Board OKs VP hiring, bylaws revision, appointment of auditor

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Board of Directors on Thursday approved the hiring of a vice president for communications and marketing, revised the college’s bylaws to reflect quorum requirements for meetings and authorized the appointment of an auditing firm for the fiscal year ending June 30.

Katie Bell, a marketing and communications professional with over 25 years of experience in corporate, economic-development and higher-education environments, will become vice president for communications and marketing on June 2. She succeeds Joseph S. Yoder, associate vice president for public relations and marketing, who will retire June 30 after 25 years with the college.

Bell comes to Penn College from Textron Systems, where she was senior director, marketing and events. She will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Penn College’s communications and marketing strategies. Bell will lead a team of writers and editors, marketing and advertising professionals, print and web designers, video producers and photographers, as well as staff in digital publishing and document and mail services.

“Katie Bell, welcome to the team,” President Michael J. Reed said during the meeting, which Bell attended. She thanked Reed and the board, noting she has always admired the “distinctive approach” the college takes with educating students.

In other business, the board revised bylaws regarding quorum requirements for meetings. The revisions reflect that a quorum must be in-person. When the in-person quorum is met, remote participation/voting remains an option for members who are unable to attend in person.

The board ratified the appointment of Baker Tilly to perform auditing services for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.

The board also approved the appointment of a new board officer. The board’s assistant treasurer, Suzanne T. Stopper, senior vice president for finance/CFO, is retiring May 9. Jon Nichols, vice president for finance/CFO, will succeed her as assistant treasurer. The board authorized Nichols and Reed to sign contracts on behalf of the college.

The board heard a presentation on a five-year $2.14 million federal Title III Strengthening Institutions Program Grant that aims to improve students’ performance in math classes. Barb F. DiMarco, assistant dean of arts and sciences, as well as several math faculty – Ed Owens, department head of mathematics and project director for the grant, and LeAnn Henry and Tiffany Schwanger, the grant’s lead math faculty – addressed the enhancements being funded.

The project features a redesign and the use of math advisors for Pre-Algebra and Elementary Algebra courses; classroom renovations that are conducive to a student-centered, active-learning environment; and professional development that equips math faculty and support staff to accommodate student needs, specifically those in developmental math courses. As gateways to most STEM majors, math courses are crucial for preparing students for sustainable, high-demand careers supporting the nation’s workforce and economy.

Reed said “math is often a stumbling block” for students before they can take classes related to their major, so ensuring their success is vital. Owens noted how getting students on their feet and solving problems at whiteboards with faculty and other students, instead of individually at their desks, is a key component of the project, as is getting tutors involved and enhancing technology in “smart” classrooms.

Henry said the new approach minimizes lecture and emphasizes collaboration. Schwanger said students are asking more questions, seeking out tutors more often and are experiencing a higher comfort level with assignments. Data shown to the board confirms that students’ success rate in the courses has improved noticeably as a result of the grant project.

Curriculum and program updates were provided by Joanna K. Flynn, vice president for academic affairs/provost. Flynn noted that, during the current academic year, 20 majors were revised, with another six expected to be revised by the end of the academic year. Additionally, a collaboration between Nursing & Health Sciences and Emergency Management & Homeland Security has led to a new minor in public health for Fall 2026. Fourteen new courses were created, and 141 courses were revised to ensure that the college is meeting industry needs and/or because of outcomes-assessment results.

Flynn also updated the board on a National Science Foundation grant benefiting the polymers program, the college’s Prison to College Program and a supporting grant, enhancements to the diesel technology program, a Pre-Health Summer Bridge program assisting nursing students, a community Physical Therapy Clinic that will accept its first patients in the fall, and accreditation and re-accreditation efforts for multiple academic majors/programs.

Flynn said seven employees have been approved for promotion in academic rank – three to assistant professor, three to associate professor, and one to full professor, and one sabbatical request has been approved for the 2025-26 academic year.

In Reed’s remarks to the board, he thanked Stopper, who was attending her final board meeting before retiring in May.

He also told the board that the campus visit by students from North West Regional College in Northern Ireland provides a great experience for them, as well as the Penn College students who engage them during their stay here.

In his closing remarks, Board Chair Sen. Gene Yaw noted that he always looks forward to the three commencement ceremonies in May, particularly greeting the graduates as they cross the stage at the Community Arts Center to shake hands.

“It is gratifying,” he told the board.

The next regularly scheduled Penn College Board of Directors meeting is June 26.