Page 36 - Chester County Chamber - 2023 Guide & Membership Directory

EDUCATION
West Chester University
the Parker Institute for Immunotherapy.
“It’s a two-year paid internship that runs year-round,” said Atkins. “The second cohort of students is currently working its way through that program.”
Through Cheyney’s relationship with AtlantiCare, meanwhile, students can shadow healthcare providers and get exposure to a variety of different health professions. “There’s an accelerated nursing program we offer,” Atkins said. “AtlantiCare has given those students part-time jobs and is paying for their tuition. Upon graduation, those students will automatically have jobs in the healthcare system.”
In 2022, another Cheyney partner, the Waters Corporation, donated a high- performance liquid chromatography instrument to the university. The company also provided research awards to students who will use the instrument to conduct research projects.
“We have some amazing partnerships that are leading to employment for students
in this region and in career fields where they’re underrepresented,” Atkins said.
WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY
In September 2022, West Chester University (WCU) opened the most complex building in its more than 150-year history: the 175,000-square-foot Sciences & Engineering Center and The Commons (SECC). The SECC, which is the largest building project on the University’s campus, provides a state-of- the-art learning environment for the next generation of scientists, engineers, nurses, nutritionists, and other critical-demand positions.
“The center is an opportunity for us to build out an engineering space for our biomedical program that will really help it grow and flourish,” said Dr. Jeffery Osgood, Executive Vice President and Provost (interim) at WCU. “The building is designed around this program. Every aspect of the facility has been designed with learning in mind.”
The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering is a relatively recent addition to WCU — its first cohort graduated
in May 2023 — and was designed to accommodate the needs of employers
in the field. In fact, an advisory board made up of representatives from major biotech and pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson and West Pharmaceutical Services, helped get the program off the ground.
“One of the things our region has done exceedingly well is biopharmaceutical product development, so we thought what better way to help promote and sustain economic development than by launching a biomedical engineering program,” Osgood said. “Of all the engineering fields and specialties, biomedical engineering attracts the largest number of women
and people of color, so it’s a good way of getting traditionally underrepresented populations into the field of engineering.”
DELAWARE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
While the Delaware County Community College (DCCC) main campus is in Marple Township, it has three locations in Chester County. The 52,700-square- foot Downingtown Center features a
Top left photo by Erica Thompson; Top right photos by Thomas Holdsworth
34 Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry