To our valued alumni, industry partners and all those who invested in Pennsylvania College of Technology in the past year: As another fall semester begins, I pause to thank you. We continue fulfilling our educational mission in no small part because of your support. 

Your impact on our operations continues to yield incredible opportunities for our students – and the rapidly evolving workforce. With over 4,700 degree-seeking students scheduled, approximately 2,100 dual-enrollment high schoolers getting a head start on their college experience and around 5,400 individuals upskilling through Workforce Development at Penn College, access to our life-changing applied technology education continues to grow. 

We remain focused on our core values to accomplish our mission, and with your support, we prepare the next generation of industry leaders with the real-world experience and innovative spirit needed to lead in their respective fields. Simply stated, our ongoing partnership strengthens tomorrow’s workforce. 

A new initiative – the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program, coordinated by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency – is providing valuable financial assistance to eligible Penn College students who live in Pennsylvania and agree to work within the state following graduation. The statute launching the Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program specifies that all discipline-specific associate and bachelor’s degrees at Penn College pre-qualify – the only four-year college or university in Pennsylvania with this provision. It’s a tribute to our workforce relevance. 

Our unique, hands-on programs produce graduates who are ready to thrive in a wide range of essential, always-in-demand occupations, a fact reflected in our 98% graduate-placement rate and the persistent recruitment efforts made by our many business and industry partners. We are most grateful that the Legislature recognized this impact when establishing the criteria for “Grow PA.” 

In another significant validation, the Carnegie Classification designated Penn College as an “Opportunity College and University.” This newly developed Student Access and Earnings Classification, published by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education, examines the extent to which institutions cultivate opportunities for success by measuring whether they enroll students reflective of the communities they serve, and how the earnings of those students compare to their peers. For 2025, Opportunity Colleges and Universities represent just 16% of U.S. colleges and universities in the Student Access and Earnings Classification. We are in good company. 

I encourage you to visit the college’s 2024-25 Impact Report. Take a look at our collective accomplishments and how your advocacy and financial investments are at work at Penn College and beyond. You will see how your support of scholarships opens doors to our life-changing applied technology education for students like Morgan Bartholomew, who is embarking on a career in polymer engineering. How your support of academics empowers student-athletes like Colten Hajicek to compete nationally and travel globally, designing the careers of their dreams through amazing experiences. How your gifts of equipment ensure that our students are learning within industry-grade environments to spark future innovation. 

It is worth repeating: Together, we continue to place students in the best possible position for long-term success. Your advocacy and financial investments strengthen Penn College, its students and the workforce of tomorrow.