News about Faculty & Staff

Penn College was busily represented at the 31st annual World War II Weekend, “A Gathering of Warbirds,” held Friday through Sunday at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading. “Visitors to the table could build a model B26 Marauder using aviation tools and materials,” said Thomas D. Inman, an associate professor of aviation, who facilitated construction of about 250 replicas of the vintage bomber. Among those visitors during the event – which attracted enthusiastic and engaged children, adults and prospective aviation students – was 99-year-old Dorothy Trate. “Dottie” was an original “Rosie the Riveter,” one of the thousands of women who stepped into manufacturing jobs to help the war effort.
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Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity joined state Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) on a Thursday tour of Pennsylvania College of Technology, hosted by President Davie Jane Gilmour, to promote the PA 529 College and Career Savings Program.

“Penn College offers a wide range of programs that are crucial to making sure Pennsylvania has the highly skilled workers we need for the future,” Garrity said. “Treasury’s PA 529 plans are the perfect tool to help families save and pay for education – including the popular nursing, welding and information technology programs here at Penn College. I want to thank Sen. Yaw and Dr. Gilmour for inviting me to tour this impressive campus.”

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Valerie A. Myers has been appointed dean of nursing and health sciences at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Myers, who has served as assistant dean of nursing at Penn College since 2018, has worked as a nurse educator and administrator in higher education for 14 years. She begins her new duties on July 1, succeeding Sandra L. Richmond, who is returning to a teaching role with Penn College’s nursing faculty.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology awarded its first DAISY Awards in May to nursing student Britney S. Kattau, of Ephrata, and faculty member Karen L. Martin, associate professor of psychiatric nursing.

Award winners can be nominated by peers, colleagues, patients, families or alumni. Winners are selected by a committee in Penn College’s nursing program.

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A local custom furniture business is supporting Pennsylvania College of Technology students in their upcoming global experience in Alaska.

Zach Wahl, founder of Brick Mill Craft Furniture Co., based in Williamsport, donated $300 for 12 human services & restorative justice students to purchase travel-size toiletries and other necessities for their June service-learning trip.

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Advice from industry partners led to the creation of the Human Services & Restorative Justice Coffee & Conversation series this past semester at Pennsylvania College of Technology, and plans are underway to continue the initiative in the fall. Hosting three speakers across three months of Spring 2022, the sessions provided candid conversations on hot topics impacting the HSJ field.

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A group of Penn College students, visiting three distinct regions of Italy to study their hospitality culture, were the subject of a May 24 article in Italian online news publication Estense.com. “Estense” is the Italian term for people from Ferrara, in northern Italy. The publication featured the students’ visit to a farmers market in the city. Local representatives talked with students about the market; how it facilitates the use of fresh, in-season foods and a short supply chain; and typical products of the region, including rice, pasta, sugar, garlic, wine, cold cuts, Ferrara peanuts and rice biscuits. The students are enrolled in a study abroad course titled Global Food & Hospitality: Cuisine, Culture and Perspectives, taught by Chef Mary G. Trometter, assistant professor of hospitality management/culinary arts. Watch PCToday for more about the trip (and other college-sanctioned Global Experiences).

​More than 400 prospective students and their guests attended Wednesday’s first Open House of the summer season, which featured weather as warm as the welcome they received from accommodating faculty and staff. Attendees got an informative “sneak peek” at what awaits Penn College’s Tomorrow Makers, including tours of instructional space and various aspects of student life. Visit the Admissions Office to register for one of the season’s remaining Open Houses: Sunday, June 26; Saturday, July 23; and Friday, July 29.
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A video highlighting Pennsylvania College of Technology’s dynamic environment and culture – and serving as a recruitment tool for faculty – has earned bronze recognition in the 43rd annual Telly Awards, a competition honoring excellence in video and television across all screens.

The video “Make a Hands-on Difference: Teach at Penn College” received a bronze Telly in the General-Workplace Culture category.

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Penn College’s Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program culminated in graduation on Friday morning, followed by breakout networking opportunities with three of the initiative’s industry partners. Seven of the pre-apprentices (four high schoolers and three young adults from across Pennsylvania) attended in person with their families, receiving certificates of completion and Certified Manufacturing Associate status from the Society for Manufacturing Engineers, among other credentials. Participants learn foundational knowledge and skills related to manufacturing careers during the semester-long program, a substantial commitment that was acknowledged at the ceremony by Ross A. Berger, manager of the MIDAS grant that funds the college’s pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship offerings, and industry technology specialists Chris D. Gramling and Adam J. Yoder. The brief ceremony in Penn’s Inn was followed by Industry Day and a campus tour; taking time to talk with the pre-apprentices were representatives of First Quality, Kawneer and West Pharmaceutical Services Inc.

With Baby Boomer retirements and pandemic-era voluntary departures only adding to the skills gap in industry, Workforce Development’s 2022 Penn College Apprenticeship Summit provided timely food for thought. Tuesday’s daylong event in Penn’s Inn brought together experienced industry representatives and empathetic partners to discuss current trends and the workforce of the future, and brainstormed how apprenticeship programs play a crucial role in recruiting and retaining high-quality employees. Workforce Development serves as a comprehensive clearinghouse for apprenticeships at companies of all sizes, and customizes those offerings to meet industry’s specific needs in fields including mechatronics, robotics, health care, plastics and diesel. In addition to such benefits as career advancement, higher income and a competitive edge, participants in those registered programs now have a pathway to an associate degree in apprenticeship technology.

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More than 40 Pennsylvania College of Technology students obtained valuable industry certifications related to engineering design in 2021-22, including one student who became the first in school history to earn certified SolidWorks expert status.

Benson P. Weaver, an engineering design technology major from Lititz, passed four advanced topic tests (sheet metal, drawing tools, surfacing and weldments) before successfully completing the most challenging SolidWorks exam: Certified SolidWorks Expert in Mechanical Design.

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For a decade, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Baja SAE team has placed among the nation’s elite in grueling endurance races. After Baja SAE Tennessee Tech, the team reigns supreme.

Penn College topped a 72-car field in Cookeville, Tennessee, on Sunday to win the endurance race for the first time, besting the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Cornell, Rochester Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Auburn and Texas A&M. The four-hour race, consisting of rugged terrain and tight turns, is Baja SAE’s marquee event.

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With more than 2 million manufacturing jobs projected to go unfilled by 2030 and women making up just 29% of the field’s workforce, it’s undeniable: There’s untapped potential in the world of manufacturing – especially for women. A new YouTube video lets employers and job-seekers alike discover the advantages of these game-changing apprenticeship programs and gives women a huge step toward higher-level positions in the nation’s fast-paced, technologically advanced manufacturing sector. “I don’t think a lot of women understand what manufacturing is,” says Shannon Bower, quality manager at First Quality Products. “I think they see it as that stereotypical laborer getting dirty working with their hands. But new manufacturing is definitely not that.” The 5½-minute video – produced, photographed and edited by Penn College’s Tom Speicher – premiered at Tuesday’s 2022 Penn College Apprenticeship Summit.

Pennsylvania College of Technology has chosen Neslihan “Nesli” Alp as its vice president for academic affairs and provost, the highest-ranking academic officer at the institution, a special mission affiliate of Penn State.

The Penn College Board of Directors approved the selection of Alp at a special meeting today. Her starting date is expected to be Aug. 1. She succeeds Michael J. Reed, who is set to become the college’s new president on July 1, following the retirement of Davie Jane Gilmour, who retires June 30 after 24 years as president.

Since 2018, Alp has been at Indiana State University, where she has served as dean and professor for the 2,000-student College of Technology. In that role, she led five departments, the Flight Academy, and Air Force and Army ROTC, overseeing 80 faculty and 20 staff.

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