The Community

The College has the dual advantage of being located in a beautiful, historic small town ideal for a liberal arts institution, while at the same time being accessible to the most important cultural centers of the northeast. The College, bordered on three sides by the Gettysburg National Military Park, is located 36 miles from the state capital Harrisburg, 55 miles from Baltimore, 80 miles from Washington, D.C., 117 miles from Philadelphia, and 212 miles from New York City.

In a very real sense Gettysburg is not merely a small town in southern Pennsylvania; it is also a place on the world stage that resonates in people's hearts and minds. Each year the community of fewer than 10,000 residents attracts nearly three million visitors. The new Museum and Visitor's Center at the Gettysburg National Military Park opened in spring 2008 and the David Wills House is under restoration and will open its doors on February 12, 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. In 2013, Gettysburg College will have an opportunity to take center stage as a participant in the country's 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Downtown Gettysburg is composed of an array of stores, restaurants, museums, and other cultural offerings. Gettysburg College owns and operates the Majestic Theater in the historic downtown. The Majestic Theater is home to the Jennifer and David LeVan (alumnus and former trustee) Performing Arts Center, a world-class facility featuring an 850-seat theater, two cinemas, and an art gallery. The 84-year-old theater reopened in November 2005 after a $16-million renovation, invigorating the cultural community in Gettysburg. The Majestic offers a diverse program of Broadway shows, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, children's theater, film classics, and other attractions. Students majoring in music and theater arts may use the theater as their performance venue. The theater has also enhanced community relations, serving this past year as the site for the annual Governor's Awards for the Arts, which recognized Pennsylvanians who contribute their creative talents to their communities.

The civic leadership of the community is engaged with the College and relations are positive. The relationship between town and gown is often blurred as members of the College's staff and faculty serve on borough council, key committees, and make the College's expertise and resources available to the Gettysburg community. Students volunteer for many agencies and organizations through the College's Center for Public Service, local schools, the United Way, and "Gettysburg is Volunteering Day," held during First-Year Orientation. In fact, the College supports the local fire department and several years ago helped to finance a multipurpose room where student volunteer firefighters could study when they were not on duty. Each year during the First-Year Walk to the National Cemetery the mayor of the Borough of Gettysburg gives a key to the borough to a representative of the first-year class as a reminder that their home for the next four years is not just Gettysburg College, but also the Borough of Gettysburg.

The College has undertaken a number of additional projects in the town, made voluntary financial contributions, and opens up events on campus at no cost to the wider community.