College Profile: Harcum College
The College of Possibilities

Founded in 1915 as a private residential college, Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA was the first institution in Pennsylvania to award the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees. As the "College of Possibilities" Harcum strives to help every student discover and nurture those skills that open up life's possibilities, and provide a rich array of career choices.

Today, Harcum offers over 20 degree and certificate programs and ranks among the top independent two-year colleges in the U.S. for health care career education.

Harcum also offers programs in business, legal studies, fashion and interior design, liberal arts and education, combining the same range of programs offered by four-year institutions, but at a two-year price.

Harcum is attracting new students from across Pennsylvania and beyond who seek to open possibilities and are attracted to Harcum's unique mix of practical career education, hands-on internships and clinical experiences, personal attention and support from faculty, and a job placement rate near 100 percent in several of its allied health programs. In this way, Harcum still follows the path blazed by Harcum's founder, who created the school to help students expand upon their individual skills and talents while providing a strong academic program.

Founder Edith Hatcher was the daughter of prominent Virginia clergyman Dr. William E. Hatcher, an educator who was also a talented concert pianist who passed his talent to his daughter. In 1913, Edith Hatcher married Octavius Marvin Harcum. After the birth of their first child, Edith wrote "the concert career did not offer a chance for family stability" so they chose a venture that would combine "my talents as an educator and artist and his business vision and ability." They opened the Harcum Post Graduate School on October 1, 1915 with three students and five pianos. Though her expertise was in the fine arts, Edith was also committed to providing a strong academic program.

In its early years, Harcum was a preparatory school, giving students the skills needed for college study. It quickly grew, soon adding junior college-level courses. Mr. Harcum was the first President. When he tragically died in a car accident in 1920, Edith assumed the Presidency. She remained in that post for more than 30 years.

The Junto Adult School was a non-profit educational corporation founded by Benjamin Franklin. It purchased the assets of Harcum in 1952 for possible use as a residential college for adults but soon decided to continue Harcum's mission as a two-year college for women. In 1956, Pennsylvania granted Harcum permission to be the first college in the Commonwealth's history to confer the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science degrees.

The College continued to grow in the 1980's and 1990's and officially became co-educational in 2003.

Harcum's programs are offered through five fully-accredited academic centers: the Center for Allied Health, the Center for Business and Professional Studies, the Center for Clinical Laboratory Science, the Center for Legal Studies and the Center for General Studies and Education.

Allied Health programs include dental assistant, dental hygiene, expanded functions dental assisting(EFDA), nursing, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, neurodiagnostic technology, animal center management and veterinary technology.

The Center for Business and Professional Studies programs are business administration, fashion and interior design, healthcare practice management and sports management. The Center for Clinical Laboratory Science, Harcum's newest Center, includes the areas of medical laboratory technician(also known as clinical laboratory technician), histotechnican, and phlebotomy. The Center for Legal Studies offers programs in criminal justice, legal studies and leadership. The Center for General Studies and Education offers psychology, early childhood education, and general studies.

All programs are taught by faculty with professional experience in their fields.

All Harcum students are given the opportunity to complete a career-related work experience either through required internships, clinical or practicum experiences, or service learning activities. All programs integrate liberal learning throughout their curriculum. All students graduate with both career-specific and life-enriching skills.

To support student learning, Harcum has newly-refurbished residence halls and an active program of on-campus activities for residential students. Harcum benefits from its location twenty minutes by rail from downtown Philadelphia, as well as the presence of six other colleges and universities within a few miles of Harcum. The Bears, the men's basketball team, had a remarkable 2007-08 season and the Bears now play in Division I of the NJCAA. Also competing are the Harcum Lady Bears in basketball and volleyball, and a track and field team.

Harcum's Little Theater was home to its Drama program in the 1940's. Richard Nash, a playwright and director who taught at Harcum, was the author and screenwriter of the 1956 Hollywood classic "The Rainmaker", starring Burt Lancaster and Katherine Hepburn. One of his Broadway hits, "The Young and the Fair" was set on a college campus very similar to Harcum.

The College is raising funds and developing architectural plans to restore the Little Theater to its former glory as a center for arts and academics on campus. It will be a 75-seat multi-use venue that will benefit the community and Harcum students, nestled inside of an 1863 Classical style mansion adjacent to the Bryn Mawr rail station.

Harcum has a variety of clubs and on-campus activities throughout the fall and spring, including music, movies, speakers, trips and opportunities to volunteer in the community.

The new "green" Student Lounge in the Academic Center, redesigned with environment-friendly soy-based paints, recyclable flooring, recycled furniture and other features, was a project of Harcum interior design students.

While Harcum prides itself on remaining up-to-the minute in new trends and technology, the founder's mission remains intact. By offering individual attention, relevant coursework and hands-on training, Harcum provides its students with the supportive atmosphere and marketable skills to guarantee them success after graduation.

Editorial provided by Harcum College, www.harcum.edu.