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Oliver Lindrose & Tiffaney Smith Named Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholars

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College would like to congratulate Oliver Lindrose, of Johnstown, and Tiffaney Smith, of Vintondale, for being named 2019 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholars. Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver, and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion.

Oliver Lindrose will be graduating this May with an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Around campus, he is active as Vice President of Student Senate, President of the Psychology and X-Files clubs, and Vice President of the Gender Sexuality Alliance. He also serves as a tutor. After graduation, Mr. Lindrose plans to continue his education at California University of Pennsylvania

Tiffaney Smith will be graduating this May with an Associate of Science in Business Administration. Around campus, she is active as Secretary of Phi Theta Kappa, and she participated in women’s basketball. She is also a member of the Ebensburg Activities Club and owns her own spray tanning company. After graduation, Ms. Smith plans to continue her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Oliver Lindrose, Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar

Tiffaney Smith, Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar

“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals.”

Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service.

“Oliver Lindrose and Tiffaney Smith are outstanding students and leaders,” said Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. “Both serve as role models, and are well deserving of being named Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholars. The college community is proud to have them represent us.”

Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies and will also be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention, PTK Catalyst, April 4-6 in Orlando, Florida.

“We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,” said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. “Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.”

About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society consists of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations. Learn more at www.ptk.org.

3+1 Agreements With Saint Francis University Yield Student Success & Strengthen Bond

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has strong ties with local colleges and universities that are second to none. One such partnership that delivers on providing a clear path to student success is the college’s 3+1 articulation agreements with Saint Francis University. These agreements allow Penn Highlands’ students to transfer 98 course credits to a bachelor’s degree program at Saint Francis University. To complete a bachelor’s degree, students must then complete the final 30 credits with Saint Francis University after earning an associate degree.

A unique aspect of our partnership with Saint Francis University is that it contains a consortium agreement. This allows Penn Highlands and Saint Francis to work together to ensure financial aid can be used, for qualifying students, to cover the costs associated with taking classes at both institutions simultaneously.

There are six (6) 3+1 articulation agreements in place between the two institutions, creating seamless transfer options for Penn Highlands’ graduates to complete a bachelor’s degree at Saint Francis University. Agreements include:

• Accounting (A.A.S.) to Organizational Leadership (B.S.)
• Business Administration (A.S.) to Organizational Leadership (B.S.)
• Business Management (A.A.S.) to Organizational Leadership (B.S.)
• IT – Server Administration (A.A.S.) to Computer Systems Management (B.S.)
• Social Work (A.A.) to Behavioral Science (B.S.)
• Psychology (A.A.) to Behavioral Science (B.S.)

These 3+1 agreements have gained momentum in recent years as students are realizing they can keep pursuing a higher degree while already being enrolled in an associate degree program. Students understand this is a cost-effective way to receive a bachelor’s degree. In Fall 2018, four (4) students benefited from these agreements. Five (5) more students participated in Spring 2019. Now, there are over fifty (50) students interested in taking advantage of these agreements.

“When regional colleges work together as Penn Highlands and Saint Francis are doing, we can help students meet their educational goals without excessive student debt to contend with when they graduate,” stated Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Penn Highlands. “That can make it easier for them to remain here, work here, and contribute to the growth and development of our region.”

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has six locations that serve the Southern Alleghenies region. Applications are now being accepted for the summer and fall 2019 semesters.

Sophomore Tiffaney Smith Presents At Beacon Conference On Women’s Roles & Fashion

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College would like to congratulate Business Administration student Tiffaney Smith, of Vintondale, on receiving a Certificate of Achievement for her paper at the Beacon Conference. The Beacon Conference accepted Tiffaney’s paper, “The Evolution of Women’s Roles and Fashion,” and she was able to present it during the 2018 Beacon Conference.

The Beacon Conference was established by mostly Honors faculty to recognize, celebrate, and showcase the academic achievements of outstanding students at community colleges in the mid-Atlantic region. It encompasses a wide range of disciplines.

Her paper was prepared under the guidance of Penn Highlands’ professor Dr. Russell Newman. This year only 44 paper submissions were accepted, with three papers being chosen for presentation per category.

Tiffaney’s paper handles the topic of women’s roles and fashion. It takes the reader on a journey through time starting with the Victorian age, all the way up through present day. It walks the reader through different fashion trends and how they correlate with the attitudes and independence of the women in each time period.

Sophomore Tiffaney Smith plans to pursue her goal of owning her own business by transferring and earning her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania after she graduates from Penn Highlands Community College.

“I am grateful for the opportunity I had to participate in the Beacon Conference,” stated Tiffaney Smith. “The experience strengthened my ability to speak publicly and answer intellectual questions. That is something that I will be able to carry with me as I build to one day owning my own business.”

About The Beacon Conference
The Beacon Conference was born in 1993 when Rockland Community College (NY), with a grant from the American Association of Community Colleges and the Kellogg Foundation, and in association with Bergen Community College (NJ), Brookdale Community College (NJ), Catonsville Community College (MD), Dutchess Community College (NY), Harford Community College (MD), Kingsborough Community College (NY), Middlesex Community/Technical College (CT), Nassau Community College (NY) and Westchester Community College (NY), organized two conferences for student scholars at two-year colleges in the mid-Atlantic region. Since then, the conference has been sponsored by a coalition of participating community colleges, which take turns hosting this event each year on the first Friday of June.

College Responds to Governor’s Budget Proposal

The smallest community college in the commonwealth must once again find ways to continue serving its students without any additional funding from the state. Pennsylvania Highlands Community College was disappointed to learn that the Governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2020 did not include any increase in operating dollars for community colleges.

“We feel that the Governor may not be well informed about the mission and challenges faced by community colleges in Pennsylvania,” stated Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. “Community colleges were created to meet regional needs for workforce training, and to ensure that access to a college education remains local and affordable.”

While student loan debt incurred by Pennsylvania students continues to rise, and there is persistent concern regarding the ability of our current workforce to fill available jobs, the institutions best suited to address both of those issues received no new support from the Governor’s budget.

A public community college covers the costs of the education and services it provides from three sources of revenue: a local sponsor, the PA Department of Education, and tuition and fees. The stronger the support from the sponsor and the state, the lower the tuition and fee costs need to be. This government support also provides funding for the development of new programs aimed at training students for current and future workforce needs.

State assistance is especially critical for small colleges like Pennsylvania Highlands. Working to serve the rural Southern Alleghenies means that operational costs are higher per student then found in more densely populated cities and counties. This lack of appropriate financial support may result in tuition and fee increases, harming the very population the college was created to serve.

“Pennsylvania Highlands prides itself on providing a superior educational experience that everyone can access,” said Asonevich. “We want to continue doing just that, but a lack of appropriate funding will hamper our ability to maintain those lofty standards.”

Pennsylvania Highlands is a regional leader that serves the Southern Alleghenies as a low-cost option for both higher education and workforce training.

College To Receive Nearly $500K For Computer Science & STEM Programming

As part of Governor Wolf’s plan to strengthen Pennsylvania’s workforce, Department of Education (PDE) Secretary Pedro A. Rivera visited with representatives from the Southern Alleghenies STEM Ecosystem at Penn Highlands to announce the PAsmart advancing grant that had been awarded. The state grant will help the ecosystem build on existing partnerships, taking a more comprehensive approach to addressing workforce needs in the region. For details, click on the image above.

Governor Tom Wolf recently announced $9.6 million in PAsmart advancing grants to enhance science and technology education in schools statewide. Of these grants, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is set to receive $498,495 as a part of this round of PAsmart funds.

“Workers in all types of jobs increasingly need to use computers and technology,” said Governor Wolf. “In order to meet that demand, I launched PAsmart last year to expand science and technology education. These grants will help our schools and communities to expand STEM and computer science education. That will strengthen our workforce, so businesses can grow, and workers have good jobs that can support a family.”

Projects funded by the PAsmart advancing grants include computer science/STEM camps and after-school programs, STEM programming for pre-kindergarten students and classrooms and a mobile fabrication lab where students can gain hands-on experience with coding and robotics.

Other projects will develop internships in computer science and STEM, teacher training programs to increase the number of instructors for computer science/STEM and a Pathways to College program for high school students in the state’s rural northern tier region.

Sources: Governor Tom Wolf’s Office, Tribune-Democrat