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Penn College Calendar

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

‘Mindful’ Exhibition, Workshops Explore Mental Health

“My Other Self Sanctuary,” by Michael Janis; kiln-formed glass, glass powder imagery, steel, 12 inches by 12 inches by 1 inch.

Offering an opportunity to encounter and understand mental health through the lens of contemporary craft, the first exhibition of The Gallery at Penn College’s 13th season opens Aug. 16 and runs through Oct. 11.

“Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art” studies the impact mental illness has on society, and the role the arts can play in encouraging positive self-expression and guiding effective mental health promotion and treatment.

A reception is set for Thursday, Sept. 6, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the gallery, located on the third floor of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Madigan Library.

In conjunction with the reception, a special lecture will be offered at 5:30 p.m. in the library’s second floor reading loft. Presented by “Mindful” artist Meredith Grimsley, “Trauma: Legacy, Biology and the Path to Healing” will discuss family history, the endurance of the human spirit and the gift of healing.

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Walking on Sunshine

A triumphant moment for the day's graduates, including surgical technology major Torri M. Johnson, of Smethport

Pennsylvania College of Technology held its Summer Commencement on Saturday at the Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport. Lara K. Duke, of Swengel, who received an Associate of Applied Science degree in physical therapist assistant, was the student speaker for the 11 a.m. ceremony. Nearly 250 degrees were conferred by President Davie Jane Gilmour and John M. Young, a member of the college board of directors. During the ceremony, an Alumni Achievement Award was presented to Mark A. Atwater, who earned multiple degrees in 2007 – including a bachelor’s in automated manufacturing technology.

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Last updated August 4, 2018 | Posted in Alumni, Events, Faculty & Staff, Students | This gallery contains 58 photos. | Tagged as | One Comment

Penn College Gallery Announces New Exhibition Season

The Gallery at Penn College has announced its 2018-19 season of contemporary art exhibitions.

The Gallery at Penn College is celebrating its 13th season with a dynamic roster of programming showcasing a range of artistic mediums addressing diverse social topics, including mental health, human rights, consumerism and compassion.

“The new season offers a series of thought-provoking exhibitions that tackle social justice and human rights issues,” said Penny Griffin Lutz, gallery director. “The first exhibition of the season, ‘Mindful,’ embraces difficult questions regarding our perceptions of mental health and attempts to bring this common illness out in the open to initiate dialogue and understanding. ‘Mindful’ features work by contemporary artists who have either been diagnosed with mental illness or have been affected by it through friends or family.”

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Automotive Instructors Return to Campus for Conference

A veteran of many NACAT conferences, Dale E. Jaenke (left) – soon to retire after 22 years on the college's automotive faculty – talks with council President Patrick Brown-Harrison.

For the third time in its history, Penn College hosted the annual conference of the North American Council of Automotive Teachers. Returning to the 1998 and 2008 site of their organization’s official get-together, more than 200 NACAT members from across the United States and Canada convened for the July 16-19 event. During their stay, participants had their pick among more than 110 informative and topical sessions; a variety of family activities and evening diversions – including a barbecue, Valve Cover Races and a closing banquet – supplemented each day’s instruction.

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Last updated July 23, 2018 | Posted in Automotive, Events, Faculty & Staff, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies | This gallery contains 5 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

Summer Commencement at Penn College Set for Aug. 4

Penn College’s Summer Commencement ceremony will take place Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Community Arts Center, Williamsport.

Nearly 250 students have petitioned to graduate in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Summer 2018 Commencement ceremony, scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Community Arts Center.

The student speaker will be Lara K. Duke, of Swengel, Union County, who will receive an Associate of Applied Science in physical therapist assistant. A Dean’s List student, Duke previously earned a Bachelor of Science in athletic training from Boise State University.

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Coed Youth Basketball Camp Runs Aug. 6-9

Girls and boys in grades three to eight are welcome to register for Penn College’s Boys and Girls Youth Basketball Camp, running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 6-9 on the college’s main campus in Williamsport. The objective of the camp, under the direction of Wildcat head women’s basketball coach Lauren Healy (and rescheduled from mid-July), is to teach and develop basketball skills, sportsmanship and knowledge in all phases of the game. Each camper will enjoy four days of instruction and competition; youngsters will be grouped according to age and skill level for team play. The cost is $135 per camper, lunch included.

Visitors Get Eyeful on Aptly Named ‘Summer Preview Day’

Admissions Counselor Lee A. Dawson provides an overview of life at Penn College during a welcome session in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium.

Chef Mary G. Trometter, assistant professor of hospitality management/culinary arts, shows families around the kitchens where students prepare fine food for Le Jeune Chef Restaurant.

Michelle D. Karchik, a student ambassador and physician assistant student from Clarence, leads a group on a tour of campus.

Christopher H. Van Stavoren, assistant professor, talks with families about the ins and outs of the college’s automotive technology majors.

Penn College welcomed nearly 100 potential students and their guests Friday for the season’s second Summer Preview Day. The visitors explored instructional labs; enjoyed campus and housing tours; and connected with Admissions, Student Activities, Athletics, Financial Aid and other resources. The final Summer Preview Day will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 28.

Sorry to ‘Eat and Run?’ Not This Crew!

Jeremy R. Bottorf (right), coordinator of athletics for club sports, intramurals and camps, raises the bar in the "Who can blow the biggest bubble?" contest.

While tempted to use their hands, these competitors were challenged to move a cookie from forehead to mouth by facial movement alone.

A focused camper tries to eat a stack of crackers as quickly as possible before running to tag her relay teammate.

In full stride, a youngster runs his leg of the Alphabet Saltine Challenge.

In the Skittles Race, each participant had to hold a straw in his or her mouth, suck a Skittle to the end and run to the bowls to drop their candy cargo. The team with the most Skittles at the end of five minutes won.

In the midst of World Cup, Wimbledon and the Tour de France, Penn College’s Camp ESCAPE provided yet another option for hardcore sports enthusiasts: The Eating Olympics. Thursday’s campers, enjoying a healthy dose of pleasant summer sun, were put through their paces in a series of food-related events outside the Field House. (The boys won the cracker relay, while the Skittles title went to the girls.) In addition to the day’s edible treats, the seven-week summer camp – of which only two weeks remain – includes a regular diet of field trips, bowling, swimming, crafts, indoor and outdoor games, movies, and more.
Photos by Rachel A. Eirmann, student photographer

In Any Medium, Campers’ Artistry is Well-Done

A camper delights in her clay creation: an elephant-inspired bee house. When complete, campers can place their bee houses outside their homes to enhance bee habitat.

Penn College art studios offer welcoming space for artistic expression and exploration. Here, a young camper adds finishing touches to his creation in a printmaking workshop.

For outdoor fun, Varner adds detergent to a camper’s wet felting project that incorporates wool roving.

A tie-dye T-shirt complements a tie-dye wool ball, which was later transformed into a felted bowl.

In a needle felting session, a camper crafts a Brachiosaurus.

Creative spirits soared this week at Penn College’s Creative Art Camp, held Monday through Thursday, in the Bush Campus Center art studios. About 30 campers, entering fourth through seventh grades, explored a wide range of media and crafted objects from clay bee houses to felted bowls and animals. The day camp, coordinated by Penny Griffin Lutz, director of The Gallery at Penn College, featured three local artists/art educators as camp instructors: Deborah L. Stabley, adjunct art faculty, Penn College; Andrea McDonough Varner, art educator, Williamsport Area High School; and Holley Fuller, a 2018 art education graduate of Lycoming College.

Penn College’s 32nd Golf Classic Boosts Scholarship Assistance

Dan Boever leaves ‘em laughing during an exhibition at the Penn College Foundation’s recent 32nd Annual Golf Classic, which benefits student scholarships.

A return appearance by one of the most popular performers on the exhibition circuit helped propel the Penn College Foundation’s 32nd Annual Golf Classic into the record books.

The recent event, headlined for the second consecutive time by golf entertainer Dan Boever, was the most successful in its history – topping $100,000 in scholarship support. Compass Group North America was the title sponsor for the tournament, the net proceeds of which benefit the Penn College Foundation Golf Classic Scholarship.

Boever’s talents are contagiously crowd-pleasing, drawing respectful laughter for the proficiency required to make difficult trick shots look so easy.

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College Represented in Craft Beer Film to Be Shown Locally

"Poured in Pennsylvania"“Poured in Pennsylvania,” a documentary that explores the commonwealth’s thriving craft beer industry, will be screened Friday, July 27 – the eve of The Billtown Brewfest in downtown Williamsport. The film features Timothy L. Yarrington, instructor of brewing and fermentation science at Penn College, and is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. in the Michael Ross Center at Trade & Transit Centre II (144 W. Third St.). From America’s oldest brewery to taprooms popping up in small towns, GK Visual’s film follows Pennsylvania’s storied beer past, delves into recent growth and aims to capture the full tale of the beer industry in The Keystone State. Filmed throughout 2017 from Philadelphia to Erie, “Poured in Pennsylvania” visits breweries old and new, large and small … and a few that are still on the path to opening. Sponsored by the Lycoming County Visitors Bureau, Penn College and Straub Brewery, the free showing is limited to the first 240 people who register online. Penn College will staff a table at the Pine Square event from noon-7 p.m. Saturday, July 28, greeting alumni and sharing information about the college and its brewing and fermentation science major. Using the “PCTBrewfest” code when registering will reduce the ticket to $30 ($10 off).

Community Arts Center Unveils Silver-Anniversary Lineup

The Community Arts Center presents its 25th Anniversary Season, which begins July 1.

Nearly 1.5 million guests have enjoyed events at the downtown venue since its spectacular reopening in 1993, and millions more are on the way. Making sure that there is something for every taste and every age has become an Arts Center hallmark. The CAC celebrates its 25th year with a season full of nationally renowned talent, entertainment, variety and quality shows!

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‘Long Island Medium’ to Appear Oct. 13 at CAC

"Theresa Caputo Live! The Experience"The star of TLC’s hit show, “Long Island Medium,” will share personal stories, perform readings and deliver comforting messages to audience members when she returns to the Community Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. Tickets for “Theresa Caputo Live! The Experience” start at $39.75 (plus applicable fees) and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. They can be purchased online, by phone at 570-326-2424 or at the Arts Center box office. (Buying a ticket does not guarantee a reading. A video display ensures everyone in the theater has an up-close, hands-on experience regardless of seat location.) Caputo has been a practicing medium for more than 15 years, guiding survivors through their grief toward a place of solace and healing. Her latest book, “Good Grief: Heal Your Soul, Honor Your Loved Ones, and Learn to Live Again,” was released March 14 and debuted on The New York Times best-seller list at No. 3. She is also the author of “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up,” released in September 2014, and “There’s More to Life Than This,” published in 2013.

Campers Enjoy the Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer

A summer of refreshing, enlightening exploration

The hunger for knowledge continued for hundreds of young women and men who explored the hands-on world of Penn College’s summer camps mere weeks after their school year ended.

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Last updated June 25, 2018 | Posted in Business & Hospitality, Construction & Design Technologies, Events, Faculty & Staff, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Nursing & Health Sciences, Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies | This gallery contains 32 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

Crosscutters Make Pre-Game Stop at Camp ESCAPE

The 'cutters added their signatures to caps and other campers' keepsakes.

Camp ESCAPE kids meet the players (from left): Mayer, O'Brien, Melendez and Lindow.

Beating the heat with some indoor fun

Ballplayers face a formidable lineup!

Four members of the Williamsport Crosscutters, back at BBT Park after a trio of early-season games in State College, visited Penn College’s Camp ESCAPE on Monday morning. Pitchers Orestes Melendez and Ethan Lindow, infielder Stoney O’Brien and right fielder Danny Mayer joined the youngsters for dodgeball in the Field House, signed a number of items brought in for autographing and met with some very inquisitive campers. (In case anyone is wondering, hockey is the second-favorite sport for many of the teammates.) The ‘cutters face three home games against the Auburn Doubledays this week.
 Photos by Jeremy R. Bottorf, coordinator of athletics for club sports, intramurals and camps

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