News about Business & Hospitality

Graduate chef creates feasts for the eyes on Instagram

Colleen S. Masteller, a 2016 graduate of Penn College’s culinary arts and systems major, made PA Eats’ list of “20 Food-Loving Pennsylvanians to Follow on Instagram.” Masteller – who also maintains the In Whites blog – is a kitchen manager at Sawhorse Café in Williamsport; hosts a series of pop-up, limited-seating dinners; and populates her Instagram account with “poetic” photos of finished dishes, ingredients and life in the kitchen, according to PA Eats. PA Eats is an online publication dedicated to Pennsylvania food and drink news.

Farm Show offers ‘inspiring’ look at college’s varied majors

School of Business & Hospitality majors from Penn College take part in a Student Cooking Challenge at the 2018 Pennsylvania Farm Show. All six of the college’s academic schools will again be represented at the Jan. 5-12 event, the nation’s largest indoor agricultural expo. (Photo by Davey Rudy)

Throngs of visitors will soon converge on Harrisburg to celebrate the commonwealth’s agricultural prominence, and Pennsylvania College of Technology students and employees will be there to help honor the event’s 2019 theme of “Inspiring Pennsylvania’s Story.”

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Papers to be published in Journal of Business Leadership

From left, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Chip Baumgardner, associate professor of business administration: management; Lisa Andrus, dean of business and hospitality; and Steven J. Moff, professor of business administration: management and marketing, presented papers at the annual conference of the Applied Business and Entrepreneurship Association International, earning “Best Paper of Session” honors. Andrus also chaired the conference. Timothy L. Yarrington (not pictured), instructor of brewing and fermentation science, co-wrote one of the papers.

Two papers presented by Pennsylvania College of Technology employees at the annual conference of the Applied Business and Entrepreneurship Association International were selected “Best Session Paper” and will be invited to be published in the Journal of Business Leadership.

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Winners announced in Penn College Food Show

As part of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s annual Food Show, culinary arts technology students Summer L. Showers, left, of Aspers, and Chelsea L. Gray, of Marysville, receive the Chef Eugene Mattucci Best of Show award for their “Game Meats From the Hunt” platter and charcuterie board.

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently announced the winners of its annual Food Show.

The Food Show provides a venue for students to share their final projects in several courses and to gain feedback from industry professionals who judge their work. At the same time, it offers a learning experience for high school students interested in hospitality-related careers, who make a visit to the show as part of a daylong campus experience.

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Students crack ‘code,’ open window onto IT careers

Students from South Williamsport Junior/Senior High School use a “Tower of Hanoi” to learn the foundations of computational thinking – which requires no computer.

High school students draw paths for their Ozobots.

Alicia McNett, instructor of computer information technology, offers encouragement to a group of students from Milton High School.

Spyke M. Krepshaw, instructor of web and interactive media, confers with students from South Williamsport.

A high-schooler draws multicolor paths to direct her color-sensing Ozobot.

Penn College took part in a worldwide movement on Monday as host of an Hour of Code event for students from five high schools. A collaborative effort between the college’s School of Business & Hospitality and School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, the event provided lessons in coding without technology and programming Ozobots, led by faculty members Anita R. Wood, associate professor of computer information technology; Spyke M. Krepshaw, instructor of web and interactive media; and Alicia McNett, instructor of computer information technology, as well as a campus tour. Wood emphasized to students that computer programmers are not necessarily smarter than others, but they are persistent in trying to solve puzzles and problems. The Hour of Code movement started as a one-hour introduction to computer science designed to demystify “code,” to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. Most events take place during or near Computer Science Education Week. The week is held annually to recognize the birthday of computing pioneer Adm. Grace Murray Hopper on Dec. 9, 1906. More than 219,000 events were registered in more than 180 countries in 2018. Schools participating at the Penn College event were Commonwealth Charter Academy, Hughesville High School, Milton High School, South Williamsport Junior/Senior High School and York County School of Technology.

Instructor named among Top 25 by Bake magazine

Chef Charles R. Niedermyer

A Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate-turned-instructor was recognized as one of the nation’s leading educators and mentors in Bake magazine’s annual “Twentyfive” special edition.

Chef Charles R. Niedermyer, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts at Penn College, was profiled with 24 other industry leaders in the magazine’s November 2018 issue.

“For the first time, we turn the spotlight on education in our annual Twentyfive special edition, highlighting professional educators and mentors who go above and beyond to educate, inspire and lead in the fields of baking, pastry and chocolate,” editor John Unrein notes in the issue. “They work tirelessly to help the industry reach new heights and achieve excellence in quality and presentation.”

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College establishes advanced credit agreement through ProStart

This fall, Pennsylvania College of Technology entered an advanced credit agreement with the ProStart program to pave the way for high school students to get a head start on their degree, eliminate duplication of instruction and, ultimately, make a college degree more affordable.

ProStart, administered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, is a nationwide, two-year program for high school students that cultivates tomorrow’s restaurant and food service industry leaders. The curriculum was developed by industry and academic experts and reaches more than 90,000 students in 1,700 high schools and career and technical education centers.

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Students work alongside celebrity chefs at Breeders’ Cup

Pennsylvania College of Technology was part of the culinary team at the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Championships at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. From left, baking and pastry arts student Amanda M. Brandt, of Etters, York County; Chef Takao Iinuma, of Genji Sushi; and Penn College’s Chef Charles R. Niedermyer, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, work alongside Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto during a demonstration in “The Mansion” at Churchill Downs.

Pennsylvania College of Technology hospitality students worked alongside some of the nation’s top chefs as part of the culinary team preparing food for guests of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

The annual November event is the unofficial culmination of the thoroughbred horse racing season. The two-day extravaganza attracts the best horses, trainers and owners from across the globe, along with its share of celebrity fans.

This year, the event was held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Sixteen Penn College students made the trip to the Bluegrass State to spend three days in the kitchens that serve the Downs’ most high-end venues.

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High school students celebrate STEM Day at Penn College

Students from Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School program paths for small robots called Ozobots using colored markers – a way to code without a computer. The activity was one of several that high school students explored at Pennsylvania College of Technology on Nov. 8 as part of a National STEM Day celebration.

To celebrate National STEM Day, Pennsylvania College of Technology welcomed nearly 100 high school students to campus on Nov. 8.

“STEM” is short for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“In an ever-changing, increasingly complex world, it’s more important than ever that our nation’s youth are prepared to bring knowledge and skills to solve problems, make sense of information, and know how to gather and evaluate evidence to make decisions,” says the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation & Improvement. “These are the kinds of skills that students develop in science, technology, engineering and math.”

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State Senate Appropriations Committee chair tours campus

Always engaged and advocating for the college, Yaw (right) converses with Browne in the atrium of the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center.

State Sen. Patrick M. Browne, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Pennsylvania College of Technology on Thursday.

Browne, who represents the 16th District – which includes Allentown and other municipalities within Lehigh County – came to campus after presenting an election and legislative update at a breakfast sponsored by the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.

He was invited by fellow Appropriations Committee member Sen. Gene Yaw, who also serves as chairman of the Penn College Board of Directors. Yaw also hosted the Chamber legislative update event, held at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

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Conference guides enterprising high school students

Mark A. Ciavarella, associate professor of business administration/management, teaches high school students about the steps of writing a business plan during an Entrepreneurship Challenge event at the college.

A team from Bradford Area School District develops a business plan for an ice cream shop.

Students from Berwick Area School District hash out their target audience and sales territory. They are pitching a business that manufacturers an add-on component for hybrid vehicles.

High school students participating in the Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy’s Entrepreneurship Challenge gathered in the college’s Penn’s Inn facility on Wednesday for a one-day conference to help them define and develop their business concepts and write a summary business plan. They were guided in the activity by Mark A. Ciavarella, associate professor of business administration/management at Penn College, and Tim Keohane, director of the Small Business Development Center at Lock Haven University. PennCFL sponsors local, regional and statewide competitions that allow students to pitch new business ideas. The Penn College event was the first of three such conferences the organization is hosting this month at area colleges. Following the conference, the students return to their schools to complete and submit their business plans for prizes. The top three teams are invited to PennCFL’s state competition.

Future-seekers meet their match at Fall Open House

Savoring an autumn outing and academic exploration

Fall Open House visitors had unfettered access to Penn College’s vibrant campuses Sunday, as today’s faculty/staff, alumni and students provided them with a tantalizing view of a very real and credible tomorrow. All six academic schools put out the welcome mat through information sessions, tours and laboratory demonstrations, and guests were encouraged to explore the institution’s myriad complementary services and activities.

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Students to prepare cuisine for elite Breeders’ Cup crowds

Horses parade to the paddock at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Ky., in May. Pennsylvania College of Technology hospitality students will again work alongside celebrity chefs in the Downs’ premier venues during the Breeders’ Cup Championships, Nov. 2-3.

Pennsylvania College of Technology students are set to return to the famed Churchill Downs racetrack, where they will work alongside celebrity chefs to feed guests of horse racing’s prestigious Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Sixteen students in the college’s baking and pastry arts, culinary arts and hospitality management majors will leave campus Oct. 31 and spend the next three days in the kitchens of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. They will be accompanied by Chef Charles R. Niedermyer, instructor of baking and pastry arts, who is an alumnus of the college.

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Morgan Foundation grant pushes scholarship fund past $1 million

A second gift of $500,000 from the Tamaqua-based John E. Morgan Foundation has boosted an endowed scholarship fund at Pennsylvania College of Technology to more than $1 million.

The John E. Morgan Scholarship gives first preference to graduates of Tamaqua Area High School who are pursuing “a degree that is not readily available from other institutions, at a comparable price, within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Examples of such programs offered at Penn College include, but are not limited to, culinary arts and systems, web and interactive media, building science and sustainable design, health information management, industrial design, plastics and polymer engineering technology, emergency management technology, and aviation maintenance technology.

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Start building a Penn College future at Oct. 28 Open House

The Madigan Library (left) and Bush Campus Center are two of the facilities that visitors to Pennsylvania College of Technology may tour during Fall Open House on Sunday, Oct. 28.

Students looking for a bold next step in their educational journey are encouraged to attend an Oct. 28 Open House at Pennsylvania College of Technology, where “future made by hand” is a template for success.

“Visiting a college campus should be an experience. At Open House, students are able to touch, see and explore their future,” said Claire Z. Biggs, assistant director of admissions. “From the state-of-the-art labs to the knowledgeable faculty and staff, Penn College is the place to be if you want to be a tomorrow maker.”

The college will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for prospective students and their families to explore more than 100 bachelor’s, associate and certificate programs. Free bus service will be available on the main campus in Williamsport, and shuttles will transport guests to and from the nearby Lumley Aviation and Schneebeli Earth Science centers throughout the day.

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Penn College is a special mission affiliate of Penn State