News about President

During his visit to campus on Monday, U.S. Rep Fred Keller, R-12th, delivered a printed copy of remarks entered into the Congressional Record on Friday.

The remarks recognize the service of retiring Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour. Keller surprised Gilmour with the printed remarks while on campus for a roundtable discussion and tour.

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The Student & Administrative Services Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology will soon bear the name of retiring President Davie Jane Gilmour.

The college’s Board of Directors convened a special meeting to approve the action at a gala event honoring Gilmour’s 24-year presidency. The board also granted emeritus status to Gilmour, who retires June 30.

The Student & Administrative Services Center, known in campus shorthand as “the SASC,” houses offices for student services such as Admissions, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Veterans & Military, the LEAP Center (first-year student assistance) and more. The upper floors of the three-story facility, which opened in 2003, includes spaces for People & Culture (formerly Human Resources), Financial Operations, Information Technology Services, Public Relations & Marketing and executive offices, including the President’s Office and Academic Affairs.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology held three ceremonies May 13-14 for the nearly 750 students who petitioned to graduate at the end of the Spring 2022 semester – the last of 135 commencement exercises to be held under President Davie Jane Gilmour. “My life is better for all of the students I’ve dealt with, interacted with, shook hands with for the last 24 years,” said the president, who is retiring June 30. “I am so proud of you and what you’ve done, and I want you to remember one thing: If you make yourself proud every day, then we will be Penn College Proud. And no matter where you go or what you do, you will always have a home at Penn College.” Bittersweet and joyful, nostalgic and raucous (with cowbells, air horns and confetti cannons), it truly offered moments to cherish, and not just for the 20,000th graduate to cross the stage and receive one-on-one congratulations.

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It was meant to be the somewhat routine continuation of a 25-year campus ritual, President Davie Jane Gilmour’s proud presentation of Penn College Awards to kick off the commencement weekend that hectically (yet happily) ends the spring semester.

The awards were first distributed in 1997 to recognize graduating students who have made outstanding contributions to Pennsylvania College of Technology through their involvement in campus life, the leadership positions that they have held and the service that they have provided to the college community.

But the opening remarks from Elliott Strickland Jr., vice president for student affairs – who billed this season’s event as “an evening of astonishing stories” – held a curveball that would both respect and redefine that enduring tradition.

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In addition to receiving baccalaureate degrees this weekend, seven Army ROTC cadets at Pennsylvania College of Technology were commissioned as second lieutenants and assigned their Army component and branch.

Upon commissioning, the cadets committed to four years of active duty or eight years in the Army Reserve or National Guard.

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In the final all-college address before her June 30 retirement, Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour found the difficult words to sum up 44 years on campus – the last two-dozen as its leader.

“I have made mistakes, but – together – we have accomplished a great deal through extraordinary times – not just recent months, but in 24 years of change and adaptation, feast and famine,” she said, during an emotional mix of candid self-assessment and genuine gratitude. “We have always worked hard, kept students in sharp focus and moved this venture forward – and in the process, we have transformed lives. If I had but one small piece of that, then my career has been fulfilled.”

She was followed to the lectern by her imminent successor, Michael J. Reed, who put into perspective Gilmour’s “extraordinary” tenure as Penn College president: “If someone had visited this campus in May 1998, when you became president, and did not return until today, they would be utterly astounded by the transformation.”

Their remarks were preceded by recognition of faculty and staff with a series of end-of-semester honors – including the surprise inauguration of an award with a provenance steeped in campus lore.

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With the end of another academic year at hand, Pennsylvania College of Technology renewed a spring custom: presenting awards to noteworthy faculty and staff, and acknowledging retirements and other employee milestones.

President Davie Jane Gilmour acknowledged the honorees during an expansive all-college meeting, held May 12 in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium and livestreamed.

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Saturday’s baseball doubleheader produced more than a Wildcat sweep of Penn State Berks; it also brought retirement gifts that surprised and delighted President Davie Jane Gilmour.

A “thank you” video featuring wishes from college athletics teams – along with appreciative messages from interim athletic directors Matt J. Blymier and Britni I. Mohney – was shown on the Muncy Bank Ballpark scoreboard.

“We are incredibly grateful for your leadership, guidance and unwavering support of our student-athletes,” Blymier said. “We can’t possibly thank you enough for everything that you have done, and we wish you a very happy retirement.” “Thank you for providing our student-athletes a wonderful experience, our staff a great place to work, and for being a role model and trailblazer for women everywhere,” added Mohney, head women’s basketball coach.

The big-screen tribute was followed by presentation of a numbered and framed jersey in honor of Gilmour’s 24 years as president, during which the college grew into full membership with NCAA Division III.
Photos by Mark Nance

Three Penn College cadets and President Davie Jane Gilmour were among those honored at Saturday’s Bald Eagle Battalion Military Ball, held at the Bald Birds Brewing Co. in Jersey Shore. Joseph L. Elinski, of Wilcox, graduating this month in manufacturing engineering technology, was presented with the Gen. George C. Marshall Award “for recognition as the overall outstanding student in military and academic studies, leadership and physical fitness” for 2021-22; “Cadet of the Year” honors were bestowed upon Jared Riley Ward, a manufacturing engineering technology student from Manchester, Maryland; and Kurt M. Maly, a mechatronics student from Effort, was named the Top MS4 (senior) Cadet. Lt. Col. John C. “Chris” Acosta, ROTC instructor, surprised Gilmour with acknowledgement of the college’s historic support of the program.

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President Davie Jane Gilmour and Zack Moore, a Penn State administrator and member of the Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors, are among the leaders named to The 2022 Higher Education Power 100, released Monday in acknowledgement of the most powerful educators in The Keystone State.

“The commonwealth’s higher education institutions have been changing the world for years as they’ve shaped the minds of the next generation,” the article states, before profiling each honoree. “City & State PA’s 2022 Higher Education Power 100 … recognizes the individuals who are redefining what it means to be a leader in this field.”

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On the 52nd annual Earth Day, Pennsylvania College of Technology hailed a phenomenon only slightly younger: the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, home to memories, marvels and the makers of a million tomorrows. Observing the milestone golden anniversary of the Allenwood area campus on a beautiful spring afternoon, attendees reveled in “this special place” known as the ESC.

“It is more than a place or a building, though,” said alumnus Justin W. Beishline, assistant dean of diesel technology and natural resources. “This is a place where you were possibly introduced to your career passion. This is a place where you met mentors who fostered your talent and helped you to become a professional. This is a place where, after you left high school, you met people with similar career aspirations and built lifelong friendships. If you came here right from high school, you left a home of 18 years to forge a new life, and the people at the ESC became your new family for two years.”

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Commenting at Monday evening’s Donor Recognition Reception on the absurdity of receiving a pollen alert and a winter weather advisory on the same April day, President Davie Jane Gilmour moved on to something equally astounding but far less rare: affirmation of the philanthropy that allows Pennsylvania College of Technology students to pursue their passions and hone the skills needed to transform tomorrow.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology recently held induction ceremonies in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium for its four- and two-year honor society chapters, among the institution’s traditional end-of-semester activities in celebration of student accomplishment.

President Davie Jane Gilmour offered remarks during both of the April 9 ceremonies, and was joined at each by Joanna K. Flynn, dean of curriculum and instruction.

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Past and current members of the college’s Student Government Association, formed in the mid-1960s as a communal cross-campus voice, held a joyful reunion Saturday evening in the Community Arts Center’s Capitol Lounge. Among the highlights (in addition to free-flowing anecdotes and other recollections) was the announcement that SGA had raised more than $8,000 in President Davie Jane Gilmour’s name for the “Tomorrow Is in the Making: Legacy Campaign for Penn College.”

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Pennsylvania College of Technology on Thursday kicked off Legacy Day, a 24-hour celebration to unite alumni, faculty, staff, students and the campus community in honoring President Davie Jane Gilmour’s transformational leadership.

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