Schramm Establishes Second Scholarship Fund at Penn College

A Pennsylvania company that gained international recognition during the rescue of trapped miners last year in Chile has established an endowed scholarship fund at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The Schramm Inc. Endowed Scholarship will provide a permanent source of financial support for students enrolled full time in Penn College's associate-degree major in heavy construction equipment technology: technician emphasis.



Schramm Inc., based in West Chester, manufacturers and supplies specialized mobile hydraulic drilling rigs for a wide range of applications in the drilling industry worldwide and has identified heavy equipment field service technicians as one of its greatest hiring needs.

Schramm is a regular visitor to the college's career fairs and currently employs eight Penn College graduates. In addition to the new endowed scholarship, since 2006, Schramm has provided annual funding for another scholarship at Penn College that makes awards to students in several other majors that are in high demand at the firm.

"The Penn College graduates that we have hired demonstrate initiative and solid technical skills," said Ed Breiner, CEO and president of Schramm Inc., "and, most importantly, they arrive on the first day with a great work ethic."

"We're grateful for the very positive relationship we have with Schramm," said Debra M. Miller, director of corporate relations at Penn College. "The company's broad support and interest in our students includes providing scholarships, internships, technical expertise, equipment demonstrations and other educational opportunities, as well as recruiting our students to become employees after graduation."

Schramm Inc. is the leading manufacturer and global supplier of land-based, mobile hydraulic drilling rigs. For over a century, the company has specialized in providing the highest quality mobile, top-head hydraulic rotary drilling rigs to companies in the mining, energy, geothermal and water sectors worldwide. International in scope, more than 70 percent of company revenues come from export sales to major markets in China, Chile, Brazil, Australia, Russia and South Africa.

Schramm Inc. built the T130XD drilling rig that played a major role in reaching and successfully rescuing 33 miners trapped in a Chilean copper mine in October, drilling the rescue shaft that was used to bring the miners to the surface after 69 days. Jeff Roten, senior service technician for Schramm Inc., provided 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week maintenance support to the T130XD rig for more than six weeks, with no attributable downtime to the rig throughout the period.

After the rescue, Roten and Breiner were invited to the White House, where they were congratulated by President Barack Obama for their efforts. The drilling rig used in the rescue was nearly identical to T130XD that the company brought to Penn College in February 2007 for demonstrations at the college's Schneebeli Earth Science Center and the main campus.

For more information about career opportunities at Schramm Inc., visit online or e-mail.

Penn College is a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University, committed to applied technology education. Nearly 6,300 students are enrolled in bachelor-degree, associate-degree and certificate majors relating to more than 100 career areas.

For more information about any of the college's majors, visit on the Web , e-mail or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

For more information about making a gift to support Penn College and its students, or for more about establishing a scholarship fund at the college, visit online , call the Institutional Advancement Office toll-free at 866-GIVE-2-PC, or e-mail .