Allentown is gaining a new foothold for higher education this summer as Alvernia University prepares to open a physical location at 520 Hamilton St. The move marks the university’s first on-the-ground presence in the Lehigh Valley and brings a mix of graduate programming and community-focused initiatives to the city.
What the new site will offer
Officials with the Reading-based institution said the Allentown location will initially host a hybrid Master of Business Administration program alongside Alvernia’s Empowered Ed initiative, a program run through the university’s O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship that connects high school students with real-world projects.
- Hybrid MBA: designed to combine in-person and online coursework and provide opportunities for engagement with regional employers.
- Empowered Ed: K–12 partnership model that embeds student projects with community organizations.
- Noncredit seminars and community programming: short courses and events planned to serve working adults and local organizations.
Gaetan Giannini, Alvernia’s chief enrollment and strategic communications officer and the leader of the Allentown initiative, said the campus is expected to open in August. In describing the expansion, Giannini said the university intends to broaden its reach and deepen partnerships with business and education partners across the region.
“We’ve had a mandate for growth at Alvernia,” Giannini said. “We want to be able to expand what we’re doing and share the good things that we’ve done, and the different approaches that we have, with different areas and different audiences.”
Institutional context and community aims
Alvernia already operates two locations in Reading and one in Pottsville. The Allentown site extends the university’s CollegeTowne initiative, a model launched in late 2019 in Reading that seeks to reshape how the university interacts with surrounding communities and spurs economic development. CollegeTowne aims to align academic programming with local workforce needs and create collaborative opportunities between students and employers.
Alvernia President Glynis Fitzgerald framed the opening as consistent with the university’s mission to deliver “transformative, real-world learning experiences” and to act as “a catalyst for workforce development, innovation and economic vitality.” For MBA students, Fitzgerald said the Allentown location should create direct avenues to work on regional business challenges and to develop leadership skills relevant to the Lehigh Valley.
| Program | Primary audience |
|---|---|
| Hybrid MBA | Graduate students and working professionals |
| Empowered Ed initiatives | High school students and partner schools |
| Noncredit seminars | Community members and local employers |
Local implications
For Allentown, the new site adds an institutional player that promises to link education to the local economy. The hybrid MBA could be a draw for professionals seeking credentials without relocating, while Empowered Ed brings potential for high school students to work on projects tied to area companies and nonprofits. The presence of noncredit offerings also signals an intent to serve a broader adult population beyond degree-seeking students.
Details such as enrollment capacity, course schedules and the timeline for broader programming were not disclosed in initial announcements. Alvernia leaders have positioned the Allentown location as a living piece of the CollegeTowne model, one that will grow as local partnerships and demand develop.
As the fall term approaches, Allentown residents and employers can expect further information about specific class offerings and community events tied to the new site. For now, the opening of 520 Hamilton St. is a concrete example of higher education moving into the city’s neighborhood fabric, promising immediate programs and the prospect of deeper institutional ties to come.
