Your Community Partner

Since Keystone College was founded in 1868, our graduates have become leaders in the fields of business, science, education, government, and numerous other careers and professions within the community. While we are immensely proud our students and alumni, we are equally as proud to be your community partner. Keystone continues to be a positive social and economic impact throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania, including our immediate Factoryville/La Plume community.

Keystone College students walk along the Trolley Trail.

Representing the Community

About 48 percent of Keystone students are first-generation college students and approximately 92 percent of our students receive some type of financial aid. About 82 percent of our approximately 1,100 students reside in Pennsylvania and 33 percent are from rural counties such as Wyoming, Susquehanna, Bradford, and others. During the last 10 years, Keystone has awarded an average of $9.5 million per year in internal student aid.

25,000 Annual Service Hours

We believe a college should do more than train students for a job or a career. It should make a positive impact on the lives of others.

For five consecutive years, Keystone has been named to the President’s Honor Roll for Community Service recognizing the 25,000 hours of community service performed each year by Keystone students, faculty and staff.  Of that total, approximately 6,500 hours are performed in and around the Borough of Factoryville. Some of our many community service projects include:

• Serving hot lunches to senior citizens at Mathewson Park Apartments in Factoryville
• Holding an annual book sale to raise funds for the Factoryville Public Library
• Planting trees in partnership with the Factoryville Shade Tree Commission
• Hosting the annual Christy Mathewson Days celebration, race, and community breakfast
• Partnering with local organizations to serve over 1,500 Thanksgiving dinners at the annual Friends of the Poor celebration in Scranton
• Partnering with the American Red Cross for regularly scheduled blood drives
• Hosting free events and lectures at the Thomas G. Cupillari ’60 Observatory in Fleetville
• Inviting members of the public to campus for free entertainment, band and musical events, and lectures by nationally known experts
• Helping with community service projects at United Neighborhood Centers in Scranton
• Conducting athletic camps for local children and teens
• Volunteering at homeless shelters in Washington, D.C.
• Coming to the aid of disaster victims in Haiti

$13 Million Annual Economic Impact on the Community

In addition to extending a helping hand, Keystone College plays a vital role in the economic life of our community.

• Approximately 85 percent of all Keystone purchases, including consumable supplies, furniture, advertising, and professional services, are transacted with local companies. As a result of these purchases, the College injects about $2.5 million annually into the local economy.
• Keystone has about 200 full-time employees and about 200 part-time employees, including adjunct instructors.  Employees of Keystone College have an approximate “take home” pay of about $9 million, most of which is spent in the local community.
• Keystone employees contribute about $120,000 to local municipalities each year. (Assuming a 1.2 percent average municipal earned income tax based on data compiled by the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP).  Keystone employees spend an estimated $48,000 per year in the Factoryville community.
• Pennsylvania income taxes paid by Keystone College employees exceed $300,000.
• The College provides health insurance to all full-time employees at the cost of more than $1.4 million per year. The overwhelming majority of claims are paid to physicians, pharmacies, and medical facilities in local cities and towns.
• Keystone students contribute to the economic vitality of the community. A conservative estimate of per student spending in the community is $360 per student ($10 per week for 9 months). This translates into about $430,000 injected into the local economy through student spending. Of that total, we estimate at least $125,000 is spent in the Borough of Factoryville.
• All totaled, Keystone College, its students and employees contribute approximately $16 million to the local and state economy each year.
• During the last 10 years, Keystone’s total economic impact to the local and state economy has been more than $150 million.