Author Archives: Tom Wilson

The 2022 edition of Connections, enthusiastically marking a return to in-person summer orientation for the first time since 2019, kicked off Monday at Penn College. All new students (first-years, transfers and adult learners) are required to participate, as student leaders – an animated bunch known as Links – help them and their parents/guests prepare for the exciting road ahead.

The programs address a range of essential topics: academic expectations and involvement opportunities; information about textbooks/tool kits, meal plans and financial aid; faculty/staff resources; acquiring a student ID card; and a primer on Wildcat culture and community.

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The Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association recently honored Daniel K. Christopher, assistant professor of business administration/health information at Pennsylvania College of Technology, with its 2022 Distinguished Member Award.

Each year, the association honors one outstanding member for loyal service to PHIMA and contributions to the profession.

Christopher has more than 40 years of experience in the field of health information, beginning in 1979 when he became director of medical records for Wernersville State Hospital. He also served as director of medical records at J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon and Mercy Hospital in Altoona before being named controller at Mercy. At Lock Haven Hospital, he served as a health information consultant.

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During his visit to campus on Monday, U.S. Rep Fred Keller, R-12th, delivered a printed copy of remarks entered into the Congressional Record on Friday.

The remarks recognize the service of retiring Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour. Keller surprised Gilmour with the printed remarks while on campus for a roundtable discussion and tour.

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U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-12th, met with local elected officials and representatives of Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry during a District Energy Day that included a roundtable discussion at Penn College. “Right here at Pennsylvania College of Technology, we see the great work they’re doing to educate the future workforce,” said the congressman, who supplemented Monday’s session with tours of plastics, welding and machining labs.

A dozen plastics professionals representing five companies benefited from a recent weeklong workshop hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology and its renowned Plastics Innovation & Resource Center.

The Injection Molding Processing Series combined lecture and hands-on experience in covering decoupled molding setup and operation and the injection molding process. Through real-world examples and troubleshooting sessions, participants learned how the mold, machine and plastic material all play a role in the molding of plastics parts.

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The Student & Administrative Services Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology will soon bear the name of retiring President Davie Jane Gilmour.

The college’s Board of Directors convened a special meeting to approve the action at a gala event honoring Gilmour’s 24-year presidency. The board also granted emeritus status to Gilmour, who retires June 30.

The Student & Administrative Services Center, known in campus shorthand as “the SASC,” houses offices for student services such as Admissions, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Veterans & Military, the LEAP Center (first-year student assistance) and more. The upper floors of the three-story facility, which opened in 2003, includes spaces for People & Culture (formerly Human Resources), Financial Operations, Information Technology Services, Public Relations & Marketing and executive offices, including the President’s Office and Academic Affairs.

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Nearly 140 campers from near and far participated in the past week’s seven Pre-College Programs, giving teens a taste of Penn College through an engrossing variety of academic adventure and social interaction: Architecture Odyssey, Autism Spectrum Post-Secondary Interest Experience, Automotive Technology, Aviation, Engineering, Future Restaurateurs and Health Careers.

A second week of camps, featuring an equally tantalizing menu of opportunities spread among eight more programs, convenes in mid-July.  Registrants for both weeks hail from 14 states – some from as far away as Connecticut, Florida and Virginia – and include a camper from Santiago, Chile!

Don’t think high school students are the only ones in on the fun, however! Pre-College Programs include My Tomorrow, a middle school career exploration day camp sponsored by the Soars family, from June 28 to July 1 and July 12-15.

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The 36th Annual Penn College Foundation Golf Classic, featuring six-time PGA Tour winner Rocco Mediate, recently raised a record-setting $140,360 for student scholarships at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

With this year’s support, the Penn College Foundation Golf Classic Scholarship Fund now totals nearly $2.1 million. Proceeds from the annual Golf Classic and accumulated investment income created the endowed scholarship fund, one of the foundation’s largest.

Mediate, a Greensburg native who has also won three times on the Champions Tour, including the 2016 Senior PGA Championship, hosted a driving-range exhibition and played three holes with seven foursomes during the event, held at the Williamsport Country Club.

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A national foundation devoted to manufacturing’s future is teaming with Pennsylvania College of Technology to spark interest among high schoolers in the sector’s rewarding careers.

Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the charitable foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International, provided a $2,000 grant for the college to host the Thingamajig Fabricators Pre-College Program for students entering grades 9-12. The program is also supported by the PMMI Education and Training Foundation and Construction Specialties Inc.

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Ready to see what hands-on learning is all about? Here’s a teasing glimpse of the action that’s set to unfold in the Pennsylvania College of Technology episode of The College Tour, produced nationally and streaming on Amazon Prime when Season Five drops on Aug. 31:

Now that your interest is piqued, watch the full episode at Penn College’s College Tour website. Filmed over five days during the spring semester and edited into 27 brisk minutes, the video features 10 standout students in dedicated segments: Ashlee Felix, human services & restorative justice (Business, Arts & Sciences); Caila N. Flanagan, who earned two business degrees (Wildcat Life); Alejandro F. Huaman, a building science & sustainable design: architectural technology concentration alumnus (Engineering Technologies); Dacia J. James, dental hygiene (Nursing & Health Sciences); Jesse D. Laird V, a nursing student and ROTC cadet (Commitment to Service); Danielle E. Malesky, construction management (Momentum Guaranteed); Maggie J. Mangene, a softball player and heating, ventilation & air conditioning design technology student (Stay Wild); Wesley S. McCray, an engineering design technology grad (Future Made by Hand); Kathryn A. Plankenhorn, physician assistant studies (Explore Campus & Beyond); and automotive technology management alumnus Dhruv Singh (Come Ready, Leave Prepared). After hearing their stories and getting the inside track on campus life, we’re sure you’ll agree with host Alex Boylan that “There’s so much to love here!”

Dylan S. Klemas, a May civil engineering technology graduate and face-off midfielder while a member of the Wildcat men’s lacrosse team, proudly wore number 9 to honor an uncle who played for the Welsh national team. A new video gives viewers the opportunity to hear his story and learn what he loves about the tight-knit community he found at Penn College. “It’s put me in a great position. I have a job already lined up when I graduate (he has since assumed responsibilities as an assistant project manager at Berg Construction in Morgantown) and I haven’t looked back,” says Klemas, who did the hard work necessary to balance academics and athletics – and thrive at both. “It’s busy, it’s very doable. It’s actually made it a lot better because it’s taught me a lot more time management. The school puts a lot of resources out there to help us, whether it’s the Tutoring Center (or) a lot of late-night study hours with the team. It’s easy when you have a team of 43 guys that are all your good friends!”

After 17 years of racing, the Penn College Baja SAE team finally captured a coveted first-place finish. Twice. First in Tennessee and next in New York, the all-star team outperformed a strong field from around the world in the famed endurance event. “Going into Tennessee, we really didn’t know if we could do it. It was a lot more of a surprise,” said Dakota C. Harrison, of Lewisberry, Baja club vice president and one of two drivers for the endurance race. “By the time we finished Tennessee, that gave us the confidence to show up to Rochester. We knew that we could do it, but there’s so many things out on the track that could have taken us out at any time.” Rugged terrain, changing elevation, and tight turns were no match for the team’s grit and their buggy’s durability. Meet the team. Hear their story. And relive the victory that will fuel all future competitions.

Recent graduates of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s landscape/plant production technology program were chosen for both of this year’s Fred Winter Memorial Awards for Excellence in Horticulture from the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture.

Rebecca Cornish, of Lewisburg, and Faith E. Mitchell, of Sunbury, will each receive $1,500 in conjunction with the awards, established as a long-term way to honor one of PSPA’s longtime members. The applications from Cornish and Mitchell “rose to the top of the pile” as the selection committee’s four judges sorted through a slate of excellent candidates, a society official told the winners.

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Daun Williamson, who graduated from Penn College last month with an associate degree in building construction technology, will conduct a Vinyl Siding Institute installer training later this month at the college’s Clean Energy Center.

Williamson, the only person to hold three VSI certifications – as an installer trainee, an installer and a trainer – will instruct the course from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, at 2245 Reach Road. She was among the college’s first group of students to be certified as installers last fall.

“For me, teaching vinyl siding is a great way to create my own unique career path,” she said, “certifying others in the industry and becoming a greater asset to local contractors and our community.”

Those interested in attending should consult the course flyer: VSI flyer

Thirty-four Pennsylvania College of Technology students – half of whom subsequently earned degrees last month – recently attained International Codes Council certification as Building Code Specialists.

The students comprised three sections of construction technology instructor Harry W. Hintz Jr.’s Codes in Construction class during the spring semester. To earn certificates, students had to score 70% or better on a 60-question, 2-hour-allotted, written examination on the building provisions of “The International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings.”

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