Students - PCToday - Pennsylvania College of Technology

Job Outlook Remains Steady in Up-and-Down Economy

Feb. 9, 2012 - 4:21 p.m.

Why would 21 Fortune 500 companies – including heavyweights General Electric, PepsiCo, Honeywell International, DuPont, John Deere, Corning and Textron – visit a career fair in central Pennsylvania in the midst of economic uncertainty? Because, experts say, even when the economy slows down, skilled, specialized positions can be hard to fill. Employers stay hungry for workforce-ready graduates. That explains the presence of the Fortune 500s at Penn College’s most recent career fair. “Our programs provide skills that are critical regardless of economic conditions,” said Jennifer McLean, Penn College’s director of career services. “It doesn't matter what the Dow Jones is at when you need health care or a working HVAC system for your building. These are not luxury items. … We produce graduates who fill needs that occur without regard for the economy. This makes many of our programs essentially recession-proof.”

Industry-Sponsored Wedding Cake Competition Invites Viewers

Feb. 10, 2012 - 11:24 a.m.

On March 2, the public is invited to view intricately decorated, multitiered cakes created by Penn College’s baking and pastry arts students. “Butterflies” is the theme for the cakes, which will be displayed as part of a contest developed for the students by an industry leader in the world of wedding cakes. Students have spent about eight weeks of class time on their cakes. The students’ cakes will be displayed for the public from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Mountain Laurel Room of the Thompson Professional Development Center at Penn College. A ceremony to announce the winners is scheduled at 1 p.m.

College Expands Tutoring Services to Reach More Students

Feb. 9, 2012 - 3:40 p.m.

In a continuing effort to make sure students have access to the support services that can help them succeed in their college coursework, Penn College Academic Success Center has expanded its tutoring services to new locations in 2011-12. In addition to services at the Tutoring Center and Writing Center in the Klump Academic Center, tutors are available in a variety of labs on campus, as well as in the Madigan Library and Dauphin Hall, bringing support services to students where they spend their time.

Bison Battalion Facilitates Scouting Programs at Area Malls

Feb. 8, 2012 - 4:52 p.m.

The Bison Battalion – the Bucknell University-based ROTC program comprising Bucknell, Bloomsburg and Susquehanna universities, Penn College and Lycoming College – assisted in Saturday's Boy Scout shows at the Lycoming and Susquehanna Valley malls. At each show, students facilitated the registration process, helped in setting up the venue, and gave away ROTC water bottles, bags, footballs and USB hubs to participants who performed a task. Those assignments included push-ups, sit-ups, gymnastics and retrieving an area code for England from the AT&T store.
Photos provided by Bison Batallion

Fraternity's Soda-Tab Collection Aids Area Charity

Feb. 6, 2012 - 2:51 a.m.

On Jan. 25, Penn College's Sigma Pi chapter donated 20 gallons of soda tabs to the Ronald McDonald House in Danville, culminating a group effort between the fraternity brothers and their families. "It took the brothers three semesters to collect that many tabs," Sigma Pi's Tyler J. Harry said, "but it was worth it, for it was to a good cause." Ronald McDonald House Charities, which offers a "home away from home" for families staying with hospitalized children, deals with tabs instead of entire aluminum cans because it's easier and more hygienic to collect and store them. The tabs are taken to local recycling centers, where they are weighed to determine their worth; the center then sends the local RMHC chapter a check for the total value. "The program is an easy way for people of all ages to support (the organization) and know they are making a difference for families and children," the charity's website notes.

Student’s Metal Art Helps Raise Funds for Cancer-Prevention Charity

Jan. 26, 2012 - 2:10 p.m.

A charity drive to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation recently benefited from the artistry and technical skill of a Penn College student – Thomas D. Folino, of Centre Hall – who fabricated two pieces of metal art that were among more than 120 prizes raffled during a unique video gaming marathon.

Human Services Students Organize Events That Raise Nearly $5,000

Jan. 24, 2012 - 10:59 a.m.

Students in human services classes at Penn College hosted simultaneous events on campus in November that raised $4,600 for local and international causes: a Gifts That Give Hope Fair that provided opportunities for holiday shoppers to sponsor items needed by one of eight local nonprofit organizations and a Ten Thousand Villages Festival Sale that offered fair-trade handcrafted goods from around the world.

Penn College Announces Winners of Annual Food Show

Jan. 23, 2012 - 2:40 p.m.

Penn College announced the winners for its annual Food Show, held in December as a showcase for final projects in advanced culinary arts and baking and pastry arts courses at the college. Taking the Chef Eugene Mattucci Best of Show Award was a chocolate house made by Alisha M. Howell, a baking and pastry arts student from Waymart. Her creation depicted an old-time theater decked out for the holidays. Mattucci was chef/owner of Mattucci’s Italian Restaurant in Mount Carmel and was a longtime Penn College advisory committee member and Food Show judge.

Students Among Admirable Ambassadors for Construction Management Degree

Jan. 19, 2012 - 3:15 p.m.

Construction management seniors Kyle S. Baker and John M. Kriner attended the ACE Mentor Program's College Night on Tuesday at the John Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia, where high school students spoke with numerous colleges about opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering. Baker, of Walkersville, Md., and Kriner, of Lancaster, joined faculty member Brad M. Martin to inform prospective students about the Penn College construction management degree. Many students and professionals in attendance never heard of Penn College or of its prestigious program, so, as part of their senior capstone project, Baker and Kriner are helping recruit students for the four-year construction management major. "Many people do not even know about the degree or understand that construction management is a white-collar job and that there are only 66 accredited programs nationwide," said Kriner, adding that, after speaking with more than 60 prospective students, the group believes many are interested in the program.
Photo by Brad M. Martin, instructor of building construction management

Penn College Horticulture Alumnus Gains State Certification

Jan. 19, 2012 - 10:11 a.m.

Logan T. Richard, a May graduate of Penn College’s ornamental horticulture program, recently learned of his success in the Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist examination. The exam was administered in December by horticulture instructor Carl J. Bower Jr., who – like Richard – is one of about 300 PCHs in the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association’s Penn-Atlantic region. “Joining the ranks of certified horticulturists will help set Logan apart from the competition,” Bower said, “and the continued education to keep the certification will only strengthen its value.”