News about Events

Penn College Calendar

For a list of all events on campus, go to the Calendar.

Benefit Golf Tourney Rescheduled to July 17

The 31st annual Penn College Foundation Golf Classic, partially washed out by rain earlier this month, has been rescheduled. The tournament – which has helped to fund more than 600 student scholarships – and dinner will be held July 17 at the Williamsport Country Club.

Newswatch 16 Visits SMART Girls Showcase

WNEP on campus

Newswatch 16’s Kristina Papa stopped by the Penn College Field House for Friday’s SMART Girls Showcase, the culminating event of the Science and Math in Real-world Technologies summer program. Papa interviewed Tanya Berfield, manager of college transitions, and some of the campers, whose weeklong adventures included career exploration and a Quadcopter Challenge.

Links Eager to Tell Orientation Guests, ‘Let’s Get Connected!’

Connections Links (from left) are From left: Lindsey A. King, Hanover, pre-applied health studies: occupational therapy assistant concentration; Kylee A. Kalnas, Easton, pre-applied health studies: occupational therapy assistant concentration; Emily K. Conklin, Port Allegany, pre-dental hygiene; Margo L. Rudy, Hollidaysburg, pre-radiography; Raymond L. Long, Forest City, building automation technology; David A. Gadalla, Carlisle, aviation maintenance technology; Alexis J. Medero, Levittown, civil engineering technology; Nathaniel H. Lyon, Fredericksburg, welding & fabrication engineering technology; Alexandra D. Petrizzi, Langhorne, graphic design; and Cera N. Blunk, Schuylkill Haven, physician assistant.

Rocking it out at The Rock, the Links are ready to roll.

The Summer 2017 Connections Links are primed to encourage new students and their families as they prepare for college by attending Penn College’s “Connections” orientation program, kicking off next week and running through July 25. Six two-day sessions for first-year students and two one-day sessions for adult learners and transfer students offer a comprehensive overview of campus life and academic expectations. The 10 Connections Links, knowledgeable and enthusiastic student leaders, are ready to facilitate networking sessions and answer plenty of questions.

Hotshot Hooks Audience by Playing Through Water Hazard

Boever is introduced by Penn College's Debra M. Miller.

Making it look easy, even when hitting off increasingly higher tees using a club with an overly flexible shaft

Boever gives a fellow golfer some pointers on his "short game" ...

... and proves that you don't have to stand to have a winning stance.

The visiting VIP gets together with Fisher Mining Co.'s John A Blaschak, a member of the college's Corporate Advisory Board and the event's generous title sponsor.

Rain scuttled play in Monday’s scheduled 31st annual Penn College Foundation Golf Classic, but not before entertainer Dan Boever dazzled the crowd with trick shots and interactive amusement. Boever, a popular attraction on the golf circuit, headlined the scholarship benefit at the Williamsport Country Club. The tournament and dinner have been rescheduled for July 17.

 

Campers Find Nutritious Antidote to Rainy Monday

"Concentration" is the mantra for these campers, spreading the groundwork in their makeshift kitchen.

Smiles are just one of the healthy ingredients on display in the Keystone Dining Room.

Pawlik shows youngsters that good nutrition can also be fun, with help from student camp assistant Pearl L. Patterson (background).

Penn College’s Camp ESCAPE has begun its third week of summertime fun, offering youngsters a full menu of field trips, cooking projects, games and activities – rain or shine. Monday’s schedule included a nutrition project with Rebecca L. Pawlik, a registered dietitian with Dining Services, who showed the 6- through 14-year-olds how to make Fruit Sushi.
Photos by Amy S. Lingg, Dining Services marketing assistant

Flag Day March Culminates in Solemn Salute to Old Glory

In heartfelt allegiance

Williamsport’s annual Flag Day march, which formed a few blocks from Penn College, made its way to the 30-by-60-foot American flag outside the Student & Administrative Services Center as a community tradition was renewed on a pleasant Wednesday night.

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Williamsport Student’s Art Exhibited at Penn College Gallery

Williamsport Area High School graduate Brayden Cohick with some of his artwork that will be on display in the lobby of The Gallery at Penn College through July 23.

Artwork created by Brayden Cohick, a 2017 graduate of Williamsport Area High School, is on display in the lobby of The Gallery at Penn College through July 23.

Cohick was selected to receive The Gallery at Penn College’s Artistic Excellence Award recognizing outstanding talent and achievement in the visual arts. The award includes a gift certificate to The College Store and an opportunity to exhibit artwork in the gallery lobby. Given to a student who demonstrates skill in his or her selected medium and knowledge of the artistic process, the purpose of the prize is to encourage the student to continue exploring the visual arts.

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Cross-Campus Collaboration Infuses Hundreds of Visiting Pupils

Horticulture instructor Carl J. Bower Jr. guides Warrior Run fourth-graders in a sensory exploration of the ESC’s plant life.

Roy A. Fletcher, assistant professor of business administration/banking and finance, talks with Stock Market Challenge participants from area high schools about the future of artificial intelligence in accounting. The School of Business & Hospitality hosted the grand finale celebration for the Stock Market Challenge, an annual competition for Lycoming County high schools and middle schools that is sponsored by the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

Faculty members (and Penn College grads) Michael K. Patterson, welding lecturer, center, and Benjamin K. Myers, welding instructor, right, judge a competition among students enrolled in Penn College NOW welding courses. While their teachers attended professional development with Penn College faculty liaisons – a requirement to ensure that Penn College courses taught at high schools meet the same rigor as those taught on campus – the students showed their skill in shielded metal arc welding. Following the contest, they took part in a hands-on demonstration by Fronius USA, which has entrusted several pieces of equipment to the college.

In the closing weeks of the spring semester, the College Transitions Office and academic schools hosted more than half a dozen events for pupils in area elementary, middle and high schools. From a field trip for Warrior Run fourth-graders that spanned the main campus and Schneebeli Earth Science Center, to days set aside for students to visit the college labs that correspond with their Penn College NOW courses, hundreds of students received hands-on lessons in “degrees that work,” thanks to help from college faculty. Events for Penn College NOW students included a Horticulture Day, engineering design visit, Accounting Day, Web Page Design Day and Welding Day.

Friday Picnic Collegially Ends Week, Starts Summer Hours

Acme Barbecue, a successful alumni-owned business in downtown Williamsport, kept the chowline moving with pork, chicken and all the fixins'.

Ladder golf, cornhole and Frisbee games are among the attractions on the tent-side lawn.

Student Affairs' Staff Infection team took home the Quizzo title after a nip-and-tuck battle with worthy campus challengers. The team was led by co-captains Mallory L. Weymer (right) and Jackie Klahold (center) and anchored by (from left) Lauren Healy, April M. Yancey and Elliott Strickland – who particularly helped out on questions about the '80s. Team member Kathy Zakarian is not pictured. (Photo provided)

Prize canisters fill up with tickets from those seeking to win everything from a concrete bench to meal plans to Williamsport Crosscutters tickets.

Canned goods and other food was collected on the picnic grounds to benefit students in need. (Photo by Dining Services Director Crissy L. McGinness)

Employees and retirees kicked off the unofficial start of summer Friday with a fourth annual campus picnic. Food, games, conversation and sunshine were in abundant supply in and around tents by the Penn College tennis courts, and bingo and Quizzo were available inside the Field House for those seeking a shady place to try their luck and/or flex their memory muscles. Five bins of nonperishable food items were collected, increasing donors’ odds of winning raffle prizes – and boosting the inventory for The Cupboard food pantry.

Yaw Seminar Opens Window on Workings of State Government

South Williamsport Area Jr./Sr. High School students of Ryan P. Carper (right) have a class photo taken with state Sen. Gene Yaw.

Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour welcomes high school students to an enlightening day ahead.

Crompton gauges the opinions of his Field House audience ...

... and jokingly takes the pulse of a student who appeared inattentive.

Yaw's "Senator for a Day" agenda included debate on a vital issue: limiting the prescribing and dispensing of opioids to patients.

High schoolers from Bradford, Lycoming and Union counties assembled at Penn College on Thursday for the annual Student Government Seminar organized by state Sen. Gene Yaw. Hundreds of attendees (students, advisers, government officials, lobbyists and members of the media) took part in the daylong gathering, the largest such Senate-organized program in the commonwealth. “This seminar is a great opportunity for high school students,” said the 23rd District Republican, who also chairs the college’s board of directors.  “It allows them to develop legislation, debate important issues with key policymakers, offer their personal input and vote on ‘mock’ bills in open session.” The intent of the event, begun more than 30 years ago under Sen. Roger A. Madigan, is for students to gain an understanding and appreciation of the legislative process and develop professional relationships that can open doors to their future. Before their brainstorming sessions, the students were treated to a rapid-fire primer on state government – as illuminating as it was irreverent – by J. Andrew “Drew” Crompton, chief of staff/counsel for Pennsylvania Senate President Pro-Tempore Joe Scarnati. A favorite part of the Yaw seminar for several years, Crompton served up a half-hour dissection of the “push and pull” within the state Legislature, blending in-your-face interactivity and infectious humor to further students’ serious understanding of the people’s business.

Fabric Installations at Penn College Explore Objects, Memories

Five panels from Kay Healy’s “Lost and Found” series will be included in her exhibit at The Gallery at Penn College.

Objects and memories, transience and stability are explored in “Vestiges,” an exhibit of fabric installations on display May 23 through July 23 in The Gallery at Penn College.

Through her drawn, screen-printed and stuffed fabric creations, Philadelphia artist Kay Healy explores themes of home, memory, displacement and loss. “Vestiges” will showcase more than 50 of the artist’s works, including five panels from the “Lost and Found” series, a life-size installation featuring three-dimensional objects from armchairs to frying pans and guitars to Teletubbies.

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Faculty Open Middle Schoolers’ Eyes to Vocational Vistas

Eric K. Albert, associate professor of machine tool technology/automated manufacturing, wraps up a session on additive manufacturing – explaining how the technology is changing the way we make and design products.

Middle schoolers had the run of campus on Monday, when they spent the day exploring “degrees that work” in all six of Penn College’s academic schools. Hosted by the College Transitions Office and guided by a multitude of Penn College faculty who provided 45-minute workshops and demonstrations, the students got a hands-on taste of the wide variety of careers they may choose to pursue.

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Last updated May 17, 2017 | Posted in College Transitions, Events, Faculty & Staff | This gallery contains 16 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

SGA Auction Adds Thousands to Scholarship Coffers

The sky's the limit for prospective bidders.

No "pig in a poke" is this piece of winged whimsy created by Dennis R. Dorward, associate professor of construction management/building construction.

Down on the auction floor, a spacious chair is just one of the items tempting buyers.

The Horticulture Club donated this handcrafted piece of leaf art ...

... while Financial Operations contributed a coffee-themed gift basket.

The Student Government Association’s recent Silent Auction generated $3,098 in scholarship donations at Penn College, according to final figures from the Student Activities Office. The auction, held at Madigan Library and open to the public, raised $178 in contributions to the new Start to Finish Minority Student Scholarship and the balance toward the Student Leader Legacy Scholarship, which makes annual awards to students who play leadership roles at the college.

Students’ Civic Projects Funded at Youth Leadership Graduation

Some members of this year's Penn College Youth Leadership Program class gather at the close of their on-campus graduation ceremony.

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently hosted a ceremony for graduates of its annual Youth Leadership Program, announcing winners of the initiative’s Social Change Competition.

Thirty 11th-graders from 10 secondary schools participated throughout the year in the program, designed to educate and motivate them to understand community needs and take an active leadership role in addressing them. This is the seventh year that Penn College has operated the program, which was facilitated by Anthony J. Pace, director of student activities; Sal Vitko, assistant director of student activities for student organizations/orientation; and Shelley L. Moore, director of career services.

As part of the Youth Leadership experience, each school team is challenged to identify a need in its community, develop a plan to address it, propose that plan to judges and, if funded as one of the top proposals, implement it.

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Commencement Gallery Mines a Mother Lode of Memories

Never too old for a pick-me-up from Mom, Carlos A. Ramos-Sonera celebrates in front of the Penn College sign.

Pennsylvania College of Technology held three commencement ceremonies at the Community Arts Center on May 12-13 for more than 900 students who fulfilled their degree requirements during the spring semester. The proceedings at 3 p.m. Friday featured students from the School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies and the School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications. Students from the School of Construction & Design Technologies and the School of Health Sciences were in the spotlight at 10 a.m. Saturday, while graduates of the School of Business & Hospitality and the School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies were featured during the 1:30 p.m. session. Student speakers were Lauren J. Crouse, of Turbotville, who received a Bachelor of Science in applied human services on Friday; Madison L. Carts, of State College, who received an Associate of Applied Science in surveying technology on Saturday morning; and Robert E. Wood, of Williamsport, who earned a Bachelor of Science in culinary arts and systems on Saturday afternoon. The college also presented three Distinguished Teaching Awards and two alumni awards.

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Last updated May 13, 2017 | Posted in Alumni, Events, Faculty & Staff, President | This gallery contains 83 photos. | Tagged as | One Comment