Board approves provost hiring, accepts audit for Fiscal Year 2023

The Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors on Thursday approved the hiring of a vice president for academic affairs and provost and accepted audited financial statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023.

The board also approved an investment policy and a list of banks appropriate as depositories of college funds.

The board unanimously approved the appointment of Joanna K. Flynn as vice president for academic affairs and provost. She had been serving in the interim role for the position since August.

President Michael J. Reed said Flynn has the exceptional curriculum, assessment, teaching, professional-development and leadership experiences necessary for the role, and is ideally suited for the position, the highest-ranking academic officer of the college.

“Joanna understands the complexities and responsibilities of the position,” Reed said. “She understands the challenges faced by faculty, school administration and the various divisions on our campus, and she gets things done. Whether public-facing or behind the scenes, her output is simply extraordinary.”

Previously, Flynn served as assistant dean of programs, integrated studies; director of mathematics and general education; department head, mathematics; and associate professor, assistant professor and instructor of mathematics. At the University of Miami, she was a lecturer, management science, in the School of Business. At Gulliver Prep, Miami, she was an instructor of mathematics. Flynn holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Miami.

Jon A. Nichols, executive director of finance/controller, presented the results of the college’s audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, which was performed by Baker Tilly. The college received an unmodified opinion on its financial statements for the fiscal year, which is the highest level of assurance given in an audit.

Suzanne T. Stopper, senior vice president for finance/CFO, said the board was fulfilling its fiduciary duties in approving the policy governing the short-term and intermediate investment of college funds.

She also spoke to the board about the approved list of 11 banks serving as depositories of college funds: C&N Bank, First Citizens Community Bank, First National Bank, Fulton Bank, Jersey Shore State Bank, Journey Bank (Muncy Bank and Trust merged with Columbia Bank), M&T Bank, PNC Bank, Susquehanna Community Bank, Truist Bank and Woodlands Bank.

In the lone presentation to the board, Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies, was joined by two Baja SAE team students – Alec D. Rees, a manufacturing engineering technology student from Centerport, New York, and Jack J. Stump, a machine tool technology major from York – in updating the board about preparations for the Baja SAE Williamsport competition being hosted in May at the college’s Heavy Construction Equipment Operations Site.

The highlight of the three-day event is a four-hour endurance race for the off-road vehicles that are designed, engineered, manufactured and operated by each of the 100 colleges and universities vying for top honors.

Baja SAE is a collegiate engineering competition sponsored by SAE International. Students must design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive numerous challenges. Teams are provided a standard engine and fuel tank. They then build the car around those two standard pieces. Starting in 2023, all cars must also be four-wheel-drive capable. SAE holds three competitions each year: typically, one on the East Coast, one in the Midwest and one on the West Coast.

Webb said students and staff have spent the fall semester mapping out the location for each of the events, spectator viewing, and the numerous inspection locations necessary for the event. Students in heavy equipment operations started moving/screening dirt for the 1.2-mile course a few weeks ago. Next week, they will begin clearing brush and trees. More work will be done by heavy equipment students in the spring semester.

“Clearly, it’s an exciting time to be a Baja competitor at Penn College,” Webb said. “I believe we have the capability to put on a world-class event, and we eagerly await the arrival of many other competitors and spectators. This should also be a boon for the local economy.”

Rees described the collaborative process of designing and building the college’s Baja vehicle, 95% of which is accomplished in-house.

“We work very hard to build this vehicle from the ground up,” Rees said, adding, “We’re super excited to bring the competition here to the Williamsport area.”

Webb said the competition reached its capacity for registrants within minutes. The roster includes teams from Brazil and Canada. He noted that a competition of this scale will need a large group of volunteers to function smoothly.

In his comments to the board, Reed provided updates on a variety of recent activities. He recounted the college’s best-ever showing in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, the largest fall enrollment increase since 2008, the increase in applications for Fall 2024, the $3 million-plus increase in the college’s state appropriation, and the record pace at which fundraising is taking place again this year. He also noted that the college received a record $1.4 million in support recently from Coterra Energy for program expansion and scholarships.

In his comments, Board Chair Sen. Gene Yaw described the extensive efforts to apprise elected officials, stakeholders and others about the good things happening on campus and the college’s unique educational mission.

“We really had a full-court press, and I think it’s beginning to pay off,” he said, referencing the uptick in enrollment.

The next regularly scheduled Penn College Board of Directors meeting is Feb. 8, 2024.