Author Archives: pwarner

“Though much is taken, much abides …,” an exhibit of bronze sculptures and drawings by Ed Smith, a professor of art at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, opened Thursday in The Gallery at Penn College. Drawing on inspiration he uncovered on biennial art adventures in Venice, Italy, Smith devotes his “Beggars of Venice” series to illuminating the lives of the city’s most impoverished residents who he likens to mythic gods. Just as bronze figures have historically acknowledged great men or deeds, his figures strive to offer a glimpse into what is often overlooked, yet still noble. During the opening, Smith, a Guggenheim Fellow in sculpture and drawing and an associate member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, read the renowned poem, “Ulysses,” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – the source of his exhibit’s title. He also mentioned how impressed he was with the college’s embrace of humanism’s concepts, which include a belief in people’s potential and an emphasis on rational problem-solving. Gallery patrons can view Smith’s work through June 26; summer hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays (closed Saturdays and Mondays).

Pennsylvania College of Technology physician assistant student Filippo D. “Flip” Borsellino, now looking forward to his final two rounds of clinical internships before graduating in August, encountered a doctor, a community – and a tragedy – that have helped to shape his goals as a health care provider.

In September, Borsellino was in the first days of his very first “clinical rotation,” a Family Practice Internship with Dr. Stephen J. Renzi in Troy, when the community was shaken by the death of a 7-year-old boy. The boy had been riding in a cart behind his father’s bicycle when the bike and a pickup truck collided.

Borsellino said that the boy’s family had just moved to Troy from the South, but what he witnessed in the family’s new hometown was inspiring and admirable.

Read more

Following the lead of metal sculptor and welding instructor Michael K. Patterson, welding majors at Penn College employed their skills to create “Student Bodies,” abstract human forms that line the main campus mall. The project, one of three outdoor art installations dedicated during the college’s 2014 Centennial celebration, is chronicled in a new YouTube video. “The school obviously gives us a lot. A lot of skills. A lot of stuff we can take out into the world,” says Peter K. Ptacek,  a welding and fabrication engineering technology major from Lewisburg. “It’s just really nice to be able to leave something behind.”

Capping a year of celebration to commemorate the Centennial anniversary of Pennsylvania College of Technology, the institution’s most significant fundraising effort more than doubled its original goal, raising $6.4 million in private scholarship support.

The success of the Penn College Scholarship Campaign will allow the Penn College Foundation to provide more than twice the amount of scholarship aid to students than it did prior to the launch of the campaign in 2011.

“Penn College is poised to become a national leader in applied technology education,” said Davie Jane Gilmour, the college’s president. “The success of the Scholarship Campaign will help hundreds of students have access to that education.”

Read more

As part of the Penn College Scholarship Campaign launched this month, Dorothy J. Gerring, associate professor of architectural technology, and William F. Geyer, assistant professor of building construction technology, have established the Gerring Geyer Scholarship at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The annual scholarship will provide two $1,000 awards each academic year to students who demonstrate financial need and academic performance.

Read more

Penn College helped open the Little League World Series for the fifth straight year Wednesday, serving a picnic dinner to the 16 teams in competition before accompanying them to the Grand Slam Parade that formed near the main campus’ northwestern boundary. Players, coaches, team “uncles,” umpires and other guests were also treated to an exhibit of past Series photographs, running through month’s end in The Gallery at Penn College. As the parade moved downtown from Grier Street, student and employee volunteers – led by President Davie Jane Gilmour and the college’s tireless Wildcat mascot – interacted with spectators through giveaways and goodwill. The events also attracted video coverage from regional media outlets, including WOLnews.

Read more

With imminent gubernatorial approval to rename a Lycoming County bridge in memory of George E. Logue Sr., we pause to honor the visionary contributions of a distinguished alumnus. Logue died Oct. 30, 2012, after a wide-ranging entrepreneurial career – but not before sharing the rich story of his success. Recounting his early years as a youth influenced by Williamsport Technical Institute’s founding director through his innovative life’s work, Logue speaks proudly of his heritage, his legacy and his longtime connection to the institution.

Read George Logue’s Story →

From its infancy near the start of the 20th century to today’s national prominence in applied technology education, the college has grown as a reflection of employer needs and student opportunity. As the institution has judiciously expanded to provide sufficient instructional space and support services for those choosing careers from an exhaustive portfolio of possibilities, the changes have been so gradual that it isn’t always easy to grasp. Sometimes, you simply have to consider the big picture! The aerial photos at left, detailing the ever-changing landscape of Penn College and its forerunners, are from “Were You There: Evolution of a College Campus” – the photo exhibit and companion book that kicked off the Countdown to the Centennial.

When Davie Jane Gilmour was named Penn College’s president 15 years ago this month, her mantra of “People make the difference” quickly turned the focus back onto the human element at the root of the institution’s historic success. Coupled with a renewed emphasis on the college’s role in the community, the tone was set from the very start of her administration, when a Diamond 10 celebration marked the college’s 85th anniversary and its 10th year as an affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University. “We are proud of our history and of a tradition that sets us apart from others in higher education,” Gilmour said. “We have roots deeply planted in this community. We are not, nor should we be, a gated community unto itself.” While eyes are keenly focused on next year’s centennial observance, her presidency has seen an impressive succession of milestones: a new entrance, which helped spur economic development all along Maynard Street; the Field House, designed and built by students; installation of the area’s largest American flag, which quickly became a community symbol; expanded campus housing (and the accompanying attention to student life); transformation of the vacated HON Industries Inc. building into College Avenue Labs; programs that spur youngsters’ interest in technological careers; a Student and Administrative Services Center; and − a longtime goal realized −  the Madigan Library. And through it all, Gilmour has been a tireless example of town-gown cooperation, lending her time and leadership talents to area as diverse as Little League Baseball, philanthropy, health care and the arts. More can be learned in “Legacy of Leaders,” the second volume in the Countdown to the Centennial series. The book, supported by a centennial website, is available for $9.95 from The College Store.

Read more about past leaders→

The chief academic officer during Williamsport Area Community College’s monumental transition into Pennsylvania College of Technology will step down in 2014 after 10 years as president of Central Oregon Community College. James E. Middleton assumed the presidency there in 2004 after a decade at the helm of California’s College of Marin. Serving in a number of administrative capacities during his 11-year local career, Middleton is among the campus luminaries profiled in “Legacy of Leaders” – the second book in the centennial series at Penn College.

Through decades upon decades of sharing their real-world experiences at Penn College and its predecessors, faculty members have played an indisputably integral role in student success. What is not so obvious, especially to latter-day members of the campus community, is the professorial treasure trove that resides in the college archives. As detailed in the Spring 2013 issue of One College Avenue, Penn College’s award-winning magazine, the Hugh MacMullan Collection at the Roger and Peggy Madigan Library documents a fascinating life that embraced Hollywood, military service, and a reverence for English and its teaching.

Read more about the College’s history →

“I was willing to upset the equilibrium,” recalled Robert L. Breuder, whose 17-year tenure as college president – chaotic, contentious and altogether constructive – was the most transformational in the institution’s history. Hired to shore up a blighted Williamsport Area Community College and build on its vocational reputation, Breuder embarked on a quest that led to the creation of Pennsylvania College of Technology. It was an administration marked by calculated risk and occasional impertinence, and one that included immeasurable enhancement to the college’s footprint: the Advanced Technology and Health Sciences Center (which now bears Breuder’s name), the addition of bachelor’s degrees, the Community Arts Center and –  largest of all –  an affiliation with The Pennsylvania State University that anchored the institution’s very future. “I think of all the people I worked with … who stayed the course … who put away the differences of opinion that we had,” the former president said, “and we created this masterpiece that, in the end, we can be proud of.” Much more about the Breuder years and the institution’s rebirth as “Pennsylvania’s premier technical college” can be found in “Legacy of Leaders,” the second volume in the Countdown to the Centennial series. The book, supplemented by an ever-growing centennial website, is available for $9.95 from  The College Store.

Read more about past leaders →

Hands-on learning has been an institutional hallmark throughout history – and aviation students are certainly no stranger to rolling up their sleeves and assembling a career from the pieces of their cumulative education. Like many earlier students, Richard Conni came to Williamsport Area Community College as a military veteran, ripe for more adventure. Sharing his alumni perspective, Conni recalls his time at WACC (Penn College’s immediate predecessor) as an “awesome experience and a wonderful education” that led to a career as a flight mechanic. Restoring a Piper plane to airworthiness and sitting gymside for a concert with a bargain-priced Neil Diamond are just two of the “Memories” included on the centennial website.

Read Richard Conni’s story →

Spotlight, the longtime student newspaper of Penn College predecessor Williamsport Area Community College, ran this crossword puzzle on April 18, 1969. How many clues can you answer? Hint: You can view old issues of Spotlight online by visiting the Madigan Library’s Archives and Special Collections. The crossword is also published in the Spring 2013 print issue of One College Avenue magazine, scheduled to be mailed this week. Copy it, complete it and report your success by email!

Learn more about the Centennial →

As a troupe of Penn College student-actors prepares for its spring presentation of “Love, Sex, and the I.R.S.,” a stroll through the institutional archives confirms theater’s traditional foothold as a diversion from academic pursuits. While recent years have seen a resurgence of in-house stage productions, photos from 1971 and 1981 editions of Montage – the yearbook of Williamsport Area Community College – indicate that an active Drama Club is a mainstay among campus organizations. Be it comedy, musical or serious fare, students schooled in hands-on majors have long proved their prowess in less-taxing endeavors.

Learn more about the College’s history →