Cultivating a Community of Respect

Penn College is participating in Welcoming Week (Sept. 14-23), a national appreciation of international students and their collective contributions to campus culture. "Students from all over the world are a vital part of our campus, bringing fresh perspectives and new ideas, which contribute to the vibrant diversity that we all value," President Davie Jane Gilmour said in a commemorative proclamation. "This week, we honor the spirit of unity that is bringing people together across the nation and the world. Regardless of where we are born or what we look like, we are Penn College, united in our efforts to build a stronger campus and greater future." As part of the celebration – which featured an appropriately hashtagged cake and selfies with the Wildcat – friends and colleagues were invited to show their support of global education during an informal get-together in the Bush Campus Center lobby Wednesday afternoon. Penn College has 24 students from nine countries: France, Ghana, India, Iran, Oman, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor

 

Amaris T. Smith, culinary arts and systems, cuts the cake while Kathleen V. McNaul, director of college transitions and first year initiatives, looks on.

#youarewelcomehere

A welcoming face – and force – from the human resources and student affairs front. From left: Stacy R. Barr, human resources office assistant; Mattie L. Pulizzi, human resources specialist: development and compliance; Tami J. Delinski, human resources specialist: compensation and benefits; Elliott Strickland, vice president for student affairs; LaDonna Caldwell, director of compensation and benefits; and Carolyn Strickland, vice president for enrollment management/associate provost.

Jubilant smiles from Lisa M. Andrus, dean of business and hospitality, and Paul R. Watson II, dean of academic success

He’s got the whole world in his … paw!

Matthew E. Varmecky, a welding and fabrication engineering technology student from Harrisburg, stops by to lend a congenial hand.

A familiar face on the study abroad scene at Penn College, Naim N. Jabbour, assistant dean of construction and design technologies, has chaperoned trips to Europe and the United Kingdom to study architecture and sustainable design.