Students Benefit From Continued Generosity of Caterpillar, Dealers

A partnership of the Caterpillar Foundation and participating regional dealerships recently delivered a substantial boost to Pennsylvania College of Technology students, presenting $140,500 in support of three majors within the School of Natural Resources Management.

The commitment from the Caterpillar Excellence Fund breaks down into $110,500 for the diesel technology and heavy construction equipment majors $25,500 from the Caterpillar Foundation and $17,000 from each of five area dealerships and, for the first time, $30,000 for the growing field of power generation technology. The latter funding is comprised of $15,000 from Caterpillar and $2,500 from each of six dealers.

Penn College offers "the only degree program in the East with the single focus on portable electric power generation," noted Wayne R. Longbrake, dean of natural resources management.

"The need for trained technicians and the employment opportunities for program graduates are so significant that our industry supporters have joined with us in an attempt to make potential students aware of the program and the opportunities in the career field," he said.

The foundation's contribution includes $500 in matching funds toward the "Pathfinder to Excellence" faculty award, presented earlier this year to David C. Johnson, instructor of diesel equipment technology.

Partners in the financial commitment to all three majors are Alban Tractor Co. Inc., Baltimore; Beckwith Machinery Co., Murrysville; Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co. Inc., Harrisburg; Ransome CAT, Bensalem; and H.O. Penn Machinery Co. Inc., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. They are joined in the power-generation grant by MacAllister Machinery Co. Inc., Indianapolis.

The objective of the Caterpillar Excellence Fund is to increase the pool of qualified service technicians by recruiting and retaining students through scholarship assistance. Contributions also help fund equipment purchases for the three majors and enable faculty members to receive the latest Caterpillar-sponsored training.

The majors are based at Penn College's Schneebeli Earth Science Center near Allenwood; the power-generation curriculum also involves electrical faculty from the School of Construction and Design Technologies.

For more information about the programs offered by the School of Natural Resources Management, call (570) 320-8038, send e-mail or visit online .