Two recent Pennsylvania College of Technology graduates were commissioned as second lieutenants during an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps ceremony held Saturday, Aug. 17, on the college's main campus in Williamsport.
Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour and Carolyn R. Strickland, assistant vice president for academic services, participated in the commissioning ceremony for Brian Arnold and James D. Fortenberry, held in the Thompson Professional Development Center.
Arnold, who attended the ROTC Leadership Training Course between his sophomore and junior years, graduated in August with a Bachelor of Science in building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration. The Chadds Ford resident will attend the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Ga., prior to his service in the Signal Corps.
Fortenberry, of Lemoyne, earned a Bachelor of Science in construction management in August. He had accepted a four-year scholarship to Penn College after completing Army Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training. He will attend the Engineer Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and serve with the Pennsylvania National Guard.
During the ceremony, Gilmour was presented with a statue – “Kneeling Soldier With Weapon at the Ready” – to symbolize the shared sacrifice by soldiers in defense of the country and the public servants who help prepare America’s future leaders, both civilian and military.
The award was presented by Bucknell University’s Department of Military Science on behalf of the Bison Battalion Army ROTC program, comprising Penn College and Lycoming College, as well as Bucknell, Bloomsburg and Susquehanna universities.
“(Gilmour’s) service, much like a soldier’s, is done for love of community and for the future of our nation, not for profit and private gain,” said Capt. Daniel R. Graw, associate professor of military science at Bucknell.
For more about Penn College, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour and Carolyn R. Strickland, assistant vice president for academic services, participated in the commissioning ceremony for Brian Arnold and James D. Fortenberry, held in the Thompson Professional Development Center.
Arnold, who attended the ROTC Leadership Training Course between his sophomore and junior years, graduated in August with a Bachelor of Science in building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration. The Chadds Ford resident will attend the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Ga., prior to his service in the Signal Corps.Fortenberry, of Lemoyne, earned a Bachelor of Science in construction management in August. He had accepted a four-year scholarship to Penn College after completing Army Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training. He will attend the Engineer Officer Basic Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and serve with the Pennsylvania National Guard.
During the ceremony, Gilmour was presented with a statue – “Kneeling Soldier With Weapon at the Ready” – to symbolize the shared sacrifice by soldiers in defense of the country and the public servants who help prepare America’s future leaders, both civilian and military.The award was presented by Bucknell University’s Department of Military Science on behalf of the Bison Battalion Army ROTC program, comprising Penn College and Lycoming College, as well as Bucknell, Bloomsburg and Susquehanna universities.
“(Gilmour’s) service, much like a soldier’s, is done for love of community and for the future of our nation, not for profit and private gain,” said Capt. Daniel R. Graw, associate professor of military science at Bucknell.
For more about Penn College, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
Photos by Marc T. Kaylor, student photographer