Hazleton, PA (05/01/2025) — Commonwealth University (CU) announced an educational partnership with Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) and Hazleton Area School District (HASD) at a ceremony at LCCC’s Hazleton Center on Thursday, May 1.
The partnership, dubbed the “Teach in NEPA Project,” will begin in the fall 2025 semester. It will create a seamless transfer pipeline for students to attain an associate degree in early childhood education at LCCC that will guarantee junior status in CU’s PK-4 early childhood education major. CU will deliver the last two years of the academic program in a combination of face-to-face courses at LCCC’s Hazleton Center or through online learning. The partnership will create a local education hub in the HASD for students to complete their practicum observations and student teaching experiences.
The educational partnership among LCCC, CU, and HASD will create the most efficient, cost-effective pathway to a debt-free bachelor’s degree in education, while addressing the critical teacher shortage in Pennsylvania. The partnership will also produce new teachers and provide those teachers with student teaching opportunities at HASD.
“We are excited to collaborate with our colleagues at Luzerne County Community College and the Hazleton Area School District to provide students a clear and seamless matriculation path to Commonwealth University as part of an affordable pathway to a degree in education,” said Bashar W. Hanna, CU president. “This partnership will help our communities address the teacher shortage in Pennsylvania.”