News about Faculty & Staff

A lunchtime program Wednesday celebrated Penn College’s Land Acknowledgement, including an official History Trail marker newly installed just outside the Bush Campus Center’s west entrance.

“We acknowledge that the land on which we live, work and learn is the ancestral home of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee, Iroquoian-speaking Susquehannocks and the Lenni Lenape (Delaware). We, too, recognize their Woodland Period ancestors,” the acknowledgement reads. “We are grateful for their stewardship and management of this land over thousands of years and promote this recognition in honor and respect of that caretaking.”

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No, it’s not déjà vu!

When someone contributes to another someone’s peerless educational experience abroad, gratitude is a message worth repeating. And Hannah C. Regester, who completed a certificate in professional baking in August – not long after a transformative 16-day exploration of Italy’s culture and cuisine – has no issue with seconding other students’ sincere affection for Penn College’s selfless benefactors.

“This has been a bucket list item of mine for years, but I never thought it would be possible in college,” Regester said. “Not only has it opened my eyes to future traveling adventures in the works, but it has helped me improve flavor exploration and understand the importance of simplicity.”

College Relations’ “Give Thanks, Paw It Forward” movement has brought campus attention to a variety of heartwarming stories this week, while providing students with multiple avenues for expressing their gratefulness: a dedicated hashtag, for instance, along with handwritten “thank you” notes to donors and a collection on behalf of The Cupboard food pantry.

Members of Phi Theta Kappa gathered to de-stress and express their gratitude – a fitting focus for the pre-Thanksgiving (and pre-Finals) season. Led by CC Hawkins, a baking & pastry arts grad (2021), applied management student and PTK member, participants each decorated two cookies – one to eat and one to give to someone at Penn College who quietly makes a difference in their experience. Hawkins, of Williamsport, was assisted by Abby E. George, of Harrisburg, who, like Hawkins, earned an associate degree in baking & pastry arts in 2021 and is pursuing a bachelor’s in applied management, and PTK member Zak Smith, a welding & fabrication engineering technology student from West Chester. Leading the business portion of the gathering was Karen L. Avery, PTK adviser and assistant professor of biology. Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for students in associate-degree majors.

Penn College Counseling Services and the Wellness Education Office are co-sponsoring a local conference site for International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Nov. 19, in the Thompson Professional Development Center’s Mountain Laurel Room.

Survivors Day is a free event in which survivors of suicide loss come together to find connection, understanding and hope through their shared experience.

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The halfway mark in Penn College’s “Give Thanks, Paw It Forward” series of profiles belongs to Diana M. Gaglione, whose 14-day Global Experiences trip to Spain left her grateful for those who helped her embrace the “unimaginable beauty” of traveling outside her comfort zone.

“The opportunity to experience a new culture was priceless to me. Words cannot describe how valuable it was for every person on this trip,” said Gaglione, who is majoring in building science & sustainable design: architectural technology concentration. “We all gained a new understanding of the world. It’s been easier to see the beauty in everyday life because of it.”

Those who echo her praise for the benefactors who contribute in so many ways to students’ overall college experience are invited to share their appreciation via social media during this year’s campaign (Nov. 12-18) using #PCTgrateful.

Nineteen students enrolled in emergency management & homeland security at Pennsylvania College of Technology recently toured the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency in Harrisburg.

“Touring PEMA was a great experience,” said Colten C.B. Hajicek, a freshman from Redmond, Washington. “It was amazing to see all the technology and intricate parts that go into emergency management.”

Students learned about the role PEMA plays in emergencies and regularly planned events throughout the commonwealth, as well as jobs for which students may apply after graduating.

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The Penn College community commended its veterans, active-duty personnel and reservists late last week through a variety of events captured by cross-campus photo contributors. Supplementing an online honor roll of self-identifying servicemen and women that was posted to PCToday, the week included a classroom visit from the head of a veteran-owned Williamsport security business; a Thursday reception organized by Kimberly S. Cordrey, Lumley Aviation Center secretary; the Wildcat Events Board’s “Red, White & Blue Day” celebration in the Field House (moved indoors due to Friday’s heavy rains); and a stylish Saturday salute from Wildcat cheerleaders in Bardo Gym.

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A full day of exploring sacred geometry was observed on Pennsylvania College of Technology’s campus Thursday with a seven-hour workshop in The Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace followed by an artist talk in The Gallery at Penn College. Reni Gower, professor emerita of painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University, was the featured presenter at both events, part of the mixed-media exhibition, “Geometric Aljamía: A Cultural Transliteration,” on display through Dec. 2 in the college’s gallery on the third floor of The Madigan Library. Designed to reveal cross-cultural affinities, the sessions examined the spiritual and ethnic dimensions of pattern, light and color and reflected on the commonalities of cultures often portrayed as clashing instead of connected at deep and fundamental levels. The Gallery at Penn College is open 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Mondays, Saturdays and during college holidays and breaks, including Nov. 23-28.)

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Motor Truck Equipment Co., the parent company of Kenworth of Pennsylvania and Motor Truck Thermo King, has enhanced and expanded its partnership with Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Primarily represented as Kenworth of Pennsylvania, a Corporate Tomorrow Maker, the sister companies have partnered with Penn College for nearly 10 years in association with the diesel technology program. The company, headquartered in Carlisle, is recognized as an Ambassador’s Society ($25,000-$49,999) member on the college’s Donor Wall.

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On this Veterans Day, we salute the Pennsylvania College of Technology students, faculty and staff who have served (or continue to serve) their country.

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Jake C. Beatty volunteered for the class project because it sounded “cool.” Turns out, he was right.

The result was an invaluable experience for the manufacturing student at Pennsylvania College of Technology and will benefit those who follow his path.

Beatty, of Grove City, designed a vacuum-form mold that – with the assistance of a tooling company and the Penn College plastics department – resulted in the manufacturing of bed protection covers for milling machines used for practical instruction in the college’s Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center.

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Five students from Penn College Women in Construction, their family members and three college co-workers toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Fallingwater in Fayette County on Saturday.

“The weather was perfect, and it was cool to see the property in the fall,” said club President Amanda F. Ritter, of Williamsport, a building science & sustainable design: architectural technology concentration student. “We learned a lot about the residence and how the Kaufmann family lived in the house. We also learned how they dealt with the issues that the architecture caused, and how Mr. Wright dealt with those issues when he was alive.”

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Barney A. Kahn IV’s Construction Materials & Applications II (BTC118) students visited the Clean Energy Center’s energy efficiency lab for a blower door demonstration on Monday.

“As I mostly teach people who are working on existing structures, it is a welcome treat to talk to students who will be involved in the design and build of new construction homes,” said Franklin D. Gillis, a building science instructional specialist at the center. “I particularly enjoy it when they see how the home works as a whole and not just their piece of the puzzle.”

A blower door is a diagnostic tool used by home energy professionals to determine how airtight a home is and how much air is entering or escaping the residence. Blower door testing aids home energy professionals in selecting and installing energy-saving improvements, as air leakage has a direct impact on how much energy is required to heat and cool a home.

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Whether you’re hungry for a full-course feast or just hankering for a slice of pizza, Dining Services has you covered. Thanks to nine locations across Penn College, a meal or snack is always nearby! Check out everyone’s favorite eateries in this 78-second video rundown of campus dining.

A memorial service will be Friday for Patrick D. Murphy, the 1989 recipient of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Master Teacher Award, who died Sunday, Nov. 6, at age 76.

Murphy, who retired as an associate professor of graphic design in 2010 after 31 years at Penn College and Williamsport Area Community College, was granted faculty emeritus status by the college’s Board of Directors in June. He earned a bachelor’s degree from King’s College and held a Master of Science in education and visual arts from Parsons School of Design, New York City.

The service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Knight-Confer’s, 1914 Memorial Ave., Williamsport; friends will be received from 10-11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial contributions to the Pennsylvania College of Technology Foundation, DIF 65, 1 College Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701.

A full obituary is available in Tuesday’s editions of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette and at the funeral home’s website.