Penn College Hosts Penn State Board of Trustees
With new academic programs targeting workforce needs, recent and ongoing projects improving the physical plant, and abundant computer resources prompting a ranking as one of "America’s Most Wired Colleges," Pennsylvania College of Technology continues to affirm its status as Pennsylvania’s premier technical college.
The College, an affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University, will host a visit by the Penn State Board of Trustees on Thursday, May 11. The trustees will tour the main campus and the Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport before enjoying a reception at the student-constructed Victorian House and dinner at Le Jeune Chef, a gourmet restaurant on campus where students in the School of Hospitality plan, prepare and serve meals.
Two programs that will debut this fall at Penn College — Health Information Technology and Nurse/Health Care Paralegal Studies — typify the College’s agility in identifying and responding to employers’ concerns.
The former is an associate-degree program that will enable graduates to thrive in the fast-growing medical-records field. The latter is a certificate program for students with associate’s or bachelor’s degrees in nursing or related health-science fields. The program is designed to prepare graduates for jobs in a variety of health-care, insurance and legal occupations, which are becoming increasingly intertwined.
Through initiatives such as these — and through industry partnerships with major corporations such as Caterpillar, Mack Trucks, Toyota, Ford and Textron Lycoming — Penn College students receive theory and management education complemented by invaluable hands-on experience.
Come fall, Penn College students will find a refurbished main dining hall, the Susquehanna Room, which is undergoing extensive renovations this summer. And for students who desire the peace of mind associated with on-campus, College-owned-and-operated housing, a new option — in addition to Penn College’s existing housing facilities — will be available for 2000-01. The College will finalize its purchase of the privately owned College West Apartments in June, adding 409 beds to the 650 already offered at The Village at Penn College and Campus View Apartments.
Within the academic year that’s coming to a close, Penn College has dedicated its $3.9 million new main entrance, which was funded in large part by an anonymous donor who was a Penn State graduate; its Field House, which was designed and constructed primarily by students; and its renovated and expanded Earth Science Center near Allenwood, which houses the School of Natural Resources Management.
Last week, the College relocated its Technology Transfer Center, which provides education and training to some 5,000 business and individual clients annually, to the Williamsport Chamber of Commerce’s new Business and Technology Resource Center.
Later this year, the TTC will help launch an E-Commerce Center at the BTRC that will offer training and consulting support for business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce technologies.
The College’s computer resources and on-line capabilities were recognized recently in a well-known national survey (Yahoo! Internet Life’s "America’s Most Wired Colleges 2000"). Penn College ranked fourth nationally in its category (two-year institutions). The College boasts a computer-to-student ratio of 1 to 6 — three times better than the national average.
The College continues to exert a leadership role in economic development in Williamsport and Lycoming County. For the second consecutive year, an Economic Outlook Survey placed Penn College at the top of the list of the area’s strengths.
Later this month, Penn College will register another first, when it hosts the 2000 U.S. Intercollegiate Archery Championships on May 17-20. The men’s compound bow team at Penn College is the reigning National Archery Association national champion, having won the title the past two years.
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