Cedar Crest College is a private liberal arts women's college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, the college had 953 undergraduate and 371 graduate students. Men may pursue various degrees at the college, but are sometimes limited to evening or weekend programs.

Founded in 1867, the college is historically tied to the United Church of Christ, though it remains academically independent. It was previously known as the Allentown Female College and the Allentown College for Women, before taking its current name in 1913.

Academics

The college's Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs span more than 50 majors. The curriculum also includes programs in Pre-Law, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Medicine, and Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Cedar Crest College also offers master's degrees. Its MBA Program offers a focus on Women's Leadership. Undergraduate and graduate programs are also offered to adult students through the college's School of Adult and Graduate Education.

Campus

Cedar Crest is located off Cedar Crest Boulevard at 100 College Drive on the western edge of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The 84-acre (34 ha) campus is adjacent to the city's Cedar Beach Park.

The campus includes buildings containing libraries, classrooms, administrative offices, pools, theaters, fitness studios, and dining halls. Additional classroom and faculty buildings include Hartzel Hall, Curtis Hall and Hamilton Boulevard Building. The college also has four residence halls: Butz Hall, Moore Hall, Steinbright Hall, and the upper level of Curtis Hall.

Cedar Crest's collection of 140 species of trees is designated as the William F. Curtis Arboretum, which is registered with the American Public Gardens Association. The arboretum is named for the college's seventh president, who after purchasing the property in 1915, beautified the campus by planting flowers, shrubs and trees from all over the world.

Athletics

Cedar Crest, known athletically as the Falcons, competes in NCAA Division III athletics and has teams in basketball, cross country running, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, swimming and diving, track and field, wrestling, and volleyball. The Rodale Aquatic Center on campus is home to the college's swimming and diving team.

Cynthia L. Blaschak Softball Field

In the spring of 1997, Cynthia L. Blaschak made a donation to Cedar Crest to build a softball field. This was done as part of her support of the new NCAA Division III varsity softball team that was beginning their season that year. Blaschak was a student athlete herself while attending Cedar Crest. She participated in both basketball and badminton.

Notable alumni

• Jane Amsterdam, editor of Manhattan, inc. and the New York Post
• Rita Kogler Carver, theater and lighting designer
• Jane Dyer, illustrator of children's books
• Judy McGrath, CEO of MTV
• Dorothy Page, actress
• Suzanne Fisher Staples, author and international news reporter
• Blenda Wilson, university administrator

Notable faculty

• Chrystelle Trump Bond, former American dancer, choreographer, and dance historian
• Anthony S. Caprio, former president, Western New England University
• Richard Druckenbrod, former theology professor and Pennsylvania German language scholar
• Fred Benjamin Gernerd, former Congressman and former Cedar Crest trustee
• Frank Reed Horton, first national president of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity
• Diane Moyer, former Olympic field hockey player and current associate professor in the psychology department
• Barton C. Shaw, historian
• Pauline Tompkins, former president of Cedar Crest College