Cedar Crest College

The Theatre major at Cedar Crest College is a holistic major that encompasses both technical experience and performance in the theatre field. First Fridays are offered starting in a student's sophomore year to allow collaboration between those in the Performing Arts majors. In their senior year, students complete their Senior Capstone Project which is meant to feature their work cumulatively throughout their four years at the college.[10]

The college stages four major stage productions which typically includes two musical productions and two straight plays. To feature the female students of the predominately women's college, productions chosen feature strong female leading, supporting, and ensemble roles with outside male performers from the surrounding Lehigh Valley community and beyond in any leading, supporting, or ensemble roles.[10]

Directors for mainstage productions vary, but faculty at the college include Technical Theatre Professor Kevin Gallagher and Professor Roxanne Amico.[11]

The department offers scholarships based on an audition on a Performing Arts Scholarship Day or submitted by video. These are typically $1,500 per year, four-year renewing scholarships, contingent on the student's participation in productions or classes within the Dance or Theatre majors.[12]

What is now known as the Allen House was built in 1927 and was originally home to college President William F. Curtis and his family. This building was later converted to a library and eventually to an office building named in honor of the late William and Roberta Ritter Allen '36, generous supporters of the College.

Blaney Hall was named after President Dorothy G. Blaney. She was the president of Cedar Crest college for 17 years and championed the cause of elevating the education of women to the kinds of rigorous academic achievement once reserved only for men. She took over the Allentown women's college in October 1989 and gave it new stature and renewed vigor. During Blaney's tenure, the college's enrollment doubled from 700 to more than 1,400 students, the number of honor students rose 35 percent, and the endowment grew fourfold, from $1.2 million to $5.7 million, with a current goal of $3.5 million. For almost all her career at the 139-year-old school, she contributed opinion columns to The Morning Call, writing on women's and local issues. During the ceremony that made her Cedar Crest's 11th president, she told the crowd to "transform knowledge into wisdom and wisdom into action. We need to expand our minds to embrace the diversity of other cultures and the ideas of the world."

On the anniversary of Donald P. Miller's death, the executive committee of Cedar Crest College's trustees announced that the school would name its planned $4 million art, science and health complex after his family. Miller, who died at age 89 from natural causes on Jan. 23, 1996, was The Morning Call's former publisher and chief executive officer. Over the years, the Miller family has provided funding and services to such Lehigh Valley institutions as the Allentown Public Library, the Allentown Art Museum, the Allentown Symphony, the Boy Scouts, the Phoebe Home, and Muhlenberg College, which is Donald Miller's alma mater.

Its ties to Cedar Crest College are deep. Miller was a college benefactor every year and for every campaign from the 1950s until he died. He was named a Cedar Crest honorary doctor of humane letters in 1968. The college's original location at 4th and Turner Streets in Allentown was previously the family homestead of Marjorie Wright Miller, Donald Miller's first wife. Marjorie Miller was a 1930 graduate of Cedar Crest who served on the Board of Trustees in the 1940s, '50s and '60s and was her class agent for decades. After she died in 1977, Miller honored her passion for poetry in 1980 through a memorial fund that helped establish the "Poet's Corner" inside the college's Cressman Library.[14]

Inside the Miller Building is the Harmon Hall of Peace, which was donated by Elaine Oberkotter Harmon '59 and her husband, John. In the building are five large flags representing the United States; the United Nations; Croatia, for Elaine Harmon's adopted son; Japan, because Elaine Harmon supported Japanese exchange students who attended Cedar Crest; and Ghana, the home country of the then-Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who dedicated the Miller Building and received an honorary degree from Cedar Crest. The Peace Pole, located directly outside of the Miller Building, is one of over 100,000 that exist in 60 countries as international symbols of peace. This pole represents the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in 12 different languages.

The Harold and Miriam Oberkotter Center for Health and Wellness, a 10,000 square foot building on the western edge of the Cedar Crest campus, added much needed laboratory and classroom space. Since 2001, Cedar Crest has experienced a 50 percent increase in traditional-aged science and nursing students. The number of students interested in forensic science alone has increased tenfold since this program's inception in 2000. The lifelong learning population at Cedar Crest has increased as well. Since the launch of the evening weekend nursing program in 2000, the number of lifelong learning students who are nursing majors has increased more than 105 percent. The main features of the facility include the 100-seat, state-of-the-art, Berta and Harold Keen Multi-Media Classroom; faculty offices including one dedicated to Lorraine Clark Laicha and given by Tom and Stephanie Zimmerer, Ed.D. '72; a forensic science-biological science lab; a biochemistry lab; a student lounge and restrooms.[15]

Lees Hall is named in honor of Fortunetta Schlough Lees from the Class of 1897. The Basketball and Volleyball teams both compete in the gym which is located in Lees Hall. The athletic offices and Fitness Center are also located in Lees Hall. Lees has a seating capacity for athletic events for more than 300; for other events, 750. Other facilities in Lees Hall include a fitness center, athletic training room and offices for the athletic department staff. Fitness Center hours of operation are 6:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m. Starting in the Spring of 2014, Cedar Crest College will be updating its basketball court (design to be released).

Cedar Crest College South Gate, Class of 1922 senior gift

The giving of gifts to the College by the senior class is a long-standing tradition at Cedar Crest. One of the most well-known senior class gifts is the South Gate. In 1922, when President William F. Curtis learned that the highway department planned to build another road near campus, the Class of 1922 agreed to fund construction of a new entrance, incurring an expense that would take them years to pay off. After the gate's completion at the south end of campus, the highway department changed its plans, so the entrance sat useless until 1972, when it was moved to the west end of campus on Cedar Crest Boulevard, during the presidency of Pauline Tompkins, as a fiftieth reunion surprise for the Class of 1922.

The bell is a sculpture by Toshiko Takaezu that resides on the quad, in a garden that was built by the Trustees in 2005 to honor Dorothy Gulbenkian Blaney's presidency. The bell, named Dorothy, was donated by the internationally renowned sculptor to honor President Blaney. It was the first bell that Takaezu ever named. It is meant to have a calming effect and is rung at Open Door Ceremony and at the 50th Reunion memorial service.

The quad is the grassy area that flows from the front of Blaney Hall, surrounded by Hartzel Hall, Allen House, Cressman Library, Moore Hall, Curtis Hall and Butz Hall. The quad features Abe and Tretchie's Place, a gazebo that was donated by the Board of Trustees in memory of Abram Samuels and in honor of his wife, Tretchie.

In Keeping with the tradition of presenting the College with a senior class gift, the Class of 2013, in addition to raising over $6,000 for the Cedar Crest Fund, donated the Spirit Rock to start a new tradition on campus. This rock is meant to provide luck to all who rub it. Incoming freshmen are encouraged to touch the rock for luck during orientation and it is placed strategically so that all graduating seniors can touch it for luck on their way into the graduation tent. An inscription on the plaque reads: "If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life."

The most notable feature of the Tompkins College Center (TCC) is its floor-to-ceiling windows that frame park-like views of the Cedar Crest campus. The TCC was named for Pauline Tompkins, Cedar Crest president from 1967-1978, and is primarily the student union, featuring the Falcon's Nest, the post office, lounge areas, Samuels Theatre and meeting spaces. A generous estate gift of $3.5 million from Verna Orcurto Canova '38 provided for renovations to the dining hall area in January 2015.[16]

Between Allen House and the Cressman Library is an area dedicated to the College's historic wishing steps. Over 50 years ago, Cedar Crest women walked with their sweethearts, often men from Lehigh, Lafayette and Muhlenberg, through the woods behind campus, leading to what is now the Allentown Rose Garden. These woods affectionately became known as "Proposal Park" because legend had it that if a student and her date counted the same number of steps while walking to the park and sealed your wish with a kiss, she would get a proposal at the end. The Wishing Steps were ranked number 10 on the list of 25 Most Romantic College Traditions by College Ranker in 2015.[17]

Other campus buildings include Cressman Library, Dorothy Rider Pool Science Center, Alumnae Hall for Art and Performing Arts, and Rodale Aquatic Center for Civic Health.[18] Additional classroom and faculty buildings include Hartzel Hall, Curtis Hall and Hamilton Boulevard Building.[18][19] The college also has four residence halls: Butz Hall, Moore Hall, Steinbright Hall and the upper level of Curtis Hall.[20]

Cedar Crest's collection of 140 species of trees is designated as the William F. Curtis Arboretum, which is registered with the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.[18] The arboretum is named for the college's seventh president, who after purchasing the property in 1915, beautified the campus by planting flowers, shrubs and trees from all over the world.[21]

The campus is also the site of the Da Vinci Science Center, an independent science demonstration facility that opened in 2005.[22]

In the spring of 2013, the Cedar Crest College Athletic Department inducted five individuals and one team into their Hall of Fame. The Class of 2013 included Cynthia Blaschak, Gracia Perilli, Jane Tyler Ward, Lisa Tinucci Barnett, and Megumi Yokoyama. Also inducted was the 1997 PAC Championship lacrosse team. The nominees for the Class of 2014 included Nellie Manges, Jacqueline J. Sham, Robyn Kulp, Heidi Bright Butler, and Mari Gillespie Whalen.

Designation to the Cedar Crest College Hall of Fame is a distinguished honor that brings recognition to the individual, the college, and the community.

In order to be considered as an inductee to the Hall of Fame, alumna must have attended Cedar Crest College for at least two years and exhibited athletic prowess of an outstanding nature in an intercollegiate sport sponsored by the college. Evidence will include peer evaluation, honors and recognition received, statistical evidence, and quality and competition of teams/sport. Coaches, staff, and other individuals who have worked to enhance the athletics program at Cedar Crest are also eligible for induction. These nominees must have been employed by the College for a minimum of five years and made outstanding contributions to the athletics program.

A minimum of five years from the student’s last official involvement with Cedar Crest College muse elapse before consideration is given to a nominee. In the case of athletic eligibility expiring prior to an individual’s graduation, the five years will begin from the time of the nominee’s eligibility expiring.

The Director of Athletics is in charge of chairing the Athletics Hall of Fame Committee and enlists the services of at least six individuals to serve on the committee. Committee members shall include the Sports Information Director and others who have knowledge and appreciation of the athletic traditions of the College.

Nominations can be submitted by any interested party and should include detailed information about the nominee’s contribution to the athletics program, as well as current contact information. A list of prospective nominees is developed by the SID and solicited from alumni and friends of the College. At least 60 percent of the committee members must vote in favor of a nominee for that individual to be elected to the Athletics Hall of Fame. Ordinarily, no more than four nominees will gain entrance to the Athletics Hall of Fame each election, and inductions will occur every year. The committee then recommends nominees to the President of the College who then makes the final determination. Nominees or a representative if the nominee is deceased, must be available to attend the induction ceremony in order to be elected.

In 2017, there were three nominees inducted to the Hall of Fame and they included Karina Beck, Nancy Breitinger Hopkinson, and Valerie Hess Donohue. The latest Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in the Fall of 2019 honored Elizabeth “Betsy” Bauer, Cheryl Griswold, Jules Pigliacampi, and Lynn Pigliacampi Matula.

In the spring of 1997, Cynthia L. Blaschak made a donation to Cedar Crest to build a softball field. This was done as part of her support of the new NCAA Division III varsity softball team that was beginning their season that year. Blaschak was a student athlete herself while attending Cedar Crest. She participated in both basketball and badminton.