News about Business & Hospitality

D.C.-Based Restaurant Group to Visit in February

Star Restaurant GroupFour representatives of a leading restaurant development, management and ownership company based in Washington, D.C., will be on campus Feb. 7-8 to talk with students in Penn College’s School of Business & Hospitality. The Star Restaurant Group will conduct seminars in several classes and interview for positions within The Walrus Oyster & Ale House, its casual fine-dining restaurant inspired by the surrounding Chesapeake Bay area, and Chicken + Whiskey, a “neighborhood comfort bar” developed in response to the South American rotisserie chicken craze. Scheduled to visit are Stuart R. Damon, managing principal of SRG; Benjamin Nichols, the group’s culinary director; Chef Enrique Limardo, culinary director/partner of Chicken + Whiskey; and Carla Sevilla, restaurant manager at Walrus Oyster & Ale House.

Volunteering Skills, Culinary Student Finds Home in Church Kitchen

Barbara Voss, a leading member of the Antioch congregation, shares an appreciative smile with Mark J. Kriner Jr.

Culinary arts technology student Mark J. Kriner Jr., of Williamsport, was looking for a way to give time to his community during Pennsylvania College of Technology’s winter break, while he had some to spare. He found that opportunity at Williamsport’s Antioch Baptist Church, where he contributed not only his time but the skills he is pursuing as a student.

The church serves a free breakfast and lunch to the greater Williamsport community every weekday. Kriner asked to help, and according to the Rev. Sam Washington, he fit right in, quickly becoming part of the family.

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Students Invited to Serve Gala Dinner at Governor’s Residence

Eight exceptional students in Penn College’s hospitality majors were selected to help prepare and serve food for the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence Annual Winter Gala in December. From left are Chef Michael J. Ditchfield, instructor of hospitality management/culinary arts; students Austin B. Ovens, of Elizabethtown, Mallory A. Hoffman, of Pottsville, Jacob W. Parobek, of Seltzer, and Kelsie F. Thomas, of Darby; Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf; Gov. Tom Wolf; and students Magdalen C. Bennett, of Erie, Bridget M. Callahan, of Pottsville, Amaris T. Smith, of Williamsport, and Charlie E. Cooke, of Wayne.

A formal event at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence was the destination for eight exceptional Pennsylvania College of Technology hospitality students, who were given the opportunity to showcase their skills and work alongside the residence’s executive chef.

For close to 15 years, students and faculty in the college’s School of Business & Hospitality have worked with the executive chef for the Governor’s Residence, Chef Barry Crumlich, on the Culinary Connection stage at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. There, the students help some of Pennsylvania’s top chefs to prepare dishes for live demonstrations. Along with Crumlich, the students have shared the stage with Pennsylvania governors and first ladies.

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Penn College to Again Make Impression on Farm Show Attendees

Students in Penn College’s hospitality majors join their instructor, Chef Michael J. Ditchfield, on the Culinary Connection stage at the Pennsylvania Farm Show last January.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors will soon flock to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center to celebrate the commonwealth’s leading industry, and Pennsylvania College of Technology students and employees will be on hand for an interactive peek into the real-world applications of “degrees that work.”

“A beloved tradition of Penn College, the Pennsylvania Farm Show continues to be the highlight of the new year. During the weeklong festivities, members of Admissions, Alumni Relations and Academic Affairs bring Penn College to Harrisburg and showcase all of the amazing opportunities that await students on campus,” said Claire Z. Biggs, coordinator of admissions events and services. “Through our interactive and hands-on activities, we hope that friends of the college will come to learn what makes applied technology education so special.”

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Fall Food Show Winners Announced at Penn College

The Best of Show recipient in Penn College’s Fall Food Show was prepared by students Kelsie F. Thomas (left), of Darby, and Ashley R. Potrzebowski, of Williamsport, as part of their Advanced Garde Manger course. They were tasked with creating a cold platter and charcuterie board.

Pennsylvania College of Technology announced winners of its Fall Food Show, held Dec. 1 at the college.

Earning the Chef Eugene Mattucci Best of Show Award was the student duo of Ashley R. Potrzebowski, of Williamsport, and Kelsie F. Thomas, of Darby, for their “Beer & Pub Style Christmas” platter and charcuterie board. Their entry, completed as a final project for the Advanced Garde Manger course, included a salad of kale, dried cranberries and pecans with orange vinaigrette; haymarket pate en croute with sage-infused aspic; cured and smoked turkey breast; onion chutney; and beer cheese dip with garlic-butter pretzel bites. Both students are pursuing degrees in culinary arts technology.

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College Joins Global ‘Hour of Code’ to Inspire Future Programmers

Alicia McNett, instructor of computer information technology at Penn College, guides a high school student in programming an Ozobot. The workshop was part of an “Hour of Code” event hosted by Penn College and attended by several high schools. It is part of an international initiative to encourage interest and confidence in the skills needed to join the computer science workforce.

Pennsylvania College of Technology hosted about 130 high school students on Dec. 4 as part of the international “Hour of Code” initiative.

Hour of Code is a global movement by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org, reaching tens of millions of students in more than 180 countries through a one-hour introduction to computer science and computer programming.

At Penn College, students from Commonwealth Charter Academy, Montgomery Area High School, Muncy Junior/Senior High School, North Penn-Liberty High School, Warren County Career Center and Wyalusing Valley High School attended an event that introduced not only coding, but problem solving, creativity and logic.

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Thirteen Students Selected for Penn College NOW Scholarships

Penn College presented scholarships to 13 first-year students who took Penn College NOW courses. From left are Tavor T. Wadsworth, of Williamsport; Vincent R. Keene, of Downingtown; Kayley E. Johnson, of Bloomsburg; Monica A. McCarty, Penn College’s dual enrollment specialist; Michael L. Gardner, of Williamsport; Warren E. Knipe, of Liberty; and Tanya Berfield, the college’s manager of college transitions. Additional recipients not in the photo are: Cheyenne N. Greene, of Jersey Shore; Deontae Z. Johnson, of Selinsgrove; Kylee E. Kelley, of Lock Haven; Tyler W. Miller, of Montgomery; Luke B. Walter, of Millmont; Brittany M. Weiskopff, of Blossburg; Clayton T. Welch, of Benton; and Jeremy M. Wolfgang, of Allenwood.

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently recognized 13 first-year students who received Penn College NOW scholarships.

The recipients completed Penn College courses during high school as part of the college’s Penn College NOW dual-enrollment program. The group was honored during an Oct. 27 reception.

To be eligible, students must have successfully completed at least one Penn College NOW course, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in Penn College NOW classes, enroll in Penn College as a full-time freshman student for the fall semester after high school graduation, and maintain a 2.5 GPA at Penn College as an enrolled student.

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Last updated December 5, 2017 | Posted in Accounting & Finance, Art and Graphic Design, Automotive, Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts, Building Construction, Business & Hospitality, College Transitions, Construction & Design Technologies, Dental Hygiene, Electrical, Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology, Emergency Management, Engineering Design Technology, Health Sciences, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies, Welding | One Comment

Creativity Reigns in Scholars-and-Scents Display

'Tis the season for yuletide greenery, beautifully incorporated by Rachel L. Hill, of Centre Hall, enrolled in landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis.

Applied management student Brittany L. Mink, of Allentown, who earned a baking and pastry arts degree in 2016, designed this delicate entry in the Wedding Composite category.

Andrea L. Solenberger, of Harrisburg, pursuing a degree in applied management, honored her baking and pastry arts degree with delicious detail.

The black, gold and green of Jamaica's flag is recreated by Jessica T. Haynes, a culinary arts and systems student.

Another baking and pastry arts alum enrolled in applied management – Alexis L. Kepley, of Reading – stacked "cupcakes" that are too pretty to eat!

End-of-year projects in The Art of Floral Design, an elective taught by alumna/business owner Karen R. Ruhl, form a striking array just inside the Madigan Library entrance. The class (HRT 260) is open to all students, regardless of academic major or experience level, and each final piece is chosen in conjunction with the instructor to ensure that it is “neither too simple nor too complicated to complete in the given time period.” The designs are created using the accumulated fundamental skills learned during the semester, and students choose the container, flowers and foliage required to implement them, as well as meet all the requisite elements and principles. The projects will be on display through Tuesday.

Penn College’s Fall Food Show Slated for Dec. 1

A dessert prepared by R. Colby Janowitz received first prize in its category at Penn College’s Spring 2017 Food Show. Students will again display their works for the public at the Fall 2017 Food Show on Dec. 1 in the college’s Thompson Professional Development Center.

Feast your eyes on the artistic final projects of students in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s baking and pastry and culinary arts majors on Dec. 1 at the college’s Fall Food Show.

The event, open to the public from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the college’s Thompson Professional Development Center, will feature a display of eye-pleasing, student-made desserts, hors d’oeuvre trays, chocolate sculptures and more, along with interactive tastings through 1 p.m.

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Faculty Member’s Baseball Research Published in Economics Journal

Chip D. Baumgardner

Recent research by a Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member shows the importance of non-game entertainment in drawing fans to minor league baseball games.

The findings, published in Volume 23, No. 2 of the Pennsylvania Economic Review, were the result of six years of research by Chip D. Baumgardner, associate professor of business administration/management at Penn College, and Michael J. Gallagher, of DeSales University. Their article is titled “State College Spikes: Examining the Promotion of Minor League Baseball.”

“At one point in time, little supplementary activity was designed to augment the game as a way to entertain fans,” they wrote. “Today it is common to see a myriad of events occurring throughout the course of the baseball game.”

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Getting Up to Speed, Down to Business

Mark A. Ciavarella, associate professor of business administration/management, talks with students about their business ideas.

Ciaveralla shows students how to analyze their competition.

Hundreds of area high school students packed into Penn’s Inn on Wednesday to sharpen their entrepreneurial acumen. The students are participating in the Pennsylvania Entrepreneurship Challenge, a project of the World Council on Financial Literacy. At the event, 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, took students – who arrived with a business idea – through the steps of developing a business plan, from explaining the need their business will meet, through analyzing the competition, identifying their target market, and estimating their start-up costs and profits. After a three-hour session that alternated large-group instruction with work time, the students returned to their schools with skills to write their business plans and enter the Pennsylvania Entrepreneurship Challenge competition. The event was organized by Carolyn Shirk, vice president of World Council on Financial Literacy.

A Sun-day in Name Only … but, Oh, What a Day!

Pottstown residents Tom, Kim and Jason Francis pause during their soggy stroll for a portrait in campus exploration.

Umbrellas were the most coveted accessory, but nowhere near as essential as the information that visitors to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Fall Open House carried home. Held across the institution’s awe-inspiring campuses, the autumn tradition delivered tours, priceless exchanges with helpful members of the campus community, valuable exposure to student life with those who live it and close-up views of the newest majors at a 103-year-old institution that never shows its age.

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Last updated October 29, 2017 | Posted in Admissions, Alumni, Business & Hospitality, College Store, Construction & Design Technologies, Events, Faculty & Staff, General Information, Health Sciences, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, Sports, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies | This gallery contains 51 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

Student Puts Skills to Use to Allay Her Worry, Help Her Hometown

Penn College baking and pastry arts student Natascha G. Santaella, of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, began baking to alleviate her stress and help those back home after hurricanes devastated the island. She organized a sale of bread, rolls and cheesecakes on Oct. 19 that raised over $1,000 for United for Puerto Rico.

When September hurricanes left a path of destruction in Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania College of Technology student Natascha G. Santaella felt a variety of painful emotions.

“I spent around six days stressing and having a very hard time with me having all the luxuries I currently do and my family not having any,” the Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, resident said.

Santaella said that her hometown is without power and water, and downed trees are blocking access to the neighborhood park, but it was spared the worst damage.

“For some of my friends, the damage has been minimal, but for a lot more of them, they live in fear of being assaulted in their own homes,” Santaella said. “They feel helpless in the situation, and mostly they are scared of what is to come. I’ve still not been able to contact my father’s side of the family, but I hope they are well and being cared for.”

To alleviate her stress, Santaella immersed herself in what she knows best: baking.

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‘Career Day’ Opens Doors of Exploration for Curious Teens

Automated manufacturing technology student Aren T. Way (right) of Jersey Shore, demonstrates an industrial-scale robot during a session on “Industrial Robotics, Hydraulics and Pneumatics, and CNC Machine Tools.”

More than 900 high schoolers, hailing from 28 school districts, spent Thursday on campus for the College Transitions Office’s Career Day. Faculty and students from all six of the college’s academic schools and all three campuses spent their Fall Break day off providing close to 50 career-exploration sessions for the visitors, exposing them to dozens of the college’s “degrees that work” offerings. A few of the districts traveled as much as two hours to attend. Among the highlights was a half-day session by the Penn College accounting, finance and business administration departments and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants that featured not only information about Penn College’s technology-laden degrees, but talks by guest speakers Michael Colgan, CEO of PICPA, and Joseph Siebert, president of PICPA, about future work in these fields as firms must protect clients’ financial information, and accountants can aid investigations via “forensic accounting.” Following the presentations and a Q&A with a panel of Penn College accounting and finance students, the 200 high school participants attended an etiquette lunch in the Field House.

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Last updated October 13, 2017 | Posted in Business & Hospitality, College Transitions, Construction & Design Technologies, Events, Faculty & Staff, Health Sciences, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies | This gallery contains 19 photos. | Tagged as |

Penn College Appoints Dean of Business & Hospitality

Lisa M. Andrus

Lisa M. Andrus, who has more than 20 years of professional experience in a variety of fields including hospitality, government, small business, health care and higher education, has been named dean of business and hospitality at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

A Williamsport native, Andrus returned to the area after earning a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations, and a doctorate in administration and leadership studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology is a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University