Partners with Purpose

17³Ô¹ÏÍø flags at entrance

Partners with Purpose

By partnering with 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, your organization—whether a business, nonprofit, public agency, or school system—gains a strategic ally to advance core priorities: workforce development, innovation, mission and social responsibility outcomes, and brand reputation. You’ll gain coordinated access to subject-matter experts, curated student/faculty talent, and place-based assets that help you pilot solutions, document outcomes, and scale what works—all with a values-based institution committed to shared results.

Partnering with 17³Ô¹ÏÍø means...

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Anchored by Total Experience Learning® (TExpL) and the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development & Entrepreneurship, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø offers a coordinated platform to design and test real-world solutions while building future talent. Through TExpL’s immersive, interdisciplinary model, partners co-create educator and classroom projects that embed industry tools and standards, yielding applied prototypes, problem analyses, and a pipeline of students familiar with sector needs.

These engagements connect seamlessly to the O’Pake Institute’s student-powered SPARK Business Incubator and FLIC microgrants—and to CollegeTowne’s hubs in Reading and Pottsville, where partners can co-locate, host programs, and pilot offerings in visible downtown settings. The result is a lower-risk path to innovation and workforce alignment—accelerating product and program development, extending community reach, and producing measurable outcomes through shared resources.

Partners help shape programs and credentials so graduates align to your hiring needs, regulatory standards, and emerging skills. Advisory roles, guest instruction, collaborative research, and co-developed learning spaces or micro-credentials translate into a stronger talent pipeline, earlier brand visibility with prospective hires, and joint thought leadership that elevates your organization’s profile across the region.

Through apprenticeships, internships, research fellowships, service-learning, and global experiences, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø offers a reliable avenue to staff priority projects now and evaluate future employees in real settings. Faculty oversight supports project quality and compliance, while you gain recruitment efficiency and higher retention when students convert to hires already familiar with your culture and workflows.

Work with 17³Ô¹ÏÍø to extend your community reach and meet your objectives through structured, co-managed initiatives. The Holleran Center’s programs, Days of Service, the Women’s Council, veterans and military-affiliated support, and the Cultural Coalition provide turnkey capacity—planning, volunteers, logistics, and evaluation—so your efforts deliver sustained, demonstrable impact for the populations you serve.

Align with a university that invests in student well-being, equity, and access, so your interns and new hires arrive prepared, resilient, and supported. Resources like the SOLAR network, JEI programming, scholarships, and onsite care through Penn Medicine support a stable and diverse talent pipeline for your organization—grounding the partnership in shared values and long-term success.

Begin Your Partnership with 17³Ô¹ÏÍø


Partnership News

17³Ô¹ÏÍø and Schuylkill YMCA partner for Pottsville expansion

Partnership to double YMCA gymnastics program capacity and drive economic growth in downtown Pottsville

17³Ô¹ÏÍø President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., rendering of new YMCA Gymnastics space at Pottsville CollegeTowne and YMCA Board of Directors President Thomas Smith

17³Ô¹ÏÍø O’Pake fosters workforce development innovation with John Paul II Center

Expanded partnership includes student-run retail operation at new American House at Reading CollegeTowne location

O’Pake Institute Director of Student Services Katie Hestor, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Vice President of Research, Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives, Rodney S. Ridley, Sr., 17³Ô¹ÏÍø President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Assistant Superintendent for the Diocese of Allentown Karen Rolston, John Paul II Center Principal Kaylee Simcik, John Paul II Center Transitions Program Coordinator Rene Berkhammer

County of Berks joins 17³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s Apprenticeship to Degree program

Expanded partnership provides paid experiential learning and workforce development pipeline

County of Berks joins 17³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s Apprenticeship to Degree program

17³Ô¹ÏÍø secures $3 million grant for CollegeTowne initiatives

Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funds American House renovation and Pottsville CollegeTowne Phase II construction

17³Ô¹ÏÍø Pottsville CollegeTowne and American House at Reading CollegeTowne

17³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s O'Pake Institute and Tec Centro Berks empower Latine entrepreneurs through new partnership

Collaboration bridges economic gaps and supports sustainable business growth for Berks County entrepreneurs

Tec Centro Berks and O'Pake Institute Partnership

New 17³Ô¹ÏÍø partnership offers healthcare for the body and mind

Penn Medicine – 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Medical and Counseling Center provides convenient and affordable physical and mental health services to students and employees campus-wide.

Penn Medicine staff