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.
Given that "classes are demanding," Lycoming students devote a substantial amount of time to studying. Nevertheless, there's plenty to enjoy beyond the library walls and undergrads "never [have] to have a dull moment here on campus." For this fairly sporty lot, "whether it be recreational basketball, corn-hole, ping pong, foosball, soccer, flag football, volleyball, [or] spike ball, there [are] always some type of games going on through[out] the year." You can also find undergrads "skiing, biking, [or] on ice wall hikes." On campus, clubs range from "chamber and concert choirs," to "SPS Stargazing" and "French club, where we make different kinds of French foods and do activities such as pétanque and Mardi Gras celebrations." As for Greek life, one sorority sister notes that "We are small [but] we are mighty. We make up about two-thirds of all college-organized community service events." Finally, though it may take them far away from campus, the Outdoor Leadership and Education trips are popular among undergraduates. Here, "students can explore the outdoors or go on trips to national parks." These are sometimes coupled with "the alternative spring break trips where students can go work with Habitat for Humanity."
