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Pennsylvania College of Technology has received national recognition as one of the top colleges for which to work, based on a recent survey of people who should know: the college's own employees.

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Flags Lowered in Honor of Fallen Local Marine Reservist

July 30, 2010 - 8:07 a.m.

At the direction of Gov. Edward G. Rendell, U.S. and Pennsylvania flags in the Capitol Complex and throughout Lycoming County are being flown at half-staff in memory of Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard. Howard, of Old Lycoming Township – a member of the Headquarters and Service Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, based in North Versailles – was killed while on active duty in Afghanistan. Flags should remain at half-staff through sunset Monday.

Penn College Alumni Go to 'Extreme' to Help Family

July 30, 2010 - 7:09 a.m.

A business co-owned by two Penn College graduates will help install the landscape for an "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" project under way in Berks County. On Tuesday, volunteers from Nature's Accents Landscape Services Inc. plan to work a very long day: In partnership with other Pennsylvania landscapers, they will have 24 hours to complete all of the landscaping needed at the Tilden Township job site.

Penn College Accounting Students Honored by State Association

July 28, 2010 - 11:16 a.m.

A student in Penn College's four-year accounting major has been awarded a scholarship from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, which also recognized two recent magna cum laude graduates as "Outstanding Seniors.” Nicole M. Giersdorf, of Williamsport, was chosen to receive a $3,000 multiyear scholarship from PICPA, an association of more than 20,000 certified public accountants working to improve the profession and better serve the public interest. Honored among seniors from across the commonwealth were Andrew N. Kroft, of Dover, and Hannah M. Yates, of Williamsport, both of whom graduated in May from the college’s bachelor-degree accounting major.

College’s Physician Assistant Students Transition Into Clinical Phase

July 27, 2010 - 3:59 p.m.

Penn College’s physician assistant program held its first Induction to Clinical Clerkship White Coat Ceremony on July 23, marking an important transition for third-year students from classroom to practice-based education. As it moves forward, the Class of 2011 will spend the majority of its time learning in clinical settings, applying skills by administering care to real patients. "The (white) coat is a symbolic transition from basic sciences to more patient-related care,” explained Paula D. Holmes, clinical director of the program. “It's more of a cloak of compassion that we expect students to take on in the role, which is more involved with patient care than it has been in the first three years of school."

Fitness, Lifetime Sports Faculty Member Presents Talks

July 27, 2010 - 3:36 p.m.

In the space of four weeks early this summer, Paul A. “Babe” Mayer, associate professor of fitness and lifetime sports at Penn College, was the go-to speaker for four organizations. He was selected as keynote speaker at the Loyalsock Township High School Girls Basketball Awards Banquet and at the Annual District IV All-Star Football Game Banquet, presented twice at the Pennsylvania State Strength & Conditioning clinic, and served on a writer's panel when the college hosted the Sport Literature Association’s annual conference.

Penn College Hosting PFEW Session for Third Summer

July 26, 2010 - 3:56 p.m.

Nearly 300 high school students from across the commonwealth are on Penn College's main campus through Saturday for the latest session of Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week , at which loaned executives share their business acumen with rising (and highly motivated) high school juniors. For the students, the week ahead will offer the opportunity to form competitive companies – dealing in cell phones and MP3 players, backpacks and sneakers – and face many of the same business decisions experienced by actual players in the global marketplace. For the college, in its third year as a host, PFEW presents a unique opportunity to showcase its academic programs, cocurricular offerings, support services and campus facilities.

Penn College to Hold Summer Commencement Aug. 7

July 26, 2010 - 1:35 p.m.

A commencement ceremony will be held Saturday, Aug. 7, for more than 230 Penn College students who have petitioned to graduate after the summer sessions. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St., Williamsport. Tammy M. Bergquist, of Montoursville, who will be awarded an associate degree in radiography, has been selected as student speaker. During the ceremony, the college will present a Mentorship Award, which recognizes alumni and/or businesses that have made significant or ongoing contributions to the education and development of Penn College students.

Penn College Welcomes New Employees

July 26, 2010 - 12:18 a.m.

PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Penn College employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

Skateboard Art on Display in Penn College Gallery

July 23, 2010 - 12:36 p.m.

The Gallery at Penn College, on the third floor of Madigan Library, hosts “ Full Deck ,” a traveling exhibit of skateboard art on loan from the West Coast, through Sept. 22. An opening reception for the exhibit – an extraordinary medley of eye-popping color, unique self-expression and pungent social commentary – was held Thursday, July 22. Summer hours at the gallery – in effect through July 31 – are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Regular hours, which resume Aug. 1, are 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 2-8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. All exhibits are free and open to the public. The gallery will close Aug. 7 for commencement and Sept. 4-5 for Labor Day. For more, visit the PCToday photo gallery.

Grant to Help Penn College Deliver Marcellus Shale Training

July 22, 2010 - 5:00 p.m.

Federal grant funding totaling nearly $5 million will enable Penn College to serve as one of two regional hubs coordinating the delivery of job recruitment, training and placement services for the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry across several states. The college and Westmoreland County Community College will lead a consortium of colleges and training organizations tasked with training qualified workers in 69 counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The $4.964 million community-based job training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration – the largest awarded nationally for this federal funding opportunity – will allow for the creation of Marcellus ShaleNET, a comprehensive recruitment, training, placement and retention strategy for jobs in the gas industry.

NRM Golf Event Marks Decade of Student Support

July 21, 2010 - 11:58 a.m.

The 10th annual School of Natural Resources Management Golf Outing dawned cloudy and wet, but, as participants started play, the rain stopped and a great day of competition began on the 18-hole Challenge course at the White Deer Golf Complex. Sixty golfers participated in the scholarship fundraising event on July 14, 16 of them current or retired college employees. Door prizes were awarded, as were prizes for various teams and individuals. Skill prizes were awarded for the players who were closest to the pin on certain holes: Matt Haile, No. 17; Connor Reasner, No. 14; Dean Barto, No. 8; and Damien Wheeland, No. 6. Bryan Waltz won for the longest drive on No. 3. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three teams: Woodlands Bank (Peter Sides, Bill Keiser, Andy Baker and John Engel), first place; last year’s winners, Arby’s of Williamsport (Mike Rae, Waltz, Haile and Dan Bennett), second; and an open team of John Young, Dean Barto, Damien Wheeland and Wayne Longbrake (former dean of natural resources management), third. More than $5,000 was raised during the event. To date, the golf outing has raised more than $40,000 for the Natural Resources Management Endowed Scholarship Fund, which has grown to more than $57,000. Since the 2005-06 academic year, scholarships have been awarded to students in horticulture, forest technology, onsite power generation and heavy construction equipment technology.
Photos by Brett A. Reasner, assistant dean of natural resources management

Youngsters 'ESCAPE' Via Penn College's Summer Camp

July 20, 2010 - 5:09 p.m.

Children ages 8-14 enjoyed up to four weeks of Penn College's Camp ESCAPE this summer, gaining an appreciation of the sports world through cognitive and psychological development. Campers discovered new strengths through a variety of activities at the camp (an acronym for Enjoy Sports Camps at Penn College Everyone), taking pride in personal and group accomplishments, making friends, and having a fun summer – on campus and off. Field trips included visits to the Penn State All-Sports Museum and the Creamery, Knoebels pool and waterslide, a State College Spikes baseball game and tour of the team's stadium, and Hooplas Family Fun & Grill.
Photos by Michael S. Fischer, student photographer, and Cindy D. Meixel, photo editor

Sovereign Bank Boosts Library Holdings in Two Curricular Areas

July 20, 2010 - 1:54 p.m.

A grant from Sovereign Bank will allow establishment of two new permanent book collections in Penn College’s Madigan Library. The $2,500 grant, through the Sovereign Bank Foundation, will support new collections in childhood development and in arts and media programming. In addition to supplementing curriculum for students in related School of Integrated Studies majors, both collections will be available to the general public during regular library hours. “We are so grateful for this support to help us meet the teaching and learning needs of our faculty and students,” said Lisette N. Ormsbee, library director. “At the same time, Sovereign Bank’s generosity allows us to expand the library’s reach to the local community with books on game-based learning, home schooling, creative teaching, arts education, animation, storytelling and much more.

Acclaimed 'Veggy Artist' – and Penn College Alumnus – to Make TV Rounds

July 16, 2010 - 10:12 a.m.

A Penn College culinary arts alumnus will be a familiar face on the Food Network and elsewhere in the coming months. James Parker, a 1991 graduate and founder of Veggy Art, is among the competitors in the $10,000 "Food Landscapes" challenge to premiere at 8 p.m. Sunday (and air numerous other times) on the cable channel. Parker also is scheduled for "The Rachael Ray Show" at 10 a.m. July 28, as well as other programming on the Food Network:"Chefs vs. City" (Washington, D.C.), to air at 10 p.m. Aug. 27 and at 1 a.m. Aug. 28; and "Outrageous Pumpkins 2," for which he serves as a judge, on Oct. 3.

Ninth-, 10th-Graders Attend SMART Girls Workshop

July 16, 2010 - 9:35 a.m.

Penn College hosted its 10th annual residential SMART Girls (Science and Math Applications in Real World Technologies for Girls) program July 11-15. Thirty-six girls participated in the program, which is for young women entering ninth and 10th grades. Trends show that a high percentage of girls stop taking higher-level math and science courses in their early teens, which leaves them at a disadvantage in pursuing many careers. One of the goals for SMART Girls is to encourage an interest in those subject areas by showing their real-world applications. Field trips included the Quest program at Bloomsburg University, where the girls climbed a 50-foot rock wall and participated in team-building activities. The SMART Girls also visited the Lumley Aviation Center in Montoursville, where they learned about aircraft weight and balance; and the Schneebeli Earth Science Center near Allenwood, learning about ornamental horticulture majors and spending time at the heavy construction equipment training site. Hands-on workshops included a range of applied-technology career areas, including photojournalism, physical fitness, paramedic technology, plastics, radiography, drafting and computer aided design, digital photography, and mathematics. The girls also participated in career exploration, facilitated by K-12 staff; communication and leadership activities, facilitated by Career Services staff; and digital storytelling, facilitated by the Madigan Library staff. The keynote address this year was presented by Anne K. Soucy, assistant dean of construction and design technologies, an advocate and champion of young women in nontraditional-by-gender careers. Upcoming SMART Girls events include two Saturday programs: Oct. 2, for girls in seventh and eighth grades, and Oct. 23 for girls in 10th and 11th grades. For more information, visit online , send e-mail or call the college’s Career Services Office at 570-327-4502. Visit the photo gallery for more.