A shining example

Less than 24 hours after freezing April showers and overhead gloom shrouded the area, far more seasonal conditions prevailed for a Spring Open House that more than lived up to its name. Rising temperatures were matched by warm smiles and abundant goodwill in every corner of Penn College's campuses, where students, employees and alumni helped inquisitive visitors spend a Saturday to remember.

– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor; Jennifer A. Cline, writer/magazine editor;
Rachel A. Eirmann, student photographer; Larry D. Kauffman, digital publishing specialist/photographer;
Kimberlee R. Rusczyk, manager of social media/online marketing; and Wendy A. Miller, assistant dean of health sciences

The Field House is filled with the promise of a new day ... and the enthusiasm of guests and those who facilitated their check-in.

Open House visitors arrived with questions for knowledgeable employees and didn't leave empty-handed.

Crowds congregate near The Veterans Fountain, sticking with their tour group or contemplating their next destination.

Dulcey J. Frantz, assistant professor, displays the ultrarealistic simulation equipment available to nursing students.

Rene Ramirez (in green), a 2017 grad, returned to assist nursing faculty and administration. From left are instructors Sherry L. Hyland and Tonja R. Pennycoff, and Val A. Myers, assistant dean of nursing.

Ready to discuss career options in health information technology are (from left) Dan K. Christopher, assistant professor of business administration/health information technology, and students MacKenzie M. Doyle and Samantha Beers.

Associate professor Daniel W. Yoas (left) captivates his audience with a peek at the variety of information technology possibilities.

A multitasking Tammy M. Rich, assistant professor of business administration/management/event management, talks earnestly with one business/basketball prospect while high-fiving another.

Individual attention from Chip D. Baumgardner, associate professor of business administration: management, serves as a microcosm for the small class sizes characteristic of Penn College.

The college's solar panels, as well as passersby, anticipate the arrival of sunshine. (Spoiler alert: It finally – and gloriously – happened.)

The many attractions of the Bush Campus Center beckon, not the least of which was the aroma of freshly made popcorn.

Among those staffing a table at the Campus Life Involvement Fair are Cru's Autumn G. McCrum and Graham E. Burnett.

United Campus Ministries gets a "thumb's up" from Ethan P. Cummings, accompanied by Holly J. Wilson.

Sigma Pi brothers. part of the college's vibrant Greek Life system, are (from left): Dane S. Druckenmiller, Michael J. Siopa Jr. and Joseph V. Gullace

Graphic design majors, assemble! And who wouldn't want straight talk from current students?

Kera Cheuvront and daughter Bailey, of Beaver County, are all smiles on an informative road trip from their Beaver County home.

Jared U. Peyton, enrolled for fall in welding and fabrication engineering technology, traveled from Maryland with Kaylynn Reisburg.

Randy J. Zangara (foreground), dean of college transitions and first year initiatives, engagingly works the floor in the Student & Administrative Services Center.

The college's array of study abroad options is well within the grasp of Shanin L. Dougherty, coordinator of international programs.

Spending the day ... from Reading PA!

Esports team captain Jonathan W. Best (left) and head coach Joshua D. Young (in blue) promote the college's newest athletics addition with a virtual reality demonstration in Madigan Library.

A "Good morning" from President Davie Jane Gilmour sets the tone for an exciting day ahead.

Admissions counselor Melinda D. Heckman enlightens a Klump Academic Center audience during a general information session.

Greeting guests outside the ACC Auditorium are (from left): Lee A. Dawson, admissions counselor, and Student Ambassadors Kacie C. Snyder and Elizabeth Wellar.

A family from Hershey tours construction labs with Scott R. Martin (on steps) and Jacob Wallbillich. Martin is enrolled in building construction technology; Wallbillich is in residential construction technology and management: building construction technology concentration.

Returning to her foundation, alumna Samantha Werner, ’11, building construction technology, and ’13, residential construction technology and management: building construction technology concentration, drove to Williamsport from Quakertown to pitch in for the day.

... where Amaris T. Smith, culinary arts and systems, and souvenir baquettes help share the "hot off the presses" headline.

New ovens enhance the industry-standard curriculum in the School of Business & Hospitality's baking lab ...

The construction management major took up real estate in the lobby outside the Keystone Dining Room, as well as in labs on the second floor of the Hager Lifelong Education Center. Students Brendan B. Thompson (far left) and Jacob R. Stouffer (back to the camera) discuss inspiring opportunities.

Delivering the lowdown on SketchUp, a 3D design software, Geoffrey M. Campbell, assistant professor of architectural technology, engages visitors in some screen time.

Spring Open House unfolds with sizable traffic on the campus mall.

Representing the college's Baja SAE team are (from left) Morgan R. Bagenstose, engineering design technology; Corey J. Mason, engineering CAD technology; and Dominic J. Lepri, manufacturing engineering technology.

David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management, details the exciting complexities of the major.

A warm welcome in the human services labs is offered by (from left) Elizabeth E. Winder, assistant professor of human services, and students Caitlyn M. Koelsch and Monica L. Hostetter. Koelsch is enrolled in human services; Hostetter is in applied human services.

A Cessna 172 door hinge is the focus for Raymond E. Konikowski Jr. (left), aviation maintenance technology, and Brendan L. Kressler, aviation technology.

A three-generation tour of the Lumley Aviation Center is assisted by Bill F. Stepp III (center), associate professor of aviation.

Never shying from a worthwhile project, landscape/horticulture technology students – with Michael A. Dincher, assistant professor – construct a patio behind the Schneebeli Earth Science Center.

Mark E. Sones, instructor in the college's time-tested diesel equipment technology major, shares his perspective gained as both a graduate and a faculty member.

Eric C. Easton, instructor of forestry, outlines the enticing careers in the great (and green) outdoors.

Happy to host visitors to the sawmill are forest technology students (from left): Michael J. “M.J.” Wazer, Cayman A. Trostle, Seth D. Bechdel and Cameron J. Hutchinson.

Blue skies erupt over campus, joining a new entrance sign in welcoming those ready to embrace a "Future Made by Hand."

A pair of students guides a family through the college’s impressive collision repair facilities.

Brett A. Reasner, dean of the School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies, offers an informative talk to a full room in College Avenue Labs.

Richard K. Hendricks, instructor of machine tool technology/automated manufacturing, shows the finished version of a piece being produced on a nearby CNC machine.

Alumni and former Baja team members Johnathan T. Capps, ’18, applied technology studies, and ’16, mechatronics engineering technology, and Logan B. Goodhart, '18, manufacturing engineering technology, join current Baja team member Christopher M. Schweikert, a manufacturing engineering technology student from Jamison, in the automated manufacturing lab.

Civil engineering technology alumni return to help provide a real-world perspective to prospective students. From left are Sydney Peagler, ’18, of Maine Drilling and Blasting; Chloe Genova, ’18, of GAI Consultants; Tim Zeigler, ’14, of Gannett Fleming; and Ashley Hetrick, ’17, of Larson Design Group.

Cody A. Brown (foreground), an engineering CAD technology student from LeRaysville, and Jonathan F. DeRoner, ’15, computer aided product design (background), show projects to prospective students.

In the Parkes Automotive Technology Center, several phones record a test on the dynamometer.

Christopher J. Holley, assistant professor of automotive, talks with a standing-room-only crowd eager to watch a Charger run on the dyno.

Architectural technology student Donny J. Reisch assists a visitor during a Google SketchUp hands-on session.

Students Brandon S. Santis (center), of Milford, electronics and computer engineering technology: robotics and automation emphasis, and Joel R. Fisher (right), of Linden, electronics and computer engineering technology, discuss a project that uses automation to control the level of liquid using PID (proportional integral derivative) control.

David M. Zlotnicki, an electronics and engineering technology student from Oil City, shows a project that uses a programmable logic control to sense and control temperature using a light bulb.

Anthony F. O’Koren, an electronics and engineering technology student from Williamsport, shows off a real-world, saleable project he created using his electronics know-how and the resources of the Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace at Penn College. He built a box that warms honeycomb frames to a temperature that will allow the honey to be extracted.

Helpful students Tanner A. Huff and Gabrielle E. Moore provide a tour of Rose Street Commons.

Families make their way to Dauphin Hall, one of several Penn College residence halls.

Zachary J. Kravitz, a construction management student from Berwyn, and Alaina M. Murren, a dental hygiene student from Aspers, stand ready to provide information about on-campus housing and student life.

Visitors starting their day at the Field House couldn't help but notice the in-progress installation of turf on the athletic field.

The college's expanded welding laboratories, scheduled to open this fall, will feature exciting new equipment and room for scores of additional students.

Lemonade, ice water, coffee and cocoa made Dining Services' refreshment stations quite popular.

A campus tour passes the Lycoming Engines Metal Trades Center, where the nearby procession of welded sculptures was created.

River Valley Transit buses traversed main campus and provided shuttle service to other locations.

On Open House day, all roads (and sidewalks) lead to eye-opening adventure.

A full Field House parking lot for check-in presages a busy day.

Crowd control done right: Table after table, amply peopled with fact-filled volunteers, keep the wait to a minimum.

Student Elisha R. Arantowicz (right) credibly leads a tour outside the Bush Campus Center.

Paramedic students work through an emergency scenario in the ATHS atrium, treating a manikin so lifelike it drew double takes when transported down the campus mall!

A display of hard hats represents a fraction of the hundreds of employers that recruit the college's construction management grads.

A fitting enticement for the hands-on activities that showcase industrial design