Industry bestows generosity on construction management students
Friday, April 14, 2023
Friday's meeting of Pennsylvania College of Technology's Construction Management Advisory Committee, many of them alumni and all of them strongly aware of the college's reliable contribution to tomorrow's workforce, featured more than thousands of dollars in student scholarships.
Wayne R. Sheppard, assistant professor, presided over the midday ceremony in the Thompson Professional Development Center, where some of the committee's 14 contributing members presented the honors to praiseworthy students in the School of Engineering Technologies' four-year construction management major.
The luncheon included a recap of the Penn College contingent's recent trip to Florida for the 2023 Student Chapter Construction Management Competition, where the team – Noah H. Jumper, of Shippensburg; Conor B. Laraia, of Chambersburg; Todd I. Lavish, of Chester Springs; Danielle E. Malesky, of Biglerville; and Michael Messina, of Nazareth – finished fourth overall.
In individual categories, the team was second in safety; and fourth in estimating, project management and quality. (Watch PCToday for more about the competition, held as part of the Associated Builders and Contractors convention in Kissimmee, Florida.)
"Congrats to the ABC team; the results speak for themselves," said 2004 Penn College alumnus Michael Fiore, director of project management at Leonard S. Fiore Inc. and chair of the advisory committee. Noting that the competition is among a student's most valuable experiences, both in personal development and in resume-building, he encouraged underclassmen to keep the momentum alive by recruiting a similarly cohesive team to carry on the winning tradition.
Emerging Freshman scholarships of $1,500 each were presented by Fiore to James C. Fretz, of Collegeville, and Jason Wiedl, of West Pittston (who was unable to attend).
Hal Gee, vice president of energy development for Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., awarded Jumper with a pair of $1,500 scholarships: one from the advisory committee and one from its endowment fund. Jumper additionally received a $1,000 Whiting-Turner scholarship presented by Jared Hoover, superintendent for Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. and a 2006 Penn College grad.
The event also included recipients of four graduation awards, which will be officially announced as the seniors cross the Community Arts Center stage during May 13's afternoon commencement ceremony.
Malesky will receive the Construction Management Faculty Award; Laraia will be presented with the Construction Management Advisory Committee Achievement Award and one of two NorthCentral PA Chapter Construction Specifications Institute Excellence in Construction Awards–Construction Management. The other CSI Award will go to Adam T. Roe, of Hallstead.
