Penn College student receives Robert Smith scholarship

Pennsylvania College of Technology student James C. Fretz is one of four recipients of a scholarship established in memory of one of the nation’s earliest architects.

Fretz, a construction management student from Collegeville, was awarded a $2,500 Robert Smith Memorial Scholarship.

Awarded jointly by The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia and the St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia – both established in the 1700s – the scholarship is designated to support the professional development of a current student pursuing education and/or employment in the traditional building trades.

To qualify, Fretz was nominated by the Penn College construction management program, completed a personal essay and was interviewed by the scholarship committee in historic Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, one of the buildings designed by the scholarship’s namesake.

To be selected, candidates were required to demonstrate a high level of enthusiasm, a respect for and genuine interest in others’ views and culture, involvement in the community, a serious interest in the building trades as their intended career path, strong interpersonal skills, a sense of humor and adventure, the ability to adapt to new and changing situations, and motivation, drive and focus.

Fretz, a dean’s list student, is president of the college’s Construction Management Association, which was named Student Chapter of the Year by Associated Builders and Contractors in 2023 and 2024; has competed in the Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Management Competition and the Associated Schools of Construction Region 1 Competition; is employed on campus as a college relations assistant; and, through a Penn College Global Experience course, helped build a home for a family in the Dominican Republic.

He ultimately hopes to work for a company or organization focused on historic preservation and completed an internship with the Christman Co., the contractor for a $49 million restoration of the Maryland State House, the nation’s oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use.

In January, Fretz attended the Robert Smith Birthday Celebration and Scholarship Reception at Carpenters’ Hall. The building was the meeting site of the First Continental Congress and remains the meeting site for the Carpenters’ Company, an association of architects, building contractors and structural engineers.

The St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia celebrates Scottish heritage and service and is the oldest continuous running charity in the United States.

To learn more about Penn College’s bachelor’s degree in construction management, call 570-327-4520.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.