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Alumni Events

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Alumni Business & Hospitality Management Business, Arts & Sciences

Active-duty grad awarded funds toward master’s completion

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark J. Bowling, a 2015 Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate, was recently awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the Association of the Army for use toward completing a master’s degree in engineering management.

Bowling, who earned a bachelor’s degree in technology management from Penn College, is on active duty supporting the Army Reserves (known as Active/Guard Reserve). He is assigned to the Department of Public Works of the 99th Readiness Division. The 99th DPW, located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, is responsible for all Army Reserve facilities in the 13-state region from Virginia to Maine. For his first three years with the 99th DPW, he served as the deputy chief of operations, helping to manage and maintain 600 facilities spread across 300 sites and to execute a $40 million annual maintenance and repair budget.

Alumni Automated Manufacturing & Machining College Relations Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff STEM Students

Alumni gift ‘manufactures’ updated machining lab

A $1 million-plus donation from alumnus Larry A. Ward financed the recent renovation of the machining lab at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Ward studied engineering drafting technology at a Penn College predecessor, Williamsport Technical Institute, in the mid-1960s before embarking on a successful career in industry. Ward is the founder of Packaging Progressions Inc., which today is the world’s leader in high-speed interleaving and stacking machinery for the food packaging industry.

The largest alumni gift in the history of Pennsylvania College of Technology has manufactured a new machining lab that will benefit students for generations.

A $1 million-plus donation from alumnus Larry Ward financed the revamping of the 14,299-square-foot facility, one of the oldest instructional spaces on campus. The lab features fresh lighting, flooring, fixtures and, most importantly, new equipment in the recently christened Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center.

“I have done very well, so I want to give it back for the next generation,” said Ward, a 1966 graduate. “A lot of people helped me over the years, and I just feel I’m paying it forward.”

Alumni Career Services College Relations Events Students

Career Fair’s virtual transition no hindrance to student-employer connection

Pennsylvania College of Technology students embarked on a new approach to career exploration through the first-ever Virtual Career Fair. This Career Services-hosted event was held Oct. 20-21.

“Over the two days (for a period of 12 hours), 154 companies and 468 students connected through nearly 1,000 video chats – an impressive number of professional conversations in the pursuit of internship and career placement,” said Shelley Moore, director of career services.

Penn College’s career fairs have shown continued growth since 2009. The Spring 2020 Career Fair – slated to have more than 450 employers in attendance – had to be canceled due to the complexities of the coronavirus pandemic. Such complexities remained an obstacle as the plans commenced for Fall 2020.

Alumni Engineering Technologies Students

Employer offers students, grads multiple opportunities to connect

PMG, recruiting students and alumni for a variety of technician positions, will hold a series of virtual information sessions during the closing days of November. The Zoom meetings, set from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on each of the three days, will also cover resume and interview tips for anyone planning a career in manufacturing. For more about the sessions – scheduled for Nov. 3, 5 and 12 – can be found in the Career Services flyer: PMG

Alumni Aviation Engineering Technologies Events Faculty & Staff Students

College provides invaluable assist during airport ’emergency’

Jets of water shoot from airport-owned apparatus.

Penn College students, faculty and equipment were integral to Saturday’s simulated emergency at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville. A triennial requirement of the Federal Aviation Administration, this year’s drill featured a smoky runway collision that allowed crews the opportunity to test the strengths and weaknesses of their response systems. Matthew D. Krepps, an instructor of aviation maintenance technology, coordinated the college’s involvement in the Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority exercise, which included student “victims” and two planes from the Lumley Aviation Center’s instructional fleet: a recently donated CL-600 Challenger corporate jet and an older Sabreliner aircraft. A fog machine was used in the latter plane to obscure the vision of rescue workers without using actual smoke that would choke the student volunteers acting as injured passengers.

Alumni Automated Manufacturing & Machining College Relations Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff STEM Students

Alum’s gift transforms Penn College’s machining lab

Students majoring in one of five manufacturing-related degrees are benefiting from a gift to Pennsylvania College of Technology, featured in a YouTube video. Larry A. Ward, founder of Packaging Progressions Inc., made a donation exceeding $1 million to revamp the college’s machining lab – the largest alumni gift in the college’s history. Ward’s generosity has resulted in fresh paint, lighting, fixtures and 50 new machines for the 14,299-square-foot instructional space. “It’s just completely transformed the entire lab,” says Dakota C. Harrison, a manufacturing engineering technology major from Lewisberry. “And we really couldn’t have done it without Mr. Ward.”

Alumni Art & Graphic Design Business, Arts & Sciences Penn College Magazine Penn College Magazine Feature

Penn College Family: Playful diversion

Can you find the dog in this video call? Images courtesy of Eliza Whyman

Find the chopsticks in this image, one of six “spot it” brain teasers by graphic design alumna Eliza Whyman.

From the Fall 2020 Penn College Magazine: Members of the Penn College Family across the globe used their skills in a variety of ways to help others during the pandemic’s shelter-in-place orders, including graphic design alumna Eliza R. Whyman, ’17, who resides and works in England. See more about her timely brain teasers.

Alumni Students

Intern-seeking businesses set online sessions for Tuesday

Internship opportunities are the focus of two employers’ virtual information sessions for Penn College students and alumni during the coming week.

Multi-Generational Integration – 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13
New Jersey Transit – 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13

For more, including the majors of interest and the Microsoft Teams links for each of the hourlong presentations, consult the Career Services flyer: Virtual sessions

Alumni College Relations Sports Students

Idled Wildcats grateful for UPMC Field

On the one-year anniversary of UPMC Field, Penn College student-athletes and coaches give thanks to corporate sponsors and Wildcat Club members. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled all intercollegiate athletic events this fall, but student-athletes remain optimistic about the future, thanks to generous donors’ past support.

(While game footage predates COVID-19 precautions, video interviews were conducted in compliance with the college’s health and safety guidelines.)

Alumni Events Students

In-house artist designs Homecoming T-shirt

Ebersole models one of her commemorative creations, with a little help from some appropriately attired 'Student Bodies." — Ebersole models one of her commemorative creations, with a little help from some appropriately attired ‘Student Bodies.”

When Office of Student Engagement staff talked about having a student work on a giveaway for this year’s Homecoming and Parent & Family Celebration, they soon realized that help was but a few feet away: Morgan K. Ebersole, a graphic design major who has worked as a Bush Campus Center Information Desk assistant since Fall 2016.

T-shirts bearing Ebersole’s design will be distributed free to students throughout this week – pop-up locations will be listed on Student Life social media and the Stall Wall Weekly – and available for sale ($10.95) at The College Store for alumni, families and employees.

Alumni Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology Engineering Technologies

Electronics alum among presenters at online summit

An award-winning graduate and member of Penn College’s Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology Advisory Committee is headlining a session at a free online conference for electronics hardware engineers this week. Eli M. Hughes is co-founder and chief technology officer for TZero Research and Development, which produces ultrasonic acoustic sensors and software for a variety of industries. Hughes earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering technology in May 2001 and was presented with an Alumni Achievement Award nine years later. He will present “Crossing the Chasm: The Road to Becoming a Full-Stack Hardware Engineer” at 2:15 p.m. Thursday (EDT), the third and final day of the AltiumLive Virtual Summit (Oct. 6-8). Hughes said the session will retrace the path to a career in hardware engineering, including his Penn College education.

Alumni Engineering Technologies Industrial Design Penn College Magazine Penn College Magazine Feature

Designer of signs

Signage for Bigfire restaurant at Universal CityWalk Orlando is among Karges' design work. (Photo courtesy of Universal Studios) — Signage for Bigfire restaurant at Universal CityWalk Orlando is among Karges’ design work. (Photo courtesy of Universal Studios)

Karges' work greets visitors to Universal Resort's Aventura Hotel. (Photo courtesy of Universal Studios) — Karges’ work greets visitors to Universal Resort’s Aventura Hotel. (Photo courtesy of Universal Studios)

From the Fall 2020 Penn College Magazine: Work is a thrill ride for industrial designer Cory D. Karges, ’14, whose designs for Sign Producers Inc. are seen by millions at theme parks Universal, Disney and others. Read “Designer of Signs.”

Alumni Engineering Design Technology Engineering Technologies

Penn College grad enjoys ‘smooth sailing’ with career

Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate Richard M. Wood, of Millville, enjoys a rare view underneath the USS George H.W. Bush nuclear-powered aircraft carrier while the ship is in dry dock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va. Wood, who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology, is a structural designer for Newport News Shipbuilding, the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. (Photo courtesy of Richard Wood)

As a kid, Richard M. Wood spent countless hours constructing with Legos and playing with remote-controlled boats powered by electric motors. As a Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus, his days are devoted to creating with computer-aided design programs and working on the largest “boats” in the world powered by nuclear energy.

Wood, of Millville, is a structural designer for Newport News Shipbuilding, the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. The 2017 graduate works for the Shielding & Ship Fabrication section of the company’s Reactor Plant Planning Yard Department.

Alumni Career Services Events Students

Penn College to conduct virtual career fair

Pennsylvania College of Technology is connecting its real-world-ready students with eager prospective employers despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The college will conduct its annual Fall Career Fair virtually, Oct. 20-21, providing ample opportunity for students and employers to discuss internship and full-time job opportunities. Employers may register for the Career Fair through Oct. 16.

“Our office has been improvising since the early days of the pandemic, when we shifted many of our services online,” said Shelley L. Moore, director of career services. “Using a virtual platform for the Career Fair is the latest example of adapting to social-distancing and travel restrictions for the benefit of both students and employers.”

Alumni Collision Repair & Restoration Engineering Technologies Faculty & Staff Sports Students Welding

Mascot assumes rightful place on Wildcat Den wall

A multidisciplinary project that began a year ago – fabricating a logo for the Wildcat Den esports room – has borne fruit on the second floor of Penn College’s Madigan Library.

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