News about General Information

‘Why Science Matters’ Documentary Premieres July 12 on WVIA-TV

David S. Richards, professor of physics, is one of the faculty members featured in “Working Class: Competition Drives Innovation! Why Science Matters,” a documentary produced by Penn College and WVIA Public Media that premieres on WVIA-TV on July 12.

Nerds rule! Science, experimentation and competition come together to help students develop the problem-solving skills needed for high-demand, high-tech careers in “Working Class: Competition Drives Innovation! Why Science Matters.”

Produced by Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA Public Media, the documentary, which premieres on WVIA-TV Thursday, July 12, at 8 p.m., highlights hands-on activities that connect students with science and other academic subjects that can prepare them for success in modern manufacturing careers.

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Students’ Original Gaming Art Earns Recognition

Recognized recently for their participation in the Game On! Art Challenge sponsored by Penn College and WVIA Public Media, producers of the “Working Class” documentary TV series are (from left) DeMario Baer; George Ness, special education teacher; Dale Hoyles; and Zack Erdway.

Producers of the “Working Class” public television documentary series recently recognized three students who attend the BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 Alternative Education Program for participating in the series’ Game On! Art Challenge.

Earning top honors as an excellent example of teamwork was “The Quest of the Four,” a game board created by students Zack Enway and Dale Hoyles. The board game was designed to increase the players’ strategic abilities in battles and test their decision-making by requiring that they weigh the value of items they collect throughout the game. The two students drew the entire board, including character cards and game pieces, by hand.

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Producers Recognize Elementary Art Program

Students at Canton Elementary School and their art teacher, Courtney Grieve, received recognition recently for their participation in the Recycled Art Challenge conducted for the “Working Class: Build and Grow Green” episode of the documentary TV series produced by Penn College and WVIA Public Media.

Producers of the “Working Class” public television documentary series recently recognized Canton Elementary School’s art department for participating in the series’ Recycled Art Challenge.

Executive producer Elaine Lambert visited the elementary school and presented papermaking and felting supplies to art teacher Courtney Grieve. Grieve submitted 15 entries of recycled art projects created by students in Grades K-three for the art challenge.

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PPL Gift Supports SMART Girls, Penn College NOW Programs

PPL Electric Utilities representatives Mary Baker (left), a forester for the company, and Tracie Witter, regional affairs director, gather with a team of campers who show off the robot they built during Penn College’s annual SMART Girls summer camp. PPL supported SMART Girls and the college’s dual-enrollment program through a $4,000 donation. Joining the group is Elizabeth A. Biddle (back row), director of corporate relations for the college.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s SMART Girls summer camp, which encourages high school-aged girls to continue challenging themselves in math and science at an age when many lose interest or confidence, convened last week.

Among supporters of the weeklong program was PPL Electric Utilities. PPL donated $4,000 to the college through the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. The funds are used to support both SMART Girls and the Penn College NOW dual-enrollment program.

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Variety of Computer Courses Scheduled at Penn College

For those looking to sharpen their computer skills while learning something new, Workforce Development & Continuing Education at Pennsylvania College of Technology is offering a number of easy-to-learn computer courses this fall.

The courses are taught by qualified instructors in a relaxed computer-classroom environment, allowing participants to learn, experiment and ask questions. Courses are hands-on, with each participant working at a computer station.

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Milton Hershey School, Penn College Formalize Partnership

Representatives from Pennsylvania College of Technology and Milton Hershey School gather for the signing of an agreement formalizing a partnership supporting MHS graduates’ success at the college. Seated (from left) are Tanya Baynham, vice president of graduate programs for success at Milton Hershey School; and Carolyn R. Strickland, vice president for enrollment management and associate provost at Penn College. Standing (from left) are Dave Curry, director, career and technical education, Sheila Ciotti, manager, college and career preparation, and Keri Ambrocik higher education support specialist, all from MHS; and Melissa M. Stocum, academic skills specialist academic mentoring program, Tanya Berfield, manager of college transitions, and Kathleen V. McNaul, manager of academic services and international programs, all from Penn College.

Pennsylvania College of Technology and the Milton Hershey School are partnering to provide support to help students from MHS succeed at Penn College.

On June 14, representatives from both institutions signed a memorandum of understanding that formalizes and expands the collaboration, specifying steps to be taken to attract more MHS students to Penn College while improving their retention and graduation rates.

This is the 11th such agreement that Milton Hershey School has established with postsecondary institutions across Pennsylvania to offer its graduates individualized support for furthering their education.

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Board OKs Penn College Budget, Tuition/Fees for 2018-19

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Board of Directors has approved a $161.8 million total budget calling for a 2.81-percent increase in tuition in 2018-19, marking four consecutive years of increases below 3 percent.

When tuition and fees are combined, the increase for 2018-19 is 2.39 percent. Tuition increases have been 4 percent or less for the past six years.

The total budget represents a 4.07-percent increase over 2017-18, driven mostly by building and renovation projects, including expansion of facilities for welding instruction on the main campus and renovations to a facility (gifted by UPMC Susquehanna) to house Penn College at Wellsboro, where a Practical Nursing Program is being expanded.

The college’s state appropriation is budgeted to remain at the current level of $22.1 million, representing 13.6 percent of the total budget and 18.3 percent of the Operating Budget for 2018-19, which is $120.9 million.

“As always, our budgeting process aims to keep tuition and fee increases as low as possible for students and their families,” said President Davie Jane Gilmour. “With prudent planning, we have again held our increase below 3 percent. In addition, the budget accommodates a welding expansion that allows for 60 more students to enroll in a popular program in a high-demand career field. Similarly, it enables us to offer nursing instruction to a third more students at Wellsboro, while leaving room for additional programming options there. Providing technology-based education is not inexpensive, but the investment pays lifelong dividends for our in-demand graduates, who are able to find family-sustaining jobs in stable career fields.”

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Board Approves 2018-19 Budget/Tuition; Contracts Authorized for Welding Expansion

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved the 2018-19 college budget, tuition and fees; authorized bids for welding expansion; granted emeritus status to a retired school dean; authorized appointment of an auditing services firm; and approved a revision to a campus security policy.

The board also approved position/title changes for three members of senior administration and authorized appointment of members to serve on the Community Arts Center Board of Directors.

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Sen. Roger Madigan, Longtime Supporter of Penn College, Dies at 88

Roger A. Madigan, in the library that bears his name

Former Sen. Roger A. Madigan, ardent advocate for Pennsylvania College of Technology and a longtime member of the college’s Board of Directors, has died.

Madigan, 88, whose name adorns the Penn College library as a fitting tribute to his passion for education, served on the board from 1991 until his retirement from the state Senate at the end of 2008.

Madigan was elected to the state Senate in 1984 to represent the 23rd District. Previously, he served in the state House of Representatives, representing the 110th District, from 1977-84. Before becoming an elected official, Madigan was a dairy farmer and an insurance underwriter/consultant.

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CAC ‘Sneak Peek’ Reveals Start to Silver-Anniversary Season

Season openers announcedThe Community Arts Center kicked off its 25th anniversary with a “sneak peek” at the season’s first four performances, promising an outstanding lineup that is as interesting and diverse as its audience members: “Tony Danza: Standards & Stories” (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27),”Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox” (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25), “Artrageous!” (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1), and Peter Cincotti (7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10). Members’ pre-sale will begin June 5; sale to the public starts June 12. Tickets may be purchased at the CAC website, by phone at 570-326-2424 or at the Arts Center box office.

NSSC Accepts Award for Northwestern Training-Network Partner

Kenneth P. Hellberg Jr. (left), building performance specialist for Penn College’s National Sustainable Structures Center, accepts the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council Energy Star award from Jonathan Passe, residential branch chief for Energy Star.

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council, whose Building Operator Certification program trains and certifies facilities operations and maintenance personnel to achieve cost-saving energy efficiency, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy with a 2018 Energy Star Award of Excellence.

Kenneth P. Hellberg Jr., building performance specialist for Pennsylvania College of Technology’s National Sustainable Structures Center, traveled to Washington, D.C., on April 20 to accept the award on behalf of the nonprofit and its training network. NSSC is licensed to administer the BOC program in the mid-Atlantic region.

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Practical Nursing Information Session to Be Held June 21

Excellent career opportunities for licensed practical nurses exist in area hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, personal-care facilities and human-service organizations.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Outreach Practical Nursing Program, based in the Wellsboro Area School District, will host an information session for those interested in nursing as a career. The session will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 21, in the former music room of the district’s administration building.

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Marking Decades of Making a Difference

In one of her first remarks as president of Pennsylvania College of Technology, Davie Jane Gilmour revealed her leadership philosophy by stressing that “people make the difference.” In 20 years at the helm, Gilmour has truly made a difference to the college and surrounding community. A video slideshow of images, which premiered at Thursday’s all-college meeting and has been added to the institution’s YouTube channel, helps commemorate her 20 years as president and 40th anniversary of being a proud Penn College employee.

Penn College NOW Dual-Enrollment Program Reaccredited

Plastics and polymer engineering technology student Sapphire E. Naugle, who earned 18 Penn College credits while a student at Jersey Shore Area High School, leads a group of Central Mountain High School Penn College NOW students and others through the college’s rotational molding lab.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Penn College NOW dual-enrollment program – which provided $2.7 million of college credits free to Pennsylvania high school students in 2016-17 – received reaccreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, the organization announced on May 2.

Penn College NOW was established by the college in 2005 to provide Penn College courses to high school students at their schools or career and technology centers. In 2011, it became the first dual-enrollment program in the state to receive accreditation from NACEP, the sole national accrediting body for concurrent-enrollment partnerships. Today only two Pennsylvania dual-enrollment programs are nationally accredited.

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Book Bingo Offers ‘Free Space’ for Year-End Celebration

Families enjoy Book Bingo at the Children's Learning Center ...

... caught up by the excitement ...

... and enthralled by the prizes!

Assistant group leader Valerie L. Vonada (left) and group leader Linda S. Dellaquila (right) bookend the fashionable children "flying on" to kindergarten in August.

Dunham Children’s Learning Center families recently welcomed spring’s arrival with Book Bingo and ice cream sundaes, a free event in which each child won two books. Smiles were the prevalent accessory for the day, and youngsters bound for kindergarten sported colorful T-shirts they recently tie-dyed as a class activity.
Photos by Rachel A. Eirmann, student photographer

 

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