Allegheny College Welcomes Class of 2022
Students in the Allegheny College Class of 2022 have impressive aspirations for their futures — and they’ve already built remarkable résumés of creating positive change.
The class, for example, includes a horsehead fiddle player from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, who founded an organization to help youths explore career paths. And a junior Emergency Medical Services team member from San Antonio, Texas, who volunteers to provide free eye care to the homeless. And a Brooklyn, New York, resident who has taught computer science to underrepresented populations through a Fortune 500 financial services corporation.
The incoming class, welcomed at a convocation and matriculation ceremony today in Raymond P. Shafer Auditorium, represents 346 high schools, 32 states and 36 different countries. The top nine states from which enrolled students originate are Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois and Texas.
More than one-third of the class are first-generation college students. Twenty-eight percent of incoming students identify as students of color — matching a 2016–17 record for the most diverse incoming class for the second consecutive year. And six percent are international students.
Allegheny President James H. Mullen, Jr. welcomed the class, students who each bring “a promise to our campus that is uniquely you.”
“I wish each of you a college experience framed by intellectual and personal growth, by friendships that will develop and go on to last your lifetime, by a sense of purpose and community spirit that will bring you great joy, and by a love for this place that will grow and deepen in the most meaningful ways,” he said.
Sixty-six percent of the incoming class graduated in the top 25 percent of their high school classes, with an average GPA of 3.49. In addition, 51 percent participated in some form of civic engagement in high school.
“The Class of 2022 is joining a distinguished tradition of academic excellence at Allegheny,” said Ron Cole, provost and dean of the college. “Our faculty are proud to be both teachers and mentors who support and challenge students to achieve their potential, apply what they are learning, and develop the intellect and confidence to become leaders.”
Cornell LeSane II, senior vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions, said the Class of 2022 exemplifies the college’s national reputation for encouraging students to explore unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents.
“It was a joy to get to know more about our newest Gators through the admissions process,” LeSane said, “and we’re even more excited to see what paths they will pursue at Allegheny and the difference they will make on our campus and in the community.”
Allegheny College recently introduced three new academic programs that begin this year: majors in business and integrative informatics and a minor in energy & society. The college also has added two new varsity sports: field hockey, which begins play in fall 2019, and men’s lacrosse, which begins play in spring 2020.