Landscape/Horticulture

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Three faculty members honored for ‘Excellence in Teaching’

Three faculty members at Pennsylvania College of Technology were presented with Excellence in Teaching Awards at the start of the 2020-21 academic year.

As part of the Distinguished Teaching Awards program at Penn College, President Davie Jane Gilmour presented Excellence in Teaching Awards to Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture; Barbara F. Di Marco, assistant professor of mathematics; and Heather S. Dorman, instructor of physician assistant.

Distinguished Teaching Awards are presented to full-time faculty at Penn College who have been nominated by their students and colleagues for excellence in instructional performance. There have been 115 recipients since the program began in 1982: 33 Master Teacher Awards and 82 Excellence in Teaching Awards.

“From day one, teaching has been at the core of who we are,” Gilmour said. “As is obvious through comments from their students and colleagues alike, Carl, Barb and Heather are among the very best at putting that mission into practice.”

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Penn College earns ‘Tree Campus USA’ status for fifth year

For the fifth consecutive year, Pennsylvania College of Technology has attained Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to urban forestry.

The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.

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A grateful college brings May flowers

Special delivery, in care of committed caregivers

Plants nurtured throughout the pandemic by the horticultural hands at Penn College’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center brought a burst of National Nurses Week sunshine to UPMC Susquehanna campuses Thursday. About 850 potted flowers and hanging baskets, originally cultivated for a plant sale, were delivered to Williamsport, Divine Providence, Muncy, Lock Haven, Cole (Coudersport) and Wellsboro hospitals for distribution to nurses – among the tireless health care workers on the front line of a global health crisis. A troupe of ESC faculty and staff, General Services employees and a college alumnus/retiree loaded and unloaded the colorful cargo at hospital campuses in Lycoming and Clinton counties; UPMC handled transport to the Northern Tier locations. Helping to keep the greenhouse stock thriving in students’ absence were horticulture faculty; Wyatt C. Forest, laboratory assistant for horticulture; and Sean C. Golden, a landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis student and work study employee.

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Arbor Day plantings add instructional value, natural appeal

Forest (left) and Dincher beautify the ESC campus while educating students in doubly-distanced fashion.

Michael A. Dincher, assistant professor of horticulture, and Wyatt C. Forest, laboratory assistant for horticulture, planted two sugar maples and a sawtooth oak at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center pond for Arbor Day. The tree planting was part of an online instructional video for Dincher’s Arboriculture class. Observed in the United States on the last Friday of April, the holiday encourages the planting, nurturing and celebrating of trees. Penn College has repeatedly been honored by the Arbor Day Foundation’s “Tree Campus USA” program for establishing and sustaining healthy community forests.
Photo provided

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Horticulture student receives $1,000 national scholarship

A landscape/horticulture technology student has been awarded $1,000 from the National Association of Landscape Professionals, which canceled its National Collegiate Landscape Competition that was scheduled March 18-21 at Michigan State University.

Drew J. Marsh, of Marble, enrolled in the major’s plant production emphasis, received the R.M. Landscape and Lemcke Family Scholarship by mail after the COVID-19 outbreak prohibited him from accepting it in person.

Marsh recently accepted an offer from The Walt Disney Co. in Florida as a plant science intern in its agricultural sciences department.

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Forestry grad facilitates equipment donation to alma mater

Shreiner, employed at his family's tree care business outside Philadelphia, demonstrates the Bandit chipper at the Earth Science Center campus.

A December graduate of Pennsylvania College of Technology, whose family’s tree care business in suburban Philadelphia fueled his choice of both college and career, recently arranged for the donation of a newly reconditioned chipper to his alma mater’s forestry program.

Thanks to the resourcefulness of Michael S. Shreiner, now employed full time at Shreiner Tree Care in southeastern Pennsylvania, forest technology students at Penn College’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center will have access to a 150XP Bandit Tree Chipper that the 2019 alumnus solicited from the manufacturer.

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Valentine’s Day sale to benefit horticulture club

The Horticulture Club will hold a Valentine’s Day sale from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 13-14 in front of CC Commons (Bush Campus Center, first floor). Members will be selling succulents and various interior plants, roses, and roses in bud vases. Vases can be pre-ordered, with pickup and payment during the sale. Everything else is “cash and carry” on sale days. Cash or checks (payable to Penn College) will be accepted. Individual roses are $5; bud vases with one rose, a fern and baby’s breath are $8; and bud vases with two roses, a fern and baby’s breath are $12. Prices vary for succulents and other plants. To pre-order a bud vase with one or two roses, email Alexis Witherite by Friday, Feb. 7.

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Students get alumni lesson in networking, confidence

Pictured in front of pink chrysanthemums at Longwood Gardens are (from left) students Courtney M. Wilcox, of Troy; Jessica M. Duke, of Allentown; Robert J. Williamson, of Fort Washington; and Alexis B. Hassinger, of Bellefonte.

Garris visits her alma mater's Schneebeli Earth Science Center. — Garris visits her alma mater’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center.

Against a backdrop of yellow mums are (from left) students Joseph N. Moore, of South Williamsport; Alexis M. Witherite, of Spring Mills; Taylor L. Keiper, of Archbald; and Austin R. Weaver, of New Holland.

McGinty explains North Creek's automated potting process. — McGinty explains North Creek’s automated potting process.

Twenty members of the Horticulture Club and faculty members Justin Shelinski and Carl J. Bower Jr. enjoyed a pair of Tuesday field trips: Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square and North Creek Nurseries in Landenburg. The group savored a beautiful fall day, saw the Chrysanthemum Festival display at Longwood, and toured North Creek facilities with general manager Tim McGinty and section grower Kassie L. Garris, a 2018 alumna in Penn College’s landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis. (Garris visited campus last week to talk about the postgraduate path she took, from employment at Longwood Gardens to working at North Creek.) McGinty shared that he first met Garris during a Penn College field trip to North Creek two years ago, when the then-student introduced herself to him. “It just goes to show: You never know what your experiences might bring,” Bower said. “The networking you do, whether it is while you are a student or in your professional career, can lead to some great opportunities. I always tell my students to never be afraid to shake someone’s hand, introduce themselves and say they are a Penn College horticulture student … because that can take you far.” North Creek is known for its sustainable horticultural practices and native perennials, added Bower, who said its greenhouses employ some impressive technology and innovations.
Photos by Bower, assistant professor of horticulture

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‘PA Build My Future’ extends its reach in Year Two

About 75 current Penn College students, eager cheerleaders all, sacrificed part of Fall Break to advocate for their chosen career paths.

Penn College’s second annual PA Build My Future event, an interactive academic and industry showcase on Thursday, provided more than 900 high-school students with an opportunity to experience the full range of possibilities in the construction and design field. Scores of current students in the School of Construction & Design Technologies joined faculty and administrators, along with many of the college’s commercial benefactors, in guiding visitors toward their potential careers.

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Newswatch 16 visits ‘PA Build My Future’

WNEP’s Chris Keating visited campus for Thursday’s PA Build My Future, filing a report on the second annual introduction of secondary students to the wide-open world of construction and design careers. Keating visited indoor and outdoor exhibits facilitated by industry sponsors, Penn College faculty and current students (who gave up a day of Fall Break to excitedly represent their respective majors). Included in the broadcast were Carol A. Lugg, dean of construction and design technologies; building construction technology instructor Levon A. Whitmyer; Christine A. Limbert, of Curwensville, enrolled in architectural technology; and Lucas Vandergrift, a sophomore at Wellsboro High School who was among the day’s 929 students from nearly 30 high schools and career and technical centers.
(“PA Build My Future photo gallery)

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From living space to makerspace, summer visitors have their hands full

Learning the skills and craftsmanship required of a builder in the newest pre-college offering: Building Construction.

A dozen residential Pre-College Programs and a daytime Creative Art Camp brought hundreds of young women and men to Penn College’s campuses in mid-June, providing hands-on entry to the myriad career opportunities reflected in the institution’s postsecondary curriculum. Keeping campers (and PCToday photographers) busy in recent days were these fun learning opportunities, some of which involved culminating projects: Architecture Odyssey, Autism Spectrum Post-Secondary Interest Experience (ASPIE), Automotive Restoration, Aviation, Building Construction (new this year), Creative Art Camp, Engineering, Future Restaurateurs, Graphic Design Summer Studio, Grow & Design Horticulture, Health Careers, Information Technology and SMART (Science and Math in Real-world Technologies) Girls.

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Penn College’s ‘Tree Campus USA’ designation renewed

Observing Penn College’s repeat Tree Campus USA designation amid examples of healthy campus greenery are (from left) Don J. Luke, director of facilities operations; Eric C. Easton, forestry instructor; Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture; Andrea L. Mull, General Services horticulturist/grounds and motor pool manager; and Justin W. Beishline, assistant dean of transportation and natural resources technologies.

For the fourth year in a row, Pennsylvania College of Technology has been honored with Tree Campus USA recognition for establishing and sustaining healthy community forests.

The national program was created a dozen years ago by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor educational institutions for helping to foster the next generation of environmental stewards.

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Career Day sets middle schoolers’ sights on tomorrow

Led by Franklin H. Reber, instructor of building construction technology, and students, Career Day visitors create concrete stepping stones.

College employees rallied to provide nearly 40 educational sessions for middle schoolers from across the region who visited campus on Monday for the college’s twice-a-year Career Day. Facilitated by the college’s College Transitions Office, the event provided 1,267 students with opportunities to explore a wide variety of careers in each of the college’s six academic schools. Visitors included 13 schools and home-schooled students.

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ESC crews belatedly (and beneficially) celebrate Arbor Day

General Services horticulturist Brooke M. Barton removes a weeping white pine from the west side of main campus.

Conrad J. Young (left), of Slatington, enrolled in landscape/horticulture technology: landscape emphasis, and Erick V. Kennedy, a landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis major from Williamsport, replant the tree in the Earth Science Center ... — Conrad J. Young (left), of Slatington, enrolled in landscape/horticulture technology: landscape emphasis, and Erick V. Kennedy, a landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis major from Williamsport, replant the tree in the Earth Science Center …

... where it will thrive in the facilitys well-tended conifer garden. — … where it will thrive in the facilitys well-tended conifer garden.

Dincher's Arboriculture (URF201) class beautifies Williamsport streets through an urban forestry project. — Dincher’s Arboriculture (URF201) class beautifies Williamsport streets through an urban forestry project.

With Friday’s observance of Arbor Day dampened by inclement weather, horticulture students and faculty from Penn College’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center marked the occasion by undertaking a pair of projects under more pleasant conditions Monday. One of those collaborative enterprises involved relocating a weeping white pine from outside Dauphin Hall. The tree, salvaged when a planter near the residence hall was removed, found a new home in the ESC conifer garden. In another industrious endeavor, involving students of assistant professor Michael A. Dincher, 24 new bare-root street trees were planted in Williamsport neighborhoods.
Photos provided by Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor

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Scholarship luncheon provides firsthand look at donors’ impact

Ferki tells guests, “Scholarships act as a gateway to inspire growth in a student’s academics and passion for his or her industry.” She is the recipient of the SEKISUI SPI Workforce Development Scholarship and the Penn College Foundation Scholarship.

The empowering combination of applied technology education and financial support was celebrated Sunday afternoon, as Pennsylvania College of Technology hosted its second annual Scholarship Luncheon in the campus Field House.

“I am overwhelmed by the collective energies in this room to transform tomorrow,” President Davie Jane Gilmour said, addressing students, families and donors alike. Announcing that the coming academic year will include the largest total amount of scholarships awarded in any one year during the college’s history, she thanked attendees for their significant role in helping students succeed.

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