Allegheny College faculty, administrators, and students celebrated the start of the 2025-2026 academic year during a matriculation ceremony that welcomed an enthusiastic new class of 340 first-year and transfer students representing 26 states and 22 countries.
In addition to President Ron Cole, speakers included:
- First Year Class Dean Aacha Brown-Gregg
- Honor Code Committee Representative Lorenzo Scarnati ‘26
- Allegheny Student Government President Chezka Quinola ‘25
- Faculty Speaker Ryan Pickering, Associate Professor of Psychology and recipient of the Thoburn Award for Teaching Excellence
First Year Student Dean Aacha Brown-Gregg told students, “You didn’t get here by accident. Each of you brings a unique story, a distinctive voice, and a set of gifts that will help shape our campus culture. You’ll find that Allegheny isn’t a place where we expect you to have all the answers. It’s a place where we invite you to ask meaningful questions—and we’ll be here to help you explore them.”
The ceremony culminated a busy week preparing students for the new academic year. Faculty, staff, and student leaders executed a robust orientation dubbed the Weekend of Welcome (WOW), helping new students become integrated and feel supported right from the start.
This year interested students will benefit from the College’s new engineering physics major, the opportunity to showcase career-based skills with 28 microcredentials, and a new integrated student support program aimed at serving the holistic college experience. Faculty will have enriched research opportunities through the new Center for Research and Teaching Excellence (CREATE), among other programming.
President Ron Cole encouraged students to go beyond merely earning a degree and to actively engage in their education. “This is your opportunity to explore, test and debate your ideas, using evidence, logic, and ethics. Isn’t this a large part of what college education is about? It is at Allegheny where an independent and creative community matters. You will have opportunities to engage with others and you may disagree on issues, but you can do so with respect, without being disagreeable,” said President Cole.
Classes begin on August 26, 2025.
About Allegheny College
Allegheny College, founded in 1815, is one of the nation’s most historic and innovative four-year colleges. With the distinct requirement of completing a major and minor in different academic areas, students receive multidisciplinary learning that celebrates their unusual combinations of interests.
This develops creative, independent thinkers with a path for educational depth and intellectual growth, preparing students for a successful launch after graduation and possibly for a future career that may not yet exist. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, 1.5 hours equidistant from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, Allegheny College is one of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives” and recently ranked #5 by The Princeton Review in its Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact.
In its 2025 rankings, U.S. News & World Report recognized Allegheny College as one of the country’s top 100 national liberal arts colleges, with special distinctions including one of the top 10 best for senior capstone experience and one of the top 25 best for undergraduate teaching, and research and creative activities.
