Penn College staff members complete PACAC programs

Three Pennsylvania College of Technology staff members are strengthening their ability to advocate for students and promote ethical practices in college admissions after completing professional development programs through the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling.

Jen M. Cullin-Hetrick, director of enrollment communications & systems; Jernae Drummond, enrollment counselor; and Stephanie Golder, coordinator of student success, were recognized at a membership luncheon during PACAC’s annual conference in June. 

PACAC provides guidance and resources for students and their families while supporting professional development for high school, college and independent counselors through institutes, workshops and other programs.

Other Penn College employees who have completed the programs include Audriana L. Empet, executive director of admissions and secondary partnerships (Ethical Leadership Program); and Jaimee L. Kester, associate director of recruitment, and Katie C. Burke, coordinator of student advocacy, veteran support and prevention education (both Advocacy Leadership Program).

“One of the benefits of PACAC is the network of colleagues all over Pennsylvania,” Empet said. “We get to share what we’re seeing from all sides, including industry. It offers a network of support and ethical leadership, and it offers a validation that we’re seeing the same things so that we can find ways to better advocate for our students.” 

Cullin-Hetrick completed the Advocacy Leadership Program, a five-part training series designed to help participants advocate with local, state and federal legislators on issues central to secondary and postsecondary education. 

“The program challenged me to think more broadly about the issues affecting our students,” Cullin-Hetrick said. “While it’s easy to focus on challenges at the institutional level, many of the concerns we see are part of larger trends across higher education. The experience reinforced the importance of identifying opportunities to advocate beyond our campus, whether at the local, state or federal level, to create meaningful change that benefits students.” 

Advocacy, she added, begins with understanding the root causes of the challenges students face and then examining how policies, regulations or funding decisions contribute to those issues. 

“Once those connections are clear, we can focus our efforts on advocating for change in the areas that will have the greatest impact,” Cullin-Hetrick said. 

Drummond and Golder both completed the Ethical Leadership Program, which explores ethical practices in the admission process and how to work with colleagues in all positions to ensure the process remains centered on the students. 

Golder said her experience prompted her to consider existing procedures at Penn College, and she found the opportunity to speak to representatives from other colleges beneficial. 

“It brought to light that there’s a guide on ethics in college and admissions, and it served as a reminder that everything we do is for the student – we need to keep that perspective in mind,” she said. “It was also a great opportunity to interact with high school counselors and be able to share the way things work or don’t work from our perspective.” 

Drummond was inspired to review her own daily practices through a different lens, one that focuses on students and ethics.

“How can we, as an institution, make different procedures or policies more student-centered?” Drummond said. “And how can we, as an institution, ensure that we are always doing our best to apply the guidance that has been provided to us from the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admission? It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the policies and procedures we are following are ethical in nature, and the way we interact with and treat students and supporters is the same.”