The college’s dental hygiene program partnered with the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists’ Association and local dentists and hygienists, who volunteered their efforts, to provide free dental services to 32 children during “Sealant Saturday” on March 2. Their work included placing 184 dental sealants, equaling about $6,000 worth of free services, during this community outreach event.
Building construction has been added to the abounding schedule of pre-college initiatives offered at Pennsylvania College of Technology, hands-on summer activities that mirror the nationally renowned opportunities afforded postsecondary students.
“Our Pre-College Programs offer living and learning experiences in which students have opportunities to explore unique academic interests in a state-of-the-art environment,” said Deborah B. Wescott, manager of conference and guest relations. “It’s a chance to work and make connections with industry leaders, meet and mingle with your peers, and establish a path that could lead to all sorts of future possibilities.”
The signup deadline is May 31 for the institution’s 12 residential programs and its one day camp.
A dedicated group of Pennsylvania College of Technology welding students added the “crown” to a stunning remodeling job for a McEwensville homeowner.
Seven members of the college’s American Welding Society student chapter and faculty adviser Steve J. Kopera volunteered their time and expertise to craft and install a 6-by-9-foot “tree of life” metallic sculpture at a former church.
Faculty members from the School of Construction & Design Technologies were among nearly 800 instructors from across the country who attended this month’s 13th annual HVAC Excellence Conference at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas. The conference provided more than 70 sessions from the latest instructional methods to accommodate Generation Z’s learning styles to the fast-growing technological advancements being introduced into the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration market to meet today’s required energy standards. “It’s extremely difficult to keep up with technological advancements in the HVCAR industry,“ said Jason W. Killinger, an assistant professor of HVAC technology and co-department head. “Advancements in our industry are being made faster than ever. This conference has provided us with specialized training to be more effective and to ensure training we offer is aligned with industry to educate successful HVAC technicians and designers.” Killinger was joined at the conference by faculty colleagues Kenneth E. Welker Jr., Daniel J. Harris and Bradley Q. Kishbaugh.
Photo provided
Traveling south to find decent weather, the Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball team got its season underway over the weekend. The college’s softball team, however, has to wait a couple of extra days to take the field.
Members of the state House Majority Policy Committee were among the Friday visitors to main campus, delighting in an illuminating tour of select instructional labs and learning about Penn College’s role – both academically and through apprenticeships – in enhancing the commonwealth’s skilled labor pool. College administrators, joined by local Reps. Garth D. Everett and Jeff C. Wheeland, welcomed a contingent of Republican lawmakers who research and generate policy proposals aimed at improving the quality of life in The Keystone State: Chair Donna Oberlander, of Clarion; Russell H. Diamond, of Lebanon; Marcia M. Hahn, Wind Gap; Tina Pickett, of Towanda; and Tommy Sankey, of Clearfield. The group, joined by legislative staff and local media, toured instructional areas for nursing, dental hygiene, plastics and welding; learned about efforts toward workforce development; and traveled to Lycoming Engines, a mainstay of the local economy for whom the college’s Metal Trades Center is named.
Michael Bower, a graduate of Williamsport Area Community College and president of TurnKey Electric Inc., received an Alumni of the Year Award at the 18th annual Education Celebration hosted by the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce on Thursday evening.
The award – presented during a Williamsport Country Club event that highlights the crucial linkages among business and industry, local school districts and colleges – is given to a graduate who has made a significant contribution to the quality of life in Lycoming County, has excelled in his or her own profession, and is active in the community.
Read the Spring 2019 Penn College Magazine. Features celebrate the relationships between the college and businesses like Larson Design Group and E-Tech Industries, and explore an initiative that joins Counseling Services with the Fitness Center. Plus, keep up with graduates by reading Class Notes. Look for the magazine in your mailbox, or read, share and comment online.
State Rep. Clinton D. Owlett, who represents the 68th legislative district (all of Tioga County and parts of Bradford and Potter counties), visited Penn College on Thursday. Accompanied by aide Kim Johns, Owlett began at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, hearing themes that would echo throughout his day: the college’s status as a “true commonwealth asset,” the primacy of business and industry partnerships, students’ enhanced marketability from the incorporation of core subjects in their chosen majors, and the life-altering and career-building potential of “degrees that work.” After touring diesel, power generation and forestry laboratories, Owlett traveled to main campus for lunch at Le Jeune Chef Restaurant and stops at nursing, collision repair/automotive restoration, and culinary arts and hospitality. An assemblyman since May 2018, the Wellsboro Republican serves on the Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Appropriations, Commerce, Game & Fisheries, and Health committees.
On April 24, Pennsylvania College of Technology will host an information session on its emergency medical services/paramedic program and its emergency medical technician course.
The event is scheduled at 7 p.m. in the college’s Klump Academic Center, Room 10.
Jonathan Adzema, a 2014 Penn College nursing graduate who is pursuing a master’s degree to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist, returned to campus Monday to talk with current students who may be interested in entering the advanced practice. He offered students real-world perspective on the field and provided the candid advice that only a fellow alumnus can, fielding questions about how to study and what to look for in a graduate school. Adzema explained that, among an anesthetist’s duties in an operating room, a CRNA serves as an all-seeing eye who keeps a patient safe while he or she is unable to speak – or even breathe – for himself or herself. Anesthetists, he said, must know how anesthesia drugs can affect a patient’s pre-existing conditions or interact with prescriptions, vigilantly monitor vital signs, and understand the surgical procedure at hand and the stresses it will put on the patient’s body. CRNAs can work not only in hospitals but also in the military, ambulatory surgery centers, gastrointestinal labs, dental surgeons’ offices and many other settings.
For the third time, Student Affairs at Pennsylvania College of Technology has been nationally recognized for its focus on a diverse and inclusive employment environment.
Penn College’s selection as one of 20 institutions named the 2019 Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs was announced by the American College Personnel Association and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. Penn College was also among the honorees in 2015 and 2018.
“We are honored to be recognized for a third time as a Most Promising Place to Work in Student Affairs,” said Elliott Strickland, vice president for student affairs. “The support we receive at Penn College, as we work for the benefit of our students, is incredible. It allows us to build a dynamic team that works tirelessly for the success of our students. We are so thankful for this national recognition of the work we do at Penn College.”
Student Activities hosted a 1980s-themed Murder Mystery Dinner in the Thompson Professional Development Center on Saturday, performed by the Oxymorons improvisational comedy troupe from Harrisburg and catering to amateur sleuths and armchair gourmets alike.
With seven returning starters and 12 players from last year’s team that reached the North Eastern Athletic Conference playoffs for the third straight season under coach Jackie Klahold, the Pennsylvania College of Technology women’s softball team is scheduled to open its season Saturday in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The Wildcats, 14-21 overall and 8-9 in all NEAC games a year ago, will face Notre Dame of Maryland University at 10 a.m. and Wilkes University at 2 p.m. After that, they head further south to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where they will compete in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic, playing eight games. Their home opener is slated for March 22 with conference play beginning on March 30.
Anne Reiner, founder of the On the Pulse local news site, recently interviewed Penn College welding major Erin M. Beaver, of Winfield, for a piece about the sculpture she is crafting for next month’s state SkillsUSA competition. Part of an all-female team that competed at SkillsUSA nationals last year, the senior draws upon a reverence for Native American culture (and an equally strong vocational passion) in crafting her latest creation.