Our Story

I am so excited to welcome you to The Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a state-of-the-art hub for future-readiness in the Pittsburgh region and partnership between the R.K. Mellon Foundation, Penn State New Kensington, the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland County, and the City of New Kensington. Our journey to this new facility started some years ago when the campus launched its Invent Penn State innovation hub, The Corner, in downtown New Kensington. Originally focused on using entrepreneurship to help revitalize a small, former industry-laden city, we quickly learned that rapid advances in technology were changing the landscape of nearly every industry. We found that true revitalization for Rust Belt and rural areas lay in helping communities, businesses, students, and workers make the transition to the digital age. Our model, called Nextovation™, hopes to help communities become future-ready, and the Digital Foundry is the key component in this transition. In this facility, you will see K-16 students, workers, companies, and community members learning and honing the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. I invite you to explore and join us as we create this model of community collaboration and future-ready preparedness that we hope will be used to improve the futures of those living and working in Rust Belt and rural America.

- Dr. Kevin Snider, chancellor of Penn State New Kensington