Year in Review

THE YEAR THAT WAS 2019 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW

In 2019-2020, Penn Highlands Community College introduced two certificate programs:

SUBSTANCE ABUSE & ADDICTION TECHNICIAN. This 18-credit program prepares graduates for a rewarding career in the varied field of addiction treatment. Students learn about the effects that substance abuse and chemical dependency have on society.

SUSTAINABLE HYDROPONIC AGRICULTURE & RURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP. This 28-credit program covers traditional agribusiness and the emerging field of controlled environment agriculture. Graduates will learn skills that include the new medical marijuana production industry that has entered Pennsylvania.

growth in blair

Our Blair Center has experienced very rapid growth in terms of credits sold over the past five years. From 2015 through 2019, we have seen a 77% increase in credits sold in the fall semester and 158% in the spring semester.

Blair offers a wide variety of in-person and online program options. For a full list and details, visit our website: www.pennhighlands.edu/blair.

virtual commencement

As a way to ensure our 25th Graduating Class did not go unrecognized, Penn Highlands Community College streamed a virtual Commencement honoring the achievements and accomplishments of our graduates.

It was held on Friday, May 15, 2020. Penn Highlands celebrated with over 350 graduates, their families, and their friends in an online gathering that had never before been seen in the College’s history. This unique celebration was hosted on our website, Facebook, and YouTube.

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached our region. We were quick to react and aid the community. Penn Highlands strived to inform, donate, and connect with each other in unique ways.

Laura Gaunt, Instructor of Health Care Professions and Patient Care Technician Program Coordinator, donated isolation gowns, gloves, masks, and caps to the Conemaugh Nason Medical Center in Roaring Spring, PA (just south of Altoona). “With facilities closed, it only made sense to donate these items since students were not using them,” stated Gaunt. “We’re glad to help.”

Laura Gaunt More ways that we are staying healthy, productive, and positive during this unprecedented time:

Faculty have gone above and beyond to help students with online classes by creating innovative Zoom and chat classroom teaching techniques. Student Services, with Marketing & Communications, developed short informational and uplifting videos for students. These videos range from mental and physical wellness, to crafts, time management, and virtual studying ideas. Admissions worked virtually to connect and meet with all new prospective students. A virtual Awards Ceremony and Commencement Cermony were held.

COVID RESPONSE PENNHIGHLANDS.EDU/CORONAVIRUS

Nestled in the Allegheny Highlands is our home. Integrity and excellence, these values here are grown. Education, our foundation, answering the call. Service to communities, opportunity for all! Fellow scholars, new found friends, we Black Bears roar and sing. Gathered here in harmony and echoed from the peak –Penn Highlands, hail to thee!

Gary Boast, Assistant Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness

alma mater

As part of the College’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, Penn Highlands held a competition to determine the College’s new and improved alma mater. Written in the key of G with accompanying guitar chords, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has an updated Alma Mater.

Gary Boast, along with his son Matthew (York, PA) and family friend David Burns (Philadelphia, PA), wanted to pen a piece that reflected the passion and focus of the students and staff.

“I originally compiled a list of words that were basically what I would experience in meetings or in reading about the Penn Highlands experience,” Boast said. “We arranged them into lyrics as a group, hoping that they would be an updated take on the original Alma Mater.”

The group spent one weekend laying out the first iteration of the piece, and they reworked it over a period of a few weeks before submitting a finalized version.

An Alma Mater serves as the anthem or official song of a school or university. They tend to be serious; however, Boast wanted the new piece to have a more modern musical score – one that can be played on a myriad of instruments.

“We were aiming for something that would reflect the pride that we have in Penn Highlands, and we were looking for something that could be easily remembered and catchy,” Boast said.

“Hopefully, it can become a part of the tradition at Penn Highlands. We are very happy that the students, faculty, and staff all voted for it.”

new hires

Dr. Steve Nunez President

Dr. Steve Nunez joined Penn Highlands Community College after serving as Vice President of Academics and Student Services at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, IL. During his 20+ career in higher education, Dr. Nunez has served as a faculty member and senior administrator.

In the past year, Penn Highlands completed a full migration to

Jenzabar Cloud. Jenzabar Cloud Services help institutions better meet the needs of today’s student. Cloud models create more collaborative, interactive environments where critical data and resources are easily accessible, while keeping the infrastructure highly secure.

Jenzabar Cloud Services migrates systems to top-tier IBM Cloud commercial datacenters. These world-class network operation centers meet N+1 redundancy standards. They feature multiple uninterruptible power supplies and power distribution paths to provide a minimum uptime of 99.95%.

Kathleen Morrell Executive Director of Institutional Advancement

Kathleen Morrell joined Penn Highlands Community College after serving as Media Director for the Gatesman & Dave advertising agency in Pittsburgh, PA and The Barash Group, formerly in State College, PA.

promotions

Pam Buseck

Administrative and Student Services Coordinator

Amanda Farkus

Assistant Director, Blair Center

Brittany Lapczynski

Student Services Coordinator

Michaela Long

Student Services Coordinator

Yvette Madison

Professor, Human Services

Mary Ann McCurdy

Professor, Mathematics

Dennis Miller

Associate Professor, Criminal Justice

Thomasa Pridgen

Student Records Coordinator

Sherri Slavick

Associate Professor, Physical Sciences