The weather was as mercurial as you’d expect from autumn in Pennsylvania – persistent precipitation giving way to scrumptious sunshine – but Fall Open House at Penn College was much more predictable: a daylong forecast of helpful employees, students and alumni, all eager to guide the stream of visitors that wound its way from building to building, hoping to join an imminent cohort of “tomorrow makers.”

– Photos by Juvy A. Orillaza and Tim Wegman, student photographers;
Kimberlee R. Rusczyk, manager of social media/online marketing;
and Tom Wilson, writer/editor-PCToday

Field House check-in brings shelter from the storm.

Fashionably protected from the elements

Faculty, staff and students keep pace with the check-in throng.

Early riser and tireless advocate, President Davie Jane Gilmour says “Good morning!” to attendees of the day’s first General Information Session. Four such sessions were held in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium, providing an introduction to campus, academics, the admissions process and much more.

Alumni greeters Kyle S. and Julie Ann (Schweitzer) Flook shone through the clouds in making ACC visitors feel at home. Kyle is a 2007 graduate in construction management; Julie holds degrees in office information technology: web design emphasis (2006) and technology management (2007).

Umbrellas drip-dry in a temporary storage area outside the auditorium.

♫ They’re dancin’ and singin’ in the rain! ♫

Among the campus’ newest landmarks is this mascot in metal, rising above the grounds outside the expanded welding labs.

All smiles beneath the morning’s requisite accessory, men’s basketball coach Geoff B. Hensley (left) greets a family near UPMC Field.

The mechatronics lab proves a fertile launchpad for interesting student projects, drawing an appreciative and inquisitive crew …

… that included Michael J. Reed (left), vice president for academic affairs and provost.

Sue A. Kelley, dean of sciences, humanities and visual communications, answers audience questions about majors within the school during a session in the early childhood education wing.

Culinary arts and systems student Aaron Timmons, of Greencastle, preps baguettes for the oven during a kitchen demonstration.

Instructor Barney A. Kahn IV leads a tour of construction labs.

Student organizations filled the Campus Center hallway with an alluring amalgam of options, from the Society of Plastics Engineers …

… to the Wildcat Online Gaming Association.

Laboratory assistant Seth J. Welshans assists a family touring the ESC’s diesel facilities …

… where students proudly show off their longtime “drag truck” project.

James C. Tanner (in blue shirt), is just one of the welding faculty members on hand …

… to handle interest in existing labs and the expansive instructional space to be dedicated next year.

As a downpour pelts West Third Street, an event sign beckons, “Come in out of the rain.”

With Halloween just days away, instructor Joseph E. LeBlanc staffs an Open House favorite: the “haunted” physics lab in the Hager Lifelong Education Center.

Brad H. Lyon (second from left), an assistant professor of civil engineering technology, exemplifies the substantial college faculty with technical experience to match their academic background.

Questions? We’ve got answers!

Replicating the real world of surgical technology

A campus dining unit boldly announces its availability to the lunch crowd.

The School of Nursing & Health Sciences was among the areas that used friendly faces to combat dampened dispositions. Case in point? The physical therapist assistant major …

… and the contagiously pleasant entourage in the occupational therapy assistant program.

A full house in the Thompson Professional Development Center listens to Philip G. Berry (left), coordinator of matriculation and academic operations for construction and design technologies, and Carol A. Lugg, dean.

In the Bardo Gym lair of the Wildcats, John D. Vandevere, director of athletics, shares the enthusiasm that accompanied the college’s acceptance into NCAA Division III.

Wayne R. Sheppard (right), assistant professor and department head for construction management, champions the program. Faculty and student members of the Construction Management Association handled additional visitors in the hallway and adjacent classrooms.

During an information overview of life at Penn College, admissions counselor Lee A. Dawson gives a nod to the industrial partners whose generosity keeps curriculum fresh and relevant.

Automotive instructor Eric D. Pruden (left), stationed at the collision repair paint lab.

Dauphin Hall is a popular gathering spot at Open House, with access to Capitol Eatery …

… as well as on-campus housing tours.

Justin Shelinski, a member of the horticulture faculty, walks guests through the greenhouses.

With dual credentials as an instructor and an alumnus, Howard W. Troup credibly represents machining and manufacturing majors.

Fall foliage, aflame under the return of blue skies, balances families traveling east from Rose Street Commons.

Graphic design students provide valuable peer-to-peer assistance during well-attended information sessions.

John M. Good, instructor of automated manufacturing and machining, with a family in College Avenue Labs

An array of majors is described by Brian D. Walton (left), assistant dean of business and hospitality, and Tom F. Gregory, associate vice president for instruction and the school’s interim dean.

Enviable opportunities to study abroad are explained by Shanin L. Dougherty, coordinator of international programs.

Rain Caldwell, a Coudersport High School student interested in Penn College’s dental hygiene program, shares her Open House excitement outside Madigan Library.

A father-son team reviews curriculum requirements with Anita R. Wood, associate professor of computer information technology.

A large tour group follows a student ambassador en route to the Bush Campus Center.

A typically engaging presentation is served up by Thomas E. Ask, professor of industrial design.

A familiar face, artfully under foot in the Carl Building Technologies Center.

With a break in the clouds and umbrellas closed for the day, Presidential Student Ambassador Travis J. Scholtz embarks on a much-drier campus tour than earlier.

Joshua D. Young, head coach of the college’s esports team helps a visitor “suit up” in a library demo.

Elliott Strickland, vice president for student affairs, front and center for check-in

J.D. Mather, assistant professor of engineering design technology, takes attendees into the enticing world of 3D modeling.

Joined at left by Tuna Saka (and other colleagues in the wings), architectural technology faculty member Naim N. Jabbour extols the student benefit of Penn College’s small class sizes.

Second-year majors Emily K. Conklin (standing) and Jordyn M. Kahler talk with guests in the expansive, state-of-the-art Dental Hygiene Clinic.

Surrounded by automobiles on which students hone their skills, automotive instructor Christopher A. Trapani ably meets a family’s needs.

A family joins Mary G. Trometter, assistant professor and department head of hospitality management/culinary arts, in Le Jeune Chef’s dining room.

Boasting about Baja!

Katherine A. Walker, assistant professor of engineering design technology, oversees a hands-on lab activity.

Visitors to the concrete science lab are enlightened by knowledgeable students Tyler M. Troup (left) and Joseph F. DiBucci.

Todd S. Woodling, assistant professor of building automation technologies, gives one-on-one attention to Zackery Bowes, of Berwick, a student at Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School.

Befitting its roadworthy projects, the collision repair lab gets a good deal of traffic.

An afternoon session in the Student & Administrative Services Center provides a convenient locale to “Meet the Deans” – including Brett A. Reasner, School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies.