News about Events

A communitywide Flags Across America ceremony, a Flag Day tradition near the base of the towering “Stars and Stripes” outside the Student & Administrative Services Center, was held Monday evening at Penn College. Individuals and organizations lined up in the large parking lot south of Madigan Library at 6:20 p.m. shortly before stepping off for a brief march to the SASC, where entertainment included a concert by the Repasz Band Brass Ensemble. Participants joined in a national Pledge of Allegiance at 7 p.m. The event honored the late Anthony L. DiSalvo, longtime organizer of the annual Flag March (altered this year due to COVID) and a driving force behind installation of the college’s 1,800-square-foot American flag more than two decades ago. The Williamsport Sun-Gazette, which recently editorialized about the college’s hosting of the event, recapped the evening in its Wednesday editions.

State College native Eric Ian Farmer will travel to Williamsport to perform on the Community Arts Center stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 16.

The Penn State alumnus, raised in North Carolina and returning to his roots, has entertained audiences at Happy Valley’s Got Talent and Penn State’s Got Talent, both popular regional competitions, and recorded a live album at The Attic at The State Theatre in State College.

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Inspirations, themes and daily habits were topics of discussion at the first of two artists’ roundtable talks held Wednesday afternoon in The Gallery at Penn College as part of its “Textiles in Translation” exhibition on display through July 22. The collection features fiber-based artwork by 35 Pennsylvania regional members of Studio Art Quilt Associates. Joining Gallery Director Penny Griffin Lutz in the conversation were: Meredith Eachus Armstrong, of Danville; Jean Downing and Meredith Re’ Grimsley, both of Bloomsburg; Sara Mika, of Catawissa; and Sharon Wall, of Altoona. “Both the artists and the attendees to the first public gallery event since January 2020 were engaged and happy to have the opportunity to discuss art, studio practices, techniques and process,” Lutz said. “We look forward to hosting another discussion on June 24.” That day’s 2 p.m. gathering will feature other SAQA artists. Those interested in attending can reserve a seat by email. The exhibition can be viewed online or in person at the gallery, located on the third floor of the Madigan Library at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Summer hours are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, and will be closed July 3-6.)

“Textiles in Translation,” a collection of fiber-based artwork by 35 Pennsylvania regional members of Studio Art Quilt Associates, will be showcased at The Gallery at Penn College June 1 through July 22.

The exhibition can be viewed in person at the gallery, located on the third floor of the Madigan Library at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Summer hours are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays and will be closed July 3-6.) The gallery is following COVID-19 pandemic safety protocols, including requiring masks, social distancing and capacity limits.

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Punctuating the ultimate celebration of student achievement, Pennsylvania College of Technology held a dizzying dozen commencement exercises from May 14-16 to provide a memorable occasion for students and their families while adhering to federal and state guidelines. The proceedings – four on Friday, five on Saturday and three on Sunday – simultaneously honored Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 graduates and featured speeches by a rotating trio of class representatives: Joseph M. Morrin, of Morrisville, graphic design; Ethan M. McKenzie, of Muncy, software development and information management; and Olivia C. Ferki, Richboro, plastics and polymer engineering technology. (Each of the three spoke at his or her major’s assigned ceremony; recorded versions of their remarks were rotated among the other nine.)

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Prices have been slashed in half at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center greenhouse sale, continuing from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays (closed Saturday and Sunday). Inventory is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and supplies are limited. Everything is cash and carry; there will be no early sales or holds.

Shoppers can take advantage of these deals while supplies last: whole flat of cell packs, $7; hanging baskets, $6; perennials (7-inch), $3; 6- or 7-inch pots, $2; cell packs (four or six), $1; and 4-inch pots (terra cotta color), $1. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, face masks are mandatory and no more than 14 people at a time will be permitted entry.
Photos by Marci M. Hessert, office assistant to the assistant dean of diesel technology and natural resources

Fresh from the “American Idol” stage, Beane – a Loyalsock Township High School graduate and alumnus of the Uptown Music Collective – will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at the Community Arts Center. Also known as Brennan Hepler, the Boston-based singer/songwriter worked his way through hundreds of contestants on ABC’s popular “Idol” show and ultimately broke into the top 12. (All appropriate COVID-19 precautions will be taken at the venue, including temperature checks, masks and social distancing, in accordance with guidelines from the state and Penn College.) Tickets ($25) are now on sale for the performance, in collaboration with the UMC and co-sponsored by M&T Bank, which is part of the CAC’s “Closer to Home” series.

An alumnus’s investment in the next generation of innovators, the literal future of American manufacturing, was spotlighted during the April 27 dedication of the Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Last year’s $1 million-plus donation from Ward, a 1966 graduate in engineering drafting technology, monumentally reshaped the expansive laboratory – one of the oldest on campus, dating to the benefactor’s days as a student at Williamsport Technical Institute and Williamsport Area Community College, the institution’s predecessors.

“A strong advocate for the future of manufacturing in America, Larry is committed to enhancing our automated manufacturing and machining curriculum, lab space and opportunities to prepare students for successful and sustaining careers,” college President Davie Jane Gilmour said. “It is this commitment that has transformed our machining lab, but Larry’s generosity does not stop there. He has donated materials and equipment, sponsored a commencement award for mechatronics students, and hired Penn College graduates and interns as his business grew.”

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The Wildcat Events Board’s traditional pre-finals block party at Penn College – with a “Welcome to the Jungle” theme this time – was held Friday afternoon along Vine Avenue, on the north side of campus. And as if 2020-21 wasn’t wild enough, the festivities’ latest incarnation included visits from Reptiland and The Hatchet House! Among the other diversions, all designed to close out the semester and ease into summer, were a live DJ, food truck and “make and take” crafts.
Photos by Juvy A. Orillaza, student photographer

The One World Club, one of Penn College’s newest student organizations, sponsored a “Stop the Violence, Keep the Peace” walk around campus Monday afternoon in support of the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

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Thirty-three Pennsylvania College of Technology students were welcomed Saturday afternoon into the Pennsylvania Xi Chapter of Alpha Chi, a national honor society for those seeking bachelor’s degrees, during an in-person event that also celebrated an equal number of 2020 inductees who were deprived of official recognition a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Membership is open to baccalaureate students from all academic disciplines and is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s junior and senior classes. Acceptance by Alpha Chi recognizes previous accomplishments and provides an opportunity for continued growth and service. As a phrase from the society’s constitution suggests, the organization seeks to find ways to assist students in “making scholarship effective for good.”

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The artistic talents of 21 graphic design seniors at Pennsylvania College of Technology will be showcased in “Graphic Design 2021,” the annual student portfolio exhibition in The Gallery at Penn College.

Running April 26 through May 7, the exhibit can be viewed in person at the gallery, which is open 2 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. (It is closed on the weekends.)

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A number of events, free and open to the entire campus, marked Penn College’s annual observance of Pride Week (April 19-23). Activities celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and its allies featured a flag-raising in the Hager Lifelong Education Center Loop on Monday and a silent auction of handmade items in the Bush Campus Center on Thursday. Also included were Safe Zone training for employees, takeaway crafts and a screening of “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” – a documentary chronicling a prominent gay-rights advocate – in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium.

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The last in a semester-long series of virtual events,  sponsored by Penn College’s Admissions Office and open to the community, will guide registrants through a handpicked selection of craft-beer styles. “Beer Tasting With Purpose,” featuring Timothy L. Yarrington, instructor of brewing and fermentation science, will be offered from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, May 6. Registrants will be sent a shopping list (the same varieties that Penn College seniors are brewing for their capstone projects) in advance of the online session, which will include a Q&A with one of the region’s most respected and accomplished brewmasters. For more information, contact Maddie L. Metzger, admissions counselor, events and communications support.

Penn College’s One World Club is hosting a “Stop the Violence, Keep the Peace” walk from 3-5 p.m. Monday in solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander community. “The intent of this walk is to spread awareness of the violent hate, both verbal and physical, that many people who are part of the AAPI community have been experiencing,” said club President Angelyvette Santana, a radiography student. “Our hope for this walk is for those in the AAPI community to know that they are not alone in these times, that we see and hear everything that is happening, and we support them and give them our strength.” The event will begin at the steps of the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center, where two tables will be set up: one providing club information and a list of resources, the other offering a sign-making activity. There will be remarks from Dessa D. Valisno, a business administration: marketing concentration major and the club’s treasurer, followed by the walk around campus. (Water, prepackaged snacks and buttons will be provided.)