For the first time in its history, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College will be offering a four-week Winter Session. Winter Session classes begin on December 20, 2021, and they will conclude on January 14, 2022.
The Winter Session is a great way for students to either catch up or get ahead; all courses will be held online. Credits earned through these wither classes may be easily transferred to other colleges and universities.
Dr. Steve Nunez, College President, Kay-Leigh Malzi, Director of School Partnerships, and Kathy Morrell, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and College Foundation, recently accepted a donation from 1ST SUMMIT BANK. The donation was presented by Sean McCool, Public Relations and Communications Manager at 1ST SUMMIT BANK. The $2,500 Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program donation was given to the College Foundation to help support the College’s Accelerated College Education (ACE) Program.
In 2014, the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) granted Pennsylvania Highlands Community College national accreditation for its Accelerated College Education (ACE) concurrent enrollment program. Penn Highlands is one of only two colleges in the state that has earned this accreditation, which ensures that the courses offered in high schools are equivalent to courses offered on the sponsoring college’s campus or facilities.
Because of donations through the EITC Program, ACE students are charged a reduced tuition rate. During the 2020-21 academic year, the cost per credit for this program was $63, allowing over 1,300 students to enroll in ACE courses at 47 different school districts across 11 Pennsylvania counties.
(From left to right) Kathy Morrell, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at Penn Highlands Community College; Dr. Steve Nunez, President at Penn Highlands Community College; Sean McCool, Public Relations and Communications Manager at 1ST SUMMIT BANK; and Kay-Leigh Malzi, Associate Dean of School Partnerships at Penn Highlands Community College. Check was delivered to the College’s Foundation for the EITC program and was presented at the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Richland Campus.
I have fond memories of my seventh-grade year at Elk Garden Elementary.
We were a small school located outside the metropolitan area of Lebanon, Va. (population 3,100), but we were also a proud, close-knit school and community – proud of our teachers, kids, and the education we received there.
That year, I just happened to be the quarterback of the Elk Garden Goldies. My dad, coincidentally, was also my coach.
During my first football game, I scored several TDs on the way to a blowout victory.
It felt awesome to be a “winner.” However, the rest of the season was not quite as glamorous.
During the very last game on the last play, with the score tied, I was tackled for a safety with no time remaining on the clock. Yes – I still remember that moment like it was yesterday.
Dad said to me right before that last play, “Steven, whatever you do don’t get sacked in the end zone.” Dad had to be disappointed in me – he had to be, right?
But after the game, he just hugged me and told me he loved me; he never spoke another word of it. That was Dad’s quiet way of telling me that this won’t be the last time you stumble and fall – and in the grand scheme of things, losing a seventh-grade football game was inconsequential.
That was nearly the end of my football career. I suited up again in eighth grade, but my heart wasn’t into it and I found out that I wasn’t as athletic as I thought. I never really returned to organized sports after that.
Fast forward three decades and I find myself with two sons – both gifted athletes who enjoyed playing football.
They were naturals. When they put their minds to it, they could make the most difficult football moves look easy. At the age of 12, they could easily beat me in a dead sprint – it wasn’t even close.
By the time they reached 14 or 15, I rarely wanted to tangle with them as they always seemed to hurt me.
I had to learn verbal judo and issue threats of being grounded just to get myself out of wrestling matches which inevitably left me pinned, unceremoniously, to the living room floor.
I still have strong, persistent memories of the boys playing organized football – both boys started playing when they were very young.
Our home was continuously filled with the smells and sights of two boys engrossed in their sports – and when I say smells, there is nothing like the smell of teenage football practice gear.
And while I didn’t have the athletic ability my two sons did, I could read. My poor sons were exposed to a rigorous weight training program throughout high school. I was always astounded how quickly they adapted to every new routine. Looking back, I may have been living out my own dreams through their exploits.
Both enjoyed terrific individual successes as footballers but had diametrically opposed successes with their teams.
The oldest played for a team that was inconsistent. I always felt great compassion for him and his teammates (I mean, we knew every single kid that played) when they walked off the field after another heartbreaking loss covered in sweat, dirt and bruises, with their heads low, and with sadness in their eyes.
But what struck me is that most of them kept giving it their all, day after day, week after week, just to play that terribly hard sport. I admired that about them – their commitment to each other even in the face of defeat.
The youngest played for a different high school and had tremendous team success – even winning a state championship once and being in the hunt for several others.
But it was just as heartbreaking when he, and his team, walked off the field as seniors, the clear favorites to win it all, but losing a close one in the playoffs.
Sports can teach a player many valuable lessons about life – commitment, work ethic, teamwork, brotherhood (or sisterhood), sacrifice, grit, and even empathy.
But sports also remind us that we won’t always be winners on the field of life – that sometimes you get tackled for a safety with no time remaining on the clock.
Sports’ greatest lesson is to move forward even when it is difficult, even in the face of defeat.
The lesson is instilled in the Japanese proverb, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.”
And sometimes we just might need someone to help us up when we fall – like my Dad did so many decades ago.
See you at Penn Highlands.
Written By Dr. Steve Nunez, College’s Fifth President. This monthly series appears in The Tribune-Democrat, and will allow Dr. Nunez to provide his perspective on the value of education and of a community college.
The Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Foundation and UPMC Altoona Foundation have partnered to offer grants to Patient Care Technician students enrolling in the spring 2022 semester totaling $5,000.
To be eligible for this grant, students must have:
Completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Be enrolled in the Patient Care Technician Certificate program.
Preference is given to Blair County residents or students attending the Blair Center.
“I want to thank the UPMC Altoona Foundation for supporting our Patient Care Technician students,” stated Chris Farrell, Director of the Penn Highlands Community College Blair Center. “This certificate is an excellent way for someone to get established in the healthcare field. It is a four-month program that is packed with essential training, including basic patient care, phlebotomy, infectious disease control, and many other skills currently in demand.”
To qualify for the grant, students need to register for the spring 2022 semester and enroll in the Patient Care Technician program. Priority will be given to students that exhibit financial need as indicated by their completed FAFSA and any remaining tuition and fees balance.
For more information on PCT grant eligibility, please contact the Penn Highlands Community College Blair Center at 814.201.2700 or blair@pennhighlands.edu. Enrollment for the Spring 2022 semester is currently underway.
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College will be holding an in-person Open House at its facilities on Thursday, November 11th. Attendees and their guests may choose to attend one of two sessions at either 2:30pm or 5:30pm.
Individuals will learn about Penn Highlands and its opportunities, including degree programs and coursework, transfer options, and financial assistance opportunities. Information on student life, including clubs, activities, and athletics, will also be presented. Faculty and alumni will be on-hand to discuss their personal experiences.
As an added incentive, prospective students will be eligible to win a 2022-2023 tuition voucher, good for a $250 discount, if they complete a survey while in attendance.
To attend, individuals must RSVP online here. No walk-ins are permitted due to COVID-19. Additionally, as a precaution to keep everyone safe, masks are required, and social distancing protocols will be followed.
Open House locations include:
Blair Center Logan Valley Mall (Next to Macy’s) 5580 Goods Lane, Altoona, PA 16602 814.201.2700 | blair@pennhighlands.edu
Ebensburg Center 881 Hills Plaza Drive, Suite 450, Ebensburg, PA 15931 814.471.0010 | ebensburg@pennhighlands.edu
Written By Dr. Steve Nunez, College’s Fifth President. This monthly series appears in The Tribune-Democrat, and will allow Dr. Nunez to provide his perspective on the value of education and of a community college.