Faculty & Staff Articles

Alumni who, as students, provided oral health care in third-world countries reunited on campus last week to reminisce and to celebrate how the experience continues to shape their outlooks. Since 2008, Rhonda J. Seebold, part-time instructor of dental hygiene, has taught classes that concluded with travel to Nicaragua (2008-2015), and Dominican Republic (2016-2024). With a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, the 15th class traveled to the Dominican this summer.

Pennsylvania College of Technology may have been the best-kept secret, but that's about to change. Penn College earned impressive 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings, including No. 3 top public school, as well as No. 1 school for innovation – and for veteran students – in Regional Colleges (North). Enjoy this new 30-second video, offering a glimpse into the campus where students "learn by doing, in STEM and technical fields that drive our economy. They're mastering skills that make a difference."

"We won! We won!" enthused Mark E. Sones, a faculty adviser for the Diesel Performance Club of Pennsylvania College of Technology. The club's 1959 B-61 Model Mack drag truck, appropriately named "Accelerated Learning," captured first place in the B1-Big Truck fast class division on Saturday at the Keystone Truckin' Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading. Watch Penn College News for more coverage of this celebrated accomplishment!

Penn College announced Dalton Rohrbaugh as the seventh head coach of the wrestling program. Rohrbaugh begins his coaching duties on Sept. 24. Rohrbaugh previously spent one season on the Shenandoah University wrestling coaching staff. At Shenandoah, Rohrbaugh's responsibilities included organizing and implementing practices, scouting and recruiting prospective student-athletes, and managing various aspects of the team's operations.

A long-term partner of Pennsylvania College of Technology is enhancing its commitment to the school’s collision repair and restoration program. PPG Industries Inc. – a global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials – recently renewed its paint sponsorship that began in 2003. The new agreement calls for PPG to double its annual investment over the next five years.

In "Hands-On Humanities," two of Penn College's most dynamic faculty members discuss the power of the arts and social sciences and how those disciplines mesh with the college's hands-on majors to produce well-rounded, global citizens. Gerry Kaplan, who teaches ceramics, and Jen Wahl, who instructs world history, psychology and sociology courses, join the Tomorrow Makers podcast for a lively exchange on topics including career-centered learning and their penchant for pranking each other.

Pennsylvania College of Technology joined Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity on Sept. 19 to break ground at 508 Fifth Ave., where, over the next two years, Penn College students will build a Habitat home on land donated to the organization by the college. “This is such a win-win project,” said Bob Robinson, executive director of Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity.

Bolstering its student support services, Penn College is offering a free and innovative mental health service to its students – TalkCampus. TalkCampus is a global peer-support platform designed for students, offering round-the-clock support. Accessible on both mobile and desktop, the mental health app ensures continuous access to care for students in need. TalkCampus provides an all-encompassing solution that integrates online peer support with real-time crisis management by professional staff.

“Accelerated Learning," the 1959 B-61 Model Mack drag truck operated by the Diesel Performance Club of Pennsylvania College of Technology is competing Saturday in the Keystone Truckin’ Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, 15 miles southeast of Reading. "This is a huge event, with over 1,000 trucks and 10,000 spectators anticipated to attend," said Mark E. Sones, a club adviser and diesel equipment technology instructor. "This will be our greatest exposure!"

Illustrator Brian Lutz returned to his alma mater for two days of inspirational exchanges. The 2008 advertising art grad engaged students in hands-on work in two Illustration classes, delivered a public lecture in Penn’s Inn and answered questions during a reception in The Gallery at Penn College, where his “Full Circle” exhibit in on display through Oct. 4. It was in the gallery and his classes that Lutz was first inspired to pursue a career in illustration, so the exhibit’s title is an apt description.