News about Faculty & Staff

A new video on Penn College’s YouTube channel acquaints viewers with Pamela W. Baker, who balances an ongoing nursing career with educating the next generation of health care heroes. “It’s important to have teachers like Mrs. Baker,” said Kathryn M. “Katie” Faust, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. “Because when I actually do go out into the clinical field and I’m practicing as a nurse, I feel like she really prepares you for real life.” Baker works as a R.N. in the cardiac recovery wing at Geisinger Medical Center over semester breaks, and being an educator offers a whole new level of flexibility – one that gives her more time with family and her border collie. “I went to school to be a nurse and I can still be a nurse,” said Baker, who will begin the Fall 2021 semester as an associate professor of nursing programs. “And although I was making a career change when I switched to a faculty role, I didn’t have to give up either of my careers.”

Pennsylvania College of Technology has hired the director for its newly formed LEAP (Learning, Evolving, Adapting, Preparing) Center, a dedicated first-year advising center modeled on current best practices in undergraduate retention.

Christie Bing Kracker, who has more than 25 years of experience in postsecondary education, most recently as dean of students at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, officially began her duties on June 23.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology has added to its leadership team with the appointment of two assistant deans for the School of Engineering Technologies.

Kathleen D. Chesmel heads the school’s Materials Science and Engineering Technologies Division, and Ellyn A. Lester is doing the same for the Construction and Architectural Technologies Division. Both new hires possess a unique combination of academic and industry experience.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kathy and Ellyn to Penn College,” said Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies. “We had several outstanding candidates to choose from, but Kathy and Ellyn stood out with their impeccable credentials and enthusiasm for the college’s hands-on education that results in rewarding, sustainable careers. I’m confident that they will make substantial contributions to the college, benefiting both students and faculty.”

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A sunset gathering in West Virginia will be scheduled in memory of Pamela L. Starcher, Penn College’s former director of nursing, who died Saturday, June 26. Hired as a full-time faculty member in August 1998, she assumed the director’s position in June 1999 and retired 10 years later.

An obituary in the Parkersburg (W.Va.) News and Sentinel directs that, “In lieu of flowers, Pam would enjoy knowing that one animal was saved at your local shelter, a student nurse can afford to complete a program of study, a dying patient has something soft and pretty to keep them warm, or your most precious gift is shared now and not later – time.”

Arrangements are being handled by Anders-Rice Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

Penn College’s “My Tomorrow” program (June 21-24 and June 28-July 1) opened middle-schoolers’ minds to a variety of vocational possibilities through hands-on activities and faculty-led sessions. The initiative, sponsored by the Soars Family, exposed students to a number of prospective careers – such as engineering, business and hospitality, the arts, and health sciences – as well as giving them a jump on charting their paths to success and satisfaction.

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Three Penn College head coaches – Geoff Hensley, men’s basketball; Christa Matlack, women’s soccer; and Tyler Mensch, men’s soccer – will be inducted this fall into the Athletic Halls of Fame at their respective universities.

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Considering a career in information technology? Meet Sandra Gorka, associate professor and department head for IT at Penn College, and get a glimpse of everything from gaming and simulation spaces to hands-on labs dedicated to cyber security, networking, database management and Linux systems. “Whether it’s in organizations, industries, the private sector or just for our entertainment, they all need information technology professionals to help them install, configure and maintain their computing systems, as well as create and maintain new systems that help them get their jobs done,” Gorka says. “All organizations need computing.”

Modular apprenticeships, characterized by Workforce Development’s executive director for business development as a “missing piece” in the employee training puzzle, are the focus of the second in a series of blog posts about Penn College’s apprenticeship program. “The idea is to take a large apprenticeship program and segment it into modules that focus on common topical areas,” Christopher P. Ray says. “This allows for employees to benefit from the entire upskilling program if needed, or to focus time and effort only on the segments that apply to their areas of responsibility.”

As if the industrious fulfillment of her proud Pennsylvania College of Technology days isn’t a sufficient bequest, Kate M. Ruggiero punctuated her academic performance with a larger-than-life mic drop: impressively taking the lead in repainting a single-engine Cessna 175C airplane donated to the Lumley Aviation Center eight years ago.

Ruggiero earned an associate degree in aviation technology from Penn College in December, crossing the stage in a COVID-delayed ceremony on May 15, and will move from Easton to Michigan in early July to start a job as an aircraft paint specialist – working on corporate and private jets for Duncan Aviation in Battle Creek.

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The Otto Bookstore in downtown Williamsport is hosting a book signing featuring Pennsylvania College of Technology employees and recent authors Megan E. Rogers and Thomas F. Speicher on Saturday, June 26, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

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For some, retirement is a time for rest and relaxation. For Lisa Bock, it’s a time for writing books and giving back to her field.

Bock recently authored her third book and second since retiring in May 2020 from a 17-year teaching career at Pennsylvania College of Technology. “Modern Cryptography for Cybersecurity Professionals” is the latest offering from the former associate professor of computer information technology.

Intended for IT managers, security professionals, teachers and students, the 286-page book focuses on how to implement cryptographic techniques to reduce the risk of altered, disclosed or stolen data.

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Thomas E. Ask, industrial design professor, tackles some of the most-asked online questions about this innovative and interdisciplinary career path in an informative video recently added to the college’s YouTube channel. Whether it’s a new product or a fresh twist on an old design, you’ll learn how to bring design ideas to life. “Industrial design is a good major if you’re a creative person that likes to create something from nothing,” he says. “If you like to take your ideas and see them come to fruition, industrial design is good for that.”

More than a half-dozen Pre-College Programs attracted a knowledge-hungry host of teenagers to Penn College’s campuses in recent days, the season opener for high schoolers’ exposure to next-level academics. Campers were engaged and enlightened among the week’s bountiful offerings: Architecture Odyssey, Automotive, Aviation, Engineering, Future Restaurateurs, Health Careers and Information Technology. A second week – inviting more students to test the waters of collegiate opportunity through hands-on learning – will begin July 18.

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Passionate professionals looking to share their time-tested proficiency in a fresh and rewarding venue need travel no farther than Penn College, where a new video encourages potential faculty members to help develop the very future of their respective fields.

The seven-minute video, the handiwork of writer/producer Tom Speicher, reflects a series of five-year institutional initiatives. It features footage of the college’s inviting environment, as well as interviews with some of the faculty and administrators who enhance their campus surroundings through fervent daily contributions.

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Tic-tac-toe! A caterpillar! Waves! Those were some of the imaginative observations made by the “Summer Bunch” from the Dunham Children’s Learning Center on their Wednesday morning visit to The Gallery at Penn College.

The 4- and 5-year-olds from Pennsylvania College of Technology’s early childhood care facility immersed themselves in the gallery’s current exhibit, “Textiles in Translation,” and engaged in a hands-on project assisted by CLC and gallery staff.

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