College with a Community Purpose: With a Focus on Serving the Community Needs, South College Works to Make a Positive Impact

Adaptability is the reason why South College has been helping students achieve their educational goals since 1882. The institution, which is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, operates across six states (including Pennsylvania) and offers 100-plus programs and concentrations, through varying modalities including in-person, hybrid and online.

With every expansion, the college’s focus is two-fold. First, to ensure that its offerings match the student body’s passions and interests. And second, that the greatest impact can be made with programs that match the needs of the surrounding community.

Take South College’s Pittsburgh campus, which opened in 2022. When the school decided to open a western-PA campus, it determined that its degrees would be healthcare-centric because the region has a high demand for careers in that field. 

“At South College, our priority is always the students,” explained South College Pittsburgh Campus President Anne Petrella. “We expand our presence where we feel we can positively impact students and their communities.” 

The college meets people where they are in their lives. While not every course and degree can be completed online, the school positions students to complete their education based on their unique situations.

“South College Pittsburgh currently offers programs in the areas of health science, imaging sciences, medical assisting, nursing and surgical technology,” Petrella said. “As we do in all other locations, South College Pittsburgh is working to align its offerings with the needs of the community. As we look to the future, our goal is to design and implement relevant program offerings at multiple levels to continue meeting the commonwealth’s needs, specifically in the Pittsburgh market.”

South College also places an emphasis on being military friendly. In fact, just a few years ago, the school was first awarded by militaryfriendly.com with a “Top 10 Military Friendly School” recognition.

“It means a great deal to us to be included on this list, as we want military students to consider South College as the place to obtain their education,” Petrella noted. “We are proud to accept all types of veteran benefits and offer additional grants to students who are not entirely covered by their benefits. The Pittsburgh campus is not yet approved for VA funding – as we are still going through the application processing with the state – but all other campuses have been approved. The designation we’ve earned is for South College as a whole.”

Whether you are considering South College’s Pittsburgh campus or any of its other locations, Petrella leaves no doubt that the institution has earned its reputation as one that carries out its mission to improve communities, where students can earn an education that puts them on the path to pursuit of a rewarding career.  

“South College successfully executes its mission. In our mission statement, we vow that we will respond to local, regional and national employment needs and support current workforce trends in the communities where we live and work. South College continues to do this in every market in which we build a campus, and through our online offerings. Pittsburgh is a perfect example of where we reviewed the market’s needs and worked to offer programs that would help educate tomorrow’s workforce,” Petrella emphasized.

The school stays true to its claim that students’ needs will always remain its top priority. Case in point: the college filled a workforce gap that the Pittsburgh Career Institute left when it closed, ensuring that the students who had planned to graduate from that institution could achieve their education goals and embark on their career pursuits as planned. 

South College is thrilled to live out its gratifying mission and cannot wait to see what the future holds – both for the college itself and every one of its promising alumni.