Harcum College receives $500,000 for new equipment and curriculum
Bryn Mawr,
Feb 5, 2004 -
Surrounded by students and faculty members in the rotunda of the school library, Rep. Jim Gerlach presented Harcum College with a $500,000 grant Thursday afternoon. The college will use the money to build professional laboratories, purchase improved training resources and expand its computer services.
“There certainly is a demand for quality health care workers,” Gerlach said, “and this grant will contribute to Harcum College preparing the next generation of nurses, technicians and other health care practitioners.”
In 2001 the college known for its strong liberal arts and occupational curriculum started a more than $5 million campaign to modernize and renovate its 89-year-old Montgomery County campus. So far, the school has wired the entire campus for high-speed Internet access, added a nursing lab and refurbished both the dental laboratory and Richter Hall, the home of the Harcum College music program.
Additional renovations will be completed with the money secured from the FY ’04 appropriations bill. Of the $500,000 grant, $100,000 will be used to purchase new dental and nursing equipment; $150,000 will go toward scientific equipment for the allied health sciences, including the biomedical laboratory sciences; $150,000 will be spent on information technology connecting the health sciences in a distance learning program; and $100,000 will be used for a new basic nursing and registered nursing program.
“There’s a critical need for health care professionals,” Gerlach said. “Ensuring students in the health sciences have access to the highest quality equipment not only helps them prepare for the rigors of their chosen profession, but it helps all of us in the end.”
Harcum College President Dr. Charles H. Trout said they were delighted the congressman took action to address a glaring problem.
"Congressman Gerlach was quick to recognize that our efforts to meet healthcare needs in our region were worthy of support, and we are deeply grateful for all he did to bring this set-aside to Harcum,” Trout continued.
“We think of ourselves as 'The Opportunity College,' and thanks to the help from Congressman Jim, we will now be able to expand our caring curricula to many more students than we can presently accommodate,” said Trout. “Knowing that Jim Gerlach is a Congressman who recognizes that his district faces severe shortages in crucial healthcare professions, we asked him to help. He delivered, and we are thrilled with the outcome!"
Harcum College is an independent, non-profit, two-year college with 528 students and a professional staff of 157 people. Founded in 1915, it was the first educational institution in Pennsylvania given approval to confer the associate degree in arts and in science. Harcum offers 23 associate degree programs emphasizing on the health sciences and career preparation.
