Location
The College is just a five-minute walk from downtown Williamsport, making it an easy foot or bike-commute to a thriving business and shopping area with many dining options. Williamsport is the site of world-class healthcare system UPMC, modern manufacturing, federal offices and county seat, energy and natural gas resources, and the Little League World Series. Situated in the heart of Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley, students can take advantage of natural surroundings through the College's Outdoor Leadership and Education program to learn leadership skills outside of the classroom through skiing, hiking, rock-climbing, kayaking and other outdoor activities, as well as instructor training.
Campus Facilities & Equipment
Over the past eight years, Lycoming College has undergone a variety of campus and facility enhancements as part of its commitment to putting advanced learning opportunities at every student's fingertips.
In recognition of its rich history of music, both as an academic major/minor and beloved co-curricular activity for more than 200 students every year, Lycoming College constructed the 14,000-square-foot Trachte Music Center in 2022. The new facility houses a signature rehearsal and recital space, classrooms, soundproof practice rooms, and offices for music faculty.
In 2019, the College completed construction of its $12.5 million Krapf Gateway Center, home to the Office of Admissions, Office of Alumni and Advancement, the Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences, and the Outdoor Leadership & Education program. The 28,000-square-foot building includes study and seminar rooms, a large presentation space, a café, a three-story rock-climbing wall, and an outdoor firepit.
The College also recently renovated its Heim Science Building, updating all laboratories and adding a biochemistry suite, as well as its main academic center classrooms and study lounges.
In 2015, Lycoming College built the $7.9 million Lynn Science Center, which continues to provide a state-of-the-art space for astronomy, astrophysics, and physics students with a planetarium, classrooms, research and teaching labs, computer labs, faculty offices, student lounges, and an atrium.
Dedicated to providing learning experiences outside the traditional classroom, the College has also invested in a variety of off-campus facilities. A 120-acre Biology Field Station provides a site for students to study aquatic biology, ecology, plant science, vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, and environmental biology, as well as complete internships through the College's Clean Water Institute. The field station also serves as a local archaeological dig site and field school. A professional downtown art gallery, managed by the art department, enables students to work with faculty and visiting artists to curate local and national juried exhibitions, including an annual exhibition of graduating senior art students. Sizeable, private art studios above the gallery are assigned to senior art students and are accessible 24/7. Lycoming College has also expanded access to the Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport, where musicians and vocal artists perform and collaborate with community ensembles like the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Located within four hours of five major cities (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York City, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.), Lycoming often takes learning far beyond the classroom. Whether it's visiting the United Nations, networking with alumni business owners, touring museums, or going to see a Broadway show, there are a variety of academic and extracurricular off-campus opportunities.
And it doesn't stop there. With the College's emphasis on enhanced academic experiences, students frequently obtain competitive internships and research experiences both within the Williamsport area and on a national or global level. Lycoming's Williamsport Internship Summer Experience (WISE) program is one such opportunity; this ten-week preparatory program connects around 20 students with a summer internship in the local Williamsport area, while also providing a $3,000 stipend, free campus housing, and weekly professional development seminars. The College's Clean Water Institute (CWI) also provides a ten-week summer internship opportunity to more than a dozen students interested in studying anything from water quality and wetland assessment to the eastern hellbender (our state amphibian)! Outside of Williamsport, even more students get connected with internships or research experiences every summer, from National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates at other institutions to opportunities with organizations like NASA, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Smithsonian Institution.
Lycoming empowers students to become global citizens with cross-cultural competency. Through our Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences, students can also study abroad in more than 100 locations. Whether it's a May Term course with faculty, a summer, or a whole semester, the opportunities for global study are virtually boundless.
Lycoming College encourages students to incorporate real-world experiences into their liberal arts education. It does so by offering many experiential learning opportunities and outside-the-classroom activities, which help students “better understand and apply class material” and “make and build community relationships.” For an art history class, this meant that “after learning about Ancient Japanese ceramics, we were able to go to the ceramic studio and make pots and bowls with terra cotta to understand the different tools and difficulty of the craft.” Other real-world opportunities mentioned include criminal justice students touring the local corrections facility and visiting the courthouse, aspiring teachers assisting in nearby schools, and archeology students visiting museums. Students also appreciate the “colloquiums that bring guest speakers in, study abroad opportunities, research opportunities, and internships” that enhance their coursework. Of the many things students appreciate about the school, the faculty gets top marks. “They make an effort to get to know students outside the classroom and ensure that students are able to keep up with the material.” As one undergrad shares, “The greatest thing about Lycoming is that if you start to slip, like failing your classes, then they help you…so that you don’t slip through the cracks. Adds another undergraduate, “The close relationship between the faculty and the students is what makes Lycoming College stand out.”
