Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour recognized exemplary faculty and staff during an all-college address Thursday morning, then used “some very plain language” to emphasize for all of her co-workers the inherent personal accountability of starting the 2020-21 academic year amid a global health crisis. “It is critical that we all follow the expectations and model the behaviors we want our students to follow. If we do not, one careless act by a group of students or employees could shut us down,” she said in her remarks, traditionally held in the Klump Academic Center but moved online to avoid a crowded gathering. “If you are not feeling well, please stay home. Wear your mask and enforce mask wearing in your labs and classes. Your personal health and the health and welfare of your fellow employees and students depend upon your vigilance. Our lives in 2020 are forever changed. Let’s be certain we manage that change to the best of our ability.”
News about President
College shares strategy for resumption of in-person instruction
Pennsylvania College of Technology remains committed to reopening for hands-on, face-to-face instruction in Fall 2020, rolling out a map for safely and responsibly – and collaboratively – navigating the road ahead. “We continue to be guided by a moral obligation to reduce the spread of COVID-19, an ethical obligation to provide the best possible educational outcomes for our students and their families, and a professional obligation to provide future workforce leaders,” President Davie Jane Gilmour said Thursday afternoon. “To deliver on our mission-driven promise, we will be unfailingly diligent in our efforts to safely educate, house and feed students during these extraordinary times.”
President’s PCN interview to air Monday
A Pennsylvania Cable Network conversation with President Davie Jane Gilmour will air at noon and 8 p.m. Monday, June 15, on PCN’s “Coronavirus Impact” program. Among the topics discussed during the interview – which will be available online for a week after broadcast – were the president’s Tuesday testimony before the state Senate Education Committee, enrollment impacts across higher education, Penn College’s plans for the Fall 2020 semester and campuswide protocols for reopening. (The president’s interview with PCN’s Francine Schertzer comprises the first eight minutes of the video thumbnailed with a photo of state Rep. Bryan Cutler.)
President recaps pandemic response, prudently eyes tomorrow
President Davie Jane Gilmour appeared before the state Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, assessing COVID-19’s impact on fulfillment of Penn College’s mission. In both written and oral testimony, she highlighted the extraordinary challenge of moving technology education from in-person, hands-on instruction to one of remote delivery – along with responsible and reassuring communication throughout a very fluid situation. Despite those arduous times, she said, “the irony was never lost on us that, across our 100 certificate, associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, all were directly aligned to essential, life-sustaining services, and that more than 80% of our graduates remained in Pennsylvania, largely working in fields considered essential during pandemic.” The president also outlined the comprehensive protocols in place, along with unique characteristics that allow the college to better mitigate risk for returning students: rural location, proximity to UPMC Susquehanna, large labs and small class sizes, on-campus medical services, and a considerable number of faculty and staff who are health care and/or emergency management professionals.
President Gilmour: Make voices heard against racial injustice, inequality
Fifty-five years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called for all Americans to stand up to injustice, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s leader – reflecting on a beloved nation again riven by social unrest – urged a renewed embrace of that civic responsibility. “Now is not the time for silence or inaction,” President Davie Jane Gilmour said in a campuswide email to students and employees. “Now, more than five decades later, it is again time for action. We must call out racial injustice and inequality, whenever we encounter it, in clear and unequivocal terms.”
Students to return for Fall 2020 classes
Penn College’s Fall 2020 plan for the return of in-person instruction was announced Friday morning by President Davie Jane Gilmour, who matched that commitment with assurances to students and parents alike of the expansive pandemic protocols “to mitigate risk and offer safe interaction on campus.”
No on-campus instruction on May 11
Pennsylvania College of Technology has further revised plans for completing the Spring 2020 semester, postponing Monday’s intended reopening for limited in-person coursework. In asking for students’ continued patience as the institution weighs its academic diligence against broader health concerns, President Davie Jane Gilmour vowed that case-by-case guidance for all affected students will be issued by May 15.
Reopening for lab courses, clinical instruction moves to May 11 or later
Reflecting the latest news from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania College of Technology has adjusted – until Monday, May 11, at the earliest – its planned reopening for students requiring in-person instruction.
President addresses governor’s ‘stay at home’ order
Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour issued the following message to students and employees Thursday morning:
Yesterday, Gov. Wolf extended his “stay at home” order to apply statewide until April 30. The order specifically notes that “travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services” is permitted. Fortunately, our current plan, which we sent you on Tuesday morning – to resume required clinicals and labs on May 4 with appropriate social distancing measures in place, and to otherwise complete all courses online – complies with the order.
Your health and safety, and that of your families, is of the highest importance to me. I hope that you will take the time to view this short video message at your convenience. (But not during class!)
Thank you again for the way you have pulled together in support of one another, and in support of our shared mission to develop the workforce leaders of tomorrow.
Together, we will get through this,
Davie
Lab, clinical instruction to resume May 4; commencement postponed to Aug. 8
Continuing Penn College’s conscientious response to the ever-changing coronavirus crisis, the President’s Office has announced a revised plan to close out the Spring 2020 semester – a blueprint that calls for (among a comprehensive list of logistical considerations) resumption of laboratory and clinical instruction on May 4 and combining Spring Commencement with the summer ceremonies on Aug. 8.
President condemns affront to college’s Community of Respect
President Davie Jane Gilmour has responded to a student’s “disgusting” online communication, strongly calling on the entire campus community to unify against divisive behavior that is wholly incompatible with the college’s values.
Remote instruction to begin March 23; labs expected to open April 6
On Monday afternoon, Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour and Michael J. Reed, vice president for academic affairs/provost, updated students on the institution’s response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
President advocates for tomorrow makers in Capitol appearance
Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour appeared before the Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday afternoon to address the college’s proposed 2020-21 budget allocation. The 3:35 p.m. “general conversation” with legislators – which addressed the college’s critical role in meeting the needs of tomorrow-minded students and the employers that will hire them – was streamed live by Pennsylvania Cable Network and the State Senate. It is available for viewing through the Pennsylvania Senate Republicans website. Gilmour was joined on the panel by Betty K. Tompos, interim president of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, and Mark H. Erickson, president of Northampton Community College, who represented community colleges throughout the commonwealth.
College celebrates expanded welding lab, industry partners
An expanded and enhanced welding lab – at 55,000-plus square feet, believed to be the largest such facility in higher education nationwide – was dedicated on Feb. 6 at Pennsylvania College of Technology.
The Welding Expansion Project, funded in part by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, added 35,000 square feet of instructional space to the lab in the college’s Lycoming Engines Metal Trades Center, allowing for enrollment of up to 60 more welding students annually – more than 300 in total.
Gilmour named to NCAA Division III Presidents Council
Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour was appointed recently to serve on the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, the highest governing body for Division III athletics.
Gilmour, who has served on the NCAA Division III Chancellors/Presidents Advisory Group, began serving her four-year term in January.
Presidents Council establishes and directs the general policy of Division III and establishes its strategic plan. It may also make recommendations to the Board of Governors, the NCAA’s highest governing body, on matters related to Division III championships, and approve the use of funds allocated to the division.