Design work to begin on $22M expansion of IUP's growing Academy of Culinary Arts

Design work for a $22 million project in Punxsutawney to expand and renovate Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Academy of Culinary Arts is expected to start now that funding to develop drawings has been approved.

The $2.9 million for that work, included in the State System of Higher Education’s recently adopted capital budget, involves new academic facilities to be built downtown next to the Fairman Centre, where some academy classes and kitchens are located.

The expansion is being planned as universities, including ones across the state system, look to bolster high-demand, career-focused training as traditional college enrollment in Pennsylvania and nationwide slumps.

IUP officials have said enrollment growth for the academy is part of the university’s future strategic direction.

Established in 1989, the academy has enrolled about 4,200 students. The project will enable an additional 50 to 70 full-time students yearly, campus officials said in a new release announcing design funding.

Officials said the work to develop new learning and experiential space also demonstrates IUP’s continued interest in a borough about a 30-minute drive from IUP’s main campus. The university has 8,832 students, down 476 from 2021.

“IUP remains fully committed to Punxsutawney and the region, as evidenced by our continued work to secure funding and to raise private funds for the project,” said IUP President Michael Driscoll.

The state Department of General Services will select an architect for the work. A timetable for groundbreaking and completion is not yet set, officials said Thursday.

Nationwide, undergraduate enrollment continues to fall, but the 1.1% decline this fall is a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to preliminary data released last week by the Herndon, Va.-based National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Community college freshmen enrollment numbers grew, but all other sectors slumped — in particular four-year campuses.

“Institutions lost 1.1% of undergraduates leading to a total two-year decline of 4.2% since 2020,” the enrollment report said. “Graduate enrollment also declined (-1.0%) perhaps signifying the end of the pandemic-related influxes of post-baccalaureate students.”

Growing enrollment at IUP in career preparation programs has reached 322, said university spokeswoman Michelle Fryling. Of that, the largest number — 148 – are in culinary arts, with persistent demand despite restaurant closures during the covid-19 outbreak.

“We have seen continued growth in job opportunities for our graduates,” Fryling said.

That demand nationwide includes four-star resorts and facilities nationwide, both for externships as well as for employment after graduation.

The academy’s 16-month program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation. Following a final semester at a paid externship, graduates complete a certificate in culinary arts and can also complete a separate baking and pastry program through the academy. Credits can be applied to related associate and baccalaureate programs.

Currently, students take classes at a 36-year-old facility on Gilpin Street, the Fairman Centre and at IUP’s living-learning center on Winslow Street. The academy’s long-range plan includes locating all the educational facilities in new or renovated buildings in downtown Punxsutawney, adjacent to the Fairman Centre along West Mahoning Street.

With the capital budget allocation, total federal and state funding received to date for the project tops $10 million, with $18 million projected in the State System Capital Spending Plan over the next three years. Private donations also have been raised.