernerd Fred Benjamin Gernerd (November 22, 1879 – August 7, 1948) was an American politician serving as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography Fred B. Gernerd was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He gr ...
, former
Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
and former Cedar Crest trustee *
Frank Reed Horton Frank Reed Horton (July 17, 1896 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania – August 28, 1966 in Easton, Pennsylvania), was a United States educator. He is best known as the founder and first national president of Alpha Phi Omega, an international service frater ...
, first national president of
Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...
service fraternity * Diane Moyer, former
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
field hockey player and current associate professor in the psychology department * Barton C. Shaw, historian * Pauline Tompkins, former president of Cedar Crest College


References


External links


Official website

Official athletics website
{{coord, 40.587, -75.519, region:US-PA_type:edu, display=title 1867 establishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Allentown, Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1867 Education in Allentown, Pennsylvania Private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania Universities and colleges in Allentown, Pennsylvania Women's universities and colleges in the United States