- PennWest Clarion is located in Clarion, a small town with a profound sense of community.
- Clarion is the home to the Autumn Leaf Festival, a nine-day festival that began in 1953. Over 300,000 come to enjoy the food, events, and entertainment—as well as PennWest Clarion’s homecoming.
- PennWest Clarion’s satellite campuses in Somerset, and Pittsburgh provide professional certificates, various nursing programs (including one in conjunction with the West Penn Hospital School of Nursing), and associate and bachelor degrees to various communities outside of Clarion.
What sets PennWest Clarion apart?
Among the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania is PennWest Clarion, home to over 3,000 students. Our diverse student body is building a bright future through challenging academics and diverse interests, as well as engaging with a town of 3,880 people who embrace them.
Fast Facts
Our History
In 1859, some local citizens generated a proposal for the creation of a seminary in
Clarion, the earliest recorded evidence of an institution of higher education for
Clarion, according to Caldwell's Illustrated Historical Combination Atlas of Clarion
County.
The institution began operation on September 10, 1867, as the Carrier Seminary of Western Pennsylvania. It was named in honor of the Carrier family for their contributions of $6,000 and lumber for the endeavor. Lacking any facilities of its own, classes were held in the old academy building. The Seminary was a coeducational institution with the Rev. James G. Townsend as principal.
Carrier Seminary began operation and offered a normal program as early as 1871. However, it wasn’t official for another 16 years. Clarion State Normal School, the successor to Carrier Seminary, opened its doors on the old Seminary grounds on April 12, 1887. The commonwealth’s purchase of Clarion was official in December 1915, with the state assuming full control the following year.
Clarion became a college-level institution in 1920, going through phases of growth, crises, and innovation to become the institution it is today.