News about Students

Penn College Partners with STEM Premier

Gathered on the Penn College campus to commemorate the partnership among the college, STEM Premier and UGI Utilities Inc. are, from left, Shelley L. Moore, director of career services; Carolyn R. Strickland, vice president for enrollment management/associate provost; John Welch, STEM Premier co-founder; Ann Blaskiewicz, community relations manager north for UGI Utilities Inc.; and Ashley R. Murphy, director of admissions.

With backing from UGI Utilities Inc., Pennsylvania College of Technology is enhancing its commitment to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce.

The college has partnered with STEM Premier, the first online platform connecting STEM students from middle school through college to academic institutions, corporate entities and governmental agencies. The program helps students design career pathways, schools recruit top achievers and employers develop a talent pipeline.

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Penn College Records Top-5 Finish in Global Off-Road Race

Members of the Penn College team proudly pose with their car after finishing fifth out of 107 schools in the four-hour endurance race at Baja SAE Kansas. From left are: John G. Upcraft, faculty adviser; Logan B. Goodhart, of Chambersburg; Mark A. Turek, of Red Lion; Jonathan R. Sutcliffe, of Orangeville; Matthew J. Nyman, of Lock Haven; Johnathan T. Capps, of North Wales; Trevor M. Clouser, of Millmont; Shujaa AlQahtani, of Saudi Arabia; Darian P. Trego, of Mifflinburg; and Clinton R. Bettner, of Beaver Falls.

A determined group of Pennsylvania College of Technology students overcame the elements and 100-plus other schools for a strong showing in the marquee event of a renowned international competition.

Penn College placed fifth out of 107 teams in the four-hour endurance race at Baja SAE Kansas. The Society of Automotive Engineers event in Pittsburg, Kansas, required students to design and build a single-seat, off-road vehicle to survive various performance challenges.

“Things could not have gone better. I am happy for the students. All their hard work paid off,” said John G. Upcraft, instructor of manufacturing and machining and adviser for the college’s Baja SAE Club. “For a new car – with a new drivetrain and a new driver – and nothing broke, I’m quite pleased how things ended up.”

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Last updated May 31, 2017 | Posted in Automated Manufacturing & Machining, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Students | This gallery contains 8 photos. | Tagged as | One Comment

College’s Spring 2017 Dean’s List Released

The Spring 2017 dean’s list has been announced at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

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Fifteen Transcendent 2017 Grads Receive Penn College Awards

This year's recipients of Penn College Awards (from left): Mitchell J. Berninger, Garrett D. Corneliussen, Christopher M. Tkatch, Lauren J. Crouse, Abdulaziz S. Alomani, Morgan N. Keyser, Stephanie M. Puckly, Brittany R. Terpstra, Morgan E. Blackwell, Kasandra L. Smoyer, Josiah D. Stoltzfus, Meagan L. Dosch, Ainsley R. Bennett and R. Colby Janowitz. (Absent was Elizabeth L. Landis.)

Fifteen Pennsylvania College of Technology students were presented with Penn College Awards during an end-of-semester banquet at Le Jeune Chef Restaurant. The awards recognize graduating students who have made outstanding contributions to the college and who have risen above their classmates as a result of that leadership.

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Students Gain Experience, Help Community Through VITA

Penn College’s Michael D. Shipman, left, instructor of business administration/accounting, reviews tax policy with student Joshua D. Lyman, of Williamsport. Lyman is one of 16 Penn College students certified by the IRS to offer free tax help to the community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Pennsylvania College of Technology students offered free assistance to about 160 taxpayers this spring, helping them to realize close to $170,000 in income-tax refunds.

Sixteen Penn College students took part in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, an initiative of the IRS that offers free tax help to people who generally make $54,000 or less, or those who may need assistance preparing their own returns because of a disability or language barrier.

All but two of the students are enrolled in the course Income Taxation of Individuals, taught by Michael D. Shipman, instructor of business administration/accounting. They are pursuing degrees in accounting, legal assistant paralegal, and business administration: banking and finance concentration.

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Presidential Road Trip Ensures Wildcats’ Spot in Grad Lineup

Evan M. Woods (left) and Kyle H. Fox receive their diplomas Sunday from President Davie Jane Gilmour.

Two Penn College baseball players, unable to attend commencement due to North Eastern Athletic Conference playoffs in Lewisburg, were awarded their diplomas prior to Sunday’s championship game. President Davie Jane Gilmour traveled to Bucknell University’s Depew Field, where the Wildcats –  including catcher Evan M. Woods, of Clymer, New York, and pitcher/infielder Kyle H. Fox, of Fleetwood – were set to take on Penn State Berks in the tournament finale. Woods graduated with high honors and an associate degree in heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology; Fox graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology.
Photo by Elliott Strickland, chief student affairs officer 

Penn College’s Spring 2017 Graduates Honored

Pennsylvania College of Technology has presented student achievement awards to its Spring 2017 graduates.

More than 900 students petitioned to graduate at the conclusion of the spring semester, and three commencement ceremonies were held May 12-13 at the Community Arts Center. Penn College is a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University.

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On Deck for Cuban Delivery, Baseball Gear Bound to Be a Hit

Preparing the donations for delivery takes a team effort. From left are Nicholas D. Reitz, Semeon R. DeBarros, Robert L. Sloss, Thomas M. Malason Jr, Andrew A. Smith, Vander Vere, Brendon J. Dibble, Andrew J. Brady, Colin D. McOdrum and Austen J. Caron.

Cuba-bound donations, including Penn College memorabilia

McOdrum cleans donated sneakers.

Service with Greek smiles from DeBarros, Reitz and Smith.

Donations of used baseball equipment gathered this spring as part of an effort to help young baseball players in Cuba are almost “home.” The donations are in Austin, Texas – at Maya Exploration Center – awaiting the nonprofit travel organization’s next trip to Cuba, according to Curt Vander Vere, assistant professor of mathematics at Penn College. Vander Vere spearheaded the collection and was assisted by members of Greek Life. In addition to a number of students, employees and community members contributing, the donation drive received three used bats and two boxes of used baseballs from the Wildcat baseball team as well as Penn College shirts, caps and backpacks donated by the college administration. Vander Vere had traveled to Cuba in July with the Maya Exploration Center’s “Ancient Explorations” branch and saw the need for youth baseball equipment at a makeshift game on the grounds of Ernest Hemingway’s former home in a suburb of Havana. The math professor says he’s eager to see and share images of young Cubans playing with the Penn College-collected equipment in the future.
Photos by Grace F. Clark, student photographer

Penn College Nursing Honor Society Inducts First Members

Some of the first inductees into the Pennsylvania College of Technology Bachelor of Science Nursing Honor Society gather on stage during a recent ceremony honoring their accomplishment.

On April 28, 31 students became the first inductees to the Pennsylvania College of Technology Bachelor of Science Nursing Honor Society.

Together, the students pledged to fulfill the society’s “commitment to nursing excellence, knowledge, service and leadership” throughout their careers.

The founding of the Penn College Bachelor of Science Nursing Honor Society is an initial step in establishing a chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing at the college. (Chapter establishment is a six-phase process that begins with forming a local honor society.)

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Skilled-Trades Spokesman Again Champions Penn College Students

Penn College students Benjamin P. Coppola (left), of Danville, and Andrew M. Shane, of Boyertown, who have each been awarded $1,000 national tool scholarships, celebrate with diesel equipment technology instructor Chris S. Weaver (center).

For the seventh consecutive year, Pennsylvania College of Technology students have been selected for $1,000 national scholarships to help them buy tools for their imminent employment in the heavy construction equipment field.

Benjamin P. Coppola, of Danville, and Andrew M. Shane, of Boyertown – both about to graduate in heavy construction equipment technology: technician emphasis – were among the high-achieving students receiving funds through the mikeroweWORKS Foundation in partnership with the AED Foundation, an Associated Equipment Distributors affiliate.

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Penn College Students Prep for International Competition

Logan B. Goodhart, a manufacturing engineering technology major from Chambersburg and president of Penn College’s Baja SAE Club, makes a part for the car the students will enter later this month at Baja SAE Kansas. The international competition tasks students with building a single-seat, off-road vehicle to face various performance challenges.

While most of their classmates were celebrating the end of finals, a dedicated group of Pennsylvania College of Technology students remained ensconced in a machining lab, laboring on a project begun last summer. Their “exam” will be 1,100 miles from campus in late May.

The students are completing a new single-seat, off-road vehicle to compete against 100-plus colleges from around the world at Baja SAE Kansas. The Penn College contingent hopes to build upon past success during the May 25-28 Society of Automotive Engineers event at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas.

“The commitment these students have shown is remarkable,” said John G. Upcraft, instructor of manufacturing and machining and adviser for the college’s Baja SAE Club. “For months, they have dedicated countless hours outside of class to building the car. I am very proud of their efforts.”

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Penn College Students Bat a Thousand in SkillsUSA Competition

SkillsUSA-Pennsylvania

All 25 members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s SkillsUSA team, including more than half moving on to national competition June 19-23 in Louisville, Kentucky, were medalists during the Pennsylvania Leadership and Skills Conference held late last month in Hershey.

Fifteen team members advanced to nationals with first-place finishes, seven placed second, and three placed third in their respective categories.

“I feel great about the students’ performance at the state competition. It goes to show how well prepared the students are from their respective fields and how great our instructors are here at the college,” said James N. Colton II, assistant professor of welding and the college’s SkillsUSA adviser. “I’m excited for the students going to the national competition in Louisville. I have every confidence they will put their best performance forward.”

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Last updated May 9, 2017 | Posted in Alumni, Architectural Technology, Art, Web Design & Interactive Media, Automated Manufacturing & Machining, Building Construction, Business & Hospitality, Business & Hospitality Management, Collision Repair & Restoration, Construction & Design Technologies, Electrical, Engineering Design Technology, Faculty & Staff, Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Information Technology, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies, Welding | Leave a comment

Penn College Announces Spring Food Show Winners

A water lily-inspired cake by Penn College student Rachel A. Henninger, of Bellefonte, took first place among entries in the Cakes and Decorations course at the college’s Spring Food Show.

Pennsylvania College of Technology announced winners of its Spring Food Show, a showcase of food artistry and expertise by students in the college’s hospitality majors.

The show included final projects by students in Advanced Baking Applications for Culinary Arts, who showed high-end plated desserts; Advanced Garde Manger, who produced cold-food platters and charcuterie boards; Cakes and Decorations, who decorated plant-inspired two-tier cakes; Culinary Senior Project; and Hospitality Beverage Management Service and Controls.

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Last updated May 9, 2017 | Posted in Alumni, Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts, Business & Hospitality, Events, Faculty & Staff, Students | This gallery contains 23 photos. | Tagged as | One Comment

College’s Hydroponic Garden Yields Vegetables, Inspiration

Plant production students at Penn College are at the forefront of the “buy local, eat fresh” movement, thanks to the hydroponic garden at the college’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center. As assistant professor of horticulture Dennis P. Skinner explains, their cross-curricular collaboration culminates in the dishes crafted by culinary arts students in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant on campus. Along the way, the horticulture/landscape technology majors get a sense of something larger than themselves. “I think that’s one of the things that drives them,” Skinner says. “They want to be part of a community; they want to give back or provide, rather than being takers.”

Nursing in a New Culture: College’s First Study-Abroad Experience for Nursing Students

Nursing student Kelsey L. Maneval interacts with a child in the clinic's dental area.

From the Spring 2017 Penn College Magazine: The college’s first short-term study-abroad program for nursing students takes them to a clinic in a small Guatemalan town. Read “Nursing in a New Culture.”