Penn College’s Office of Student Engagement’s outreach in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic continues with May’s designation as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Commemorative events, accessible through the Student Life page on Facebook, will include a Meditation and Mindfulness Workshop, armchair tours of museums, and a Culture Café to bring home a taste of Asian-inspired cuisine. A full schedule follows: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
A discussion of diversity, to be conducted via Zoom, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, April 20. Craig A. Miller, associate professor of history/political science, will moderate the exploration of issues surrounding race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality on campus. Organizers anticipate a substantive conversation about developing and fostering a campus culture that promotes the well-being of all Penn College students: “If you’re an ally, advocate, a student from a minority population or someone looking to learn more about these issues, this forum is for you.” To obtain the meeting ID and password, email the Office of Student Engagement.
Members of the campus community gather in the LEC Loop for last year’s Pride Week kickoff.
Undeterred by social distancing, the Office of Student Engagement has organized a weeklong menu of virtual activities to mark Penn College’s sixth annual Pride Week. The April 13-17 schedule includes a book club, craft instruction, aerobics and a discussion of the LGBTQ community’s depiction in the media – all held online in a blend of safety and solidarity. For more information, consult the full schedule: Virtual Pride Week 2020
The Community Arts Center, a subsidiary of Penn College and one of the top performing arts venues on the East Coast, has announced the rescheduling of two more events displaced by the coronavirus shutdown. Gentri, “The Gentlemen Trio” marked by dynamic tenor harmonies, has been moved to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, and Steep Canyon Rangers, a Grammy-winning sextet that transcends its North Carolina bluegrass roots, will now perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. (Ticketholders who cannot attend those rescheduled dates are asked to email the Arts Center before April 30 to request a refund.
Penn College’s planned April 4 “Service Saturday” – a dental hygiene outreach to veterans, active-duty service personnel and their dependents – has been canceled.
Facing the same “avalanche of closings and cancellations” spawned by Gov. Tom Wolf’s directive on public events, the Community Arts Center has announced several changes to its schedule.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Béla Fleck canceled his spring tour due to the worldwide coronavirus crisis, with makeup dates yet to be determined.)
Groundbreaking, Grammy-winning quartet Béla Fleck & The Flecktones is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an extended tour that will stop by the Community Arts Center on Tuesday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m.
With an impossible-to-pigeonhole sound, the innovative quartet blends a range of genres from classical and jazz to bluegrass, and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk. Led by Fleck, who has been described by many as the world’s premier banjo player, the group enjoys a fervent fan following around the world and has played with equally excellent musicians the likes of Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt and Sam Bush.
The Oxymorons improv troupe recently returned to campus for an espionage-tinged Murder Mystery Dinner in the Mountain Laurel Room of Penn College’s Thompson Professional Development Center. “Leap of Fate,” a fittingly named Student Engagement event held on February’s quadrennial extra day, involved a cadre of cutthroat spies clawing to the pinnacle of their profession. Chef Michael J. Ditchfield and three of his culinary arts technology students (Jacob G. Clarke, of Wilmington, Delaware; Keowa M. Clemens, of York; and Kaitlyn M. June, of Muncy) prepared this year’s winning menu of dishes named for principals in the evening’s shenanigans.
Pennsylvania College of Technology dental hygiene students and volunteer dental professionals will provide free dental hygiene services to veterans, members of the armed services, and their dependents on Saturday, April 4.
SPE PlastiVan educator Elizabeth Egan shows a model of a polymer – a molecule with many parts bonded together.Students from Upper Dauphin Area High School use their fingers to mix glue and borax, creating a fun putty. The fingers were essential to provide heat for the endothermic chemical reaction.High schoolers add oil to water to test a plastic material used to absorb real oil spills in lakes and oceans.Taking advantage of their chemical knowledge, students stick a skewer through a balloon – with the help of lotion to make the skewer slip between the molecules in the latex without popping the balloon.
SEKISUI SPI, a Bloomsburg-based thermoplastics company, sponsored three days of opportunity for young learners to experiment with polymers via a visit from the Society of Plastics Engineers’ PlastiVan. PlastiVan educator Elizabeth Egan talked with Penn College NOW students from seven high schools who visited over two days. Penn College NOW is the college’s nationally accredited dual-enrollment program, which provides Penn College classes to high school students in their schools, where they receive both high school and college credit for the courses. While on campus, Egan taught the high school students about the history, chemistry and uses of plastic through fun experiments. The students also toured the college’s plastics education facilities, where they interacted with faculty and students, and the campus. The PlastiVan also spent a day at the annual Science Festival on campus Wednesday.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the global coronavirus outbreak, the March 19 performance was tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 2.)
The Dallas String Quartet will deliver its passionate fusion of classical and contemporary music to the Community Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19.
Described by The Wall Street Journal as “not your grandmother’s string quartet,” DSQ has sold out high-profile venues, symphony halls and blues havens alike, and played alongside such artists as Josh Groban, Chicago and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It has performed for Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, the college football playoffs, and NBA and NFL organizations, and continues to expand its following on Pandora, Spotify and Sirius XM radio.
The quartet comprises composer/violinist Ion Zanca, violinists Eleanor Dunbar and Melissa Priller, and bassist Young Heo, with full accompaniment by guitarist Anthony Plant and percussionist Efren Guzman.
Watch for Peach Farro in CC Commons.Ramen Noodles with Gochujang Beef and Sweet & Sour Tempura Chicken is headed for the Capitol Eatery menu.Dining Services’ Donna L. Cole helps show students what’s on the horizon.Coming soon to Penn Central: Hot Chili Garlic WingsItalian Pinwheels destined for the “Grab ‘n’ Go” selections
Thursday’s Recipe Showcase in the Keystone Dining Room provided more than 300 people with tempting samples, soliciting feedback on items that Dining Services plans to add to its menus in the Fall 2020 semester. Photos by Noelle B. Bloom, assistant director, Dining Services
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the global coronavirus outbreak, Spring Open House was canceled.)
When it comes to choosing a college, seeing is believing. And there’s a lot to see at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Spring Open House!
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 28, members of the Penn College community will welcome thousands of potential enrollees and their families, opening wide the doors to a landmark institution that has helped tomorrow makers fulfill their destinies for more than a century.
“Open House provides a unique way for prospective students to explore our campus,” said Jen M. Cullin-Hetrick, coordinator of admissions events/communications. “With no set agenda to follow, guests can take the day to explore what matters most to them. Whether that is seeing as many labs as possible, checking out the residence halls, connecting with current students, or all of the above.”
Set for April 3, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s annual Visiting Chef dinner will feature Chef Fabrizio Facchini, who has gained acclaim in both Italy and the United States.
A brand ambassador for Urbani Truffles and a champion for “slow food,” Facchini’s most recent venture is the highly anticipated opening this spring of Cotto, the restaurant inside the Renaissance New York Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan’s Flower District.
During his three-day stay on campus, Facchini will speak in Penn College hospitality classes and work alongside students to prepare the menu he has developed for an elegant reception and four-course benefit dinner that will culminate his stay. Proceeds from the dinner are used to fund scholarships in the college’s baking and pastry arts and culinary arts majors.
With Mardi Gras just around the corner, a serving of Creole cuisine is in fashion.Historical tidbits adorn the table, enlightening diners to the accomplishments of such notables as Olympian Maria Mutola.Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (left) and chemist Lloyd Augustus Hall are among the depicted heroes of STEM, seemingly keeping their eyes on the culinary prize.
Wednesday’s Cultural Cafe, served up by Dining Services in commemoration of Black History Month, provided a sampling menu – three different stations focused on three distinct cultures. Participation in the CC Commons dinner qualified students to compete for a variety of raffle prizes. Photos by Juvy A. Orillaza, student photographer
A discussion of diversity, to be conducted via Zoom, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, April 20. Craig A. Miller, associate professor of history/political science, will moderate the exploration of issues surrounding race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality on campus. Organizers anticipate a substantive conversation about developing and fostering a campus culture that promotes the well-being of all Penn College students: “If you’re an ally, advocate, a student from a minority population or someone looking to learn more about these issues, this forum is for you.” To obtain the meeting ID and password, email the Office of Student Engagement.
A discussion of diversity, to be conducted via Zoom, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, April 20. Craig A. Miller, associate professor of history/political science, will moderate the exploration of issues surrounding race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality on campus. Organizers anticipate a substantive conversation about developing and fostering a campus culture that promotes the well-being of all Penn College students: “If you’re an ally, advocate, a student from a minority population or someone looking to learn more about these issues, this forum is for you.” To obtain the meeting ID and password, email the Office of Student Engagement.
