CLASSES START AUG. 24 AT WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA’S NEW PREMIER LEARNING AND CONFERENCE CENTER, THE REGIONAL LEARNING ALLIANCE

 
WARRENDALE, Pa. – The Regional Learning Alliance at Cranberry Woods opens Tuesday [Aug. 24], bringing 11 of western Pennsylvania’s leading education providers under one roof to provide workforce training and degree programs.  The first alliance of its kind in the region and a national model, partner institutions will have 38 classes in session by Sept. 1.

Slippery Rock University shepherded development of the 76,000-square foot, one-stop learning center, 20 miles north of Pittsburgh in Marshall Township.  A grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 15.

In addition to Slippery Rock, education partners include Penn State University (Beaver and New Kensington campuses), Robert Morris University, Carlow College, Pittsburgh Technical Institute, Triangle Tech, Geneva College, La Roche College, DeVry University, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Butler County Community College. They lease classroom space.

“We expect this collaboration to become a model for the rest of the country,” Mitch Seltzer, Regional Learning Alliance general manager, said. “It’s a one-stop learning center and a huge investment in the betterment of our region.”

The innovative concept provides ancillary services to make education and professional development significantly more effective and as convenient as possible, he said.  A child development center, wellness center and on-site food services complement a 70-seat, triple-screen lecture/theater, videoconferencing systems in all 28 classrooms, computer labs and library.

Carlow starts classes on Tuesday. Most of the other partners start the following week. SRU will offer 20 classes there this fall.

While most college courses will be offered in the evening, the alliance will be open during the day as a professional conference and business-training center, Seltzer said.

The alliance meets certification standards set by the International Association of Conference Centers. That means it includes amenities conducive to hosting business seminars, such as telephone and Internet connections and amplified sound.

"Our focus is not only to help new businesses come into the area, but to support the industries already here," he said. "We recognize that a strong region depends upon a strong, highly skilled workforce.  The Regional Learning Alliance is our investment toward this.”

The Regional Learning Alliance is a non-profit corporation created in support of Slippery Rock University to develop the Regional Learning Alliance Conference and Learning Center.