Caterpillar Foundation, Dealers Renew Commitment to Students
Published 10.26.2004
The Caterpillar Excellence Fund a partnership among the Caterpillar Foundation, participating dealers and schools marked its 10th anniversary with a renewed $110,500 commitment to Pennsylvania College of Technology's Diesel Technology and Heavy Construction Equipment programs.
The Caterpillar Foundation contributed $25,500 and five regional dealerships donated $17,000 each to assist the programs during the 2004-05 academic year. Including previous years' funding, the College has received more than $1 million in Caterpillar contributions during the program's first decade.
Participating dealers are Alban Tractor Co. Inc., Baltimore; Beckwith Machinery Co., Murrysville; Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co. Inc., Harrisburg; Ransome CAT, Bensalem; and H.O. Penn Machinery Co. Inc., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Cleveland Brothers has been a part of the program since its inception, and was awarded a special 10th anniversary plaque during a recent campus reception acknowledging dealers' participation.
The objective of the Caterpillar Excellence Fund is to increase the pool of qualified service technicians by recruiting exceptional students and retaining them through scholarship assistance. Contributions also help fund equipment purchases for the two programs and enable faculty members to attend Caterpillar-sponsored training.
"The relationship with Caterpillar and the cooperating dealers has assisted us in developing outstanding education programs for our students," said Dr. Wayne R. Longbrake, dean of natural resources management. "Without their support, it would be difficult to provide and maintain the quality of programs we now have to offer our students."
The Heavy Construction Equipment and Diesel Technology majors are based at Penn College's Schneebeli Earth Science Center near Allenwood. They are supported by an advisory board of industry professionals including representatives of Caterpillar and its dealer network as well as a club that builds students' skills and interest in the career field through competitions and other campus activities.
For more information about the programs offered by Penn College's School of Natural Resources Management, call (570) 320-8038, send e-mail or visit on the Web.