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College continues 20th Celebration with Puttapalooza, 5K Run/Walk, Homecoming, and more

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College continues to celebrate their 20th Anniversary during the 2014-2015 Academic Year.

During the week of April 13th through April 18th, Pennsylvania Highlands will celebrate the anniversary with the first homecoming events in the College’s history. Student clubs and organizations will host “Spirit Week” Monday through Friday at each of the College’s five locations in Cambria, Somerset, Huntingdon, and Blair counties.

On Friday, April 17th, the College Foundation will host the area’s most unique golf tournament, Puttapalooza, bringing community members together in support of the work being done by the Community College Foundation. All tickets for this fundraising event, sponsored by Somerset Trust Company, include pre-game appetizers, 18 mini-golf holes, and a post-game meal that is as fun as the golf itself.

The Foundation will then host its annual Black Bear Sprint to Success 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, April 18th, sponsored by Wessel & Company. Registration begins at 8:00 AM and the race starts at 9:00 AM sharp. Pre-registration for the event is $15.00 and race-day registration is $20.00. The course is an asphalt and macadam style course beginning at the College’s main entrance. Awards will be given to the top 3 male and top 3 female overall finishers. In addition, awards will be given to the top 3 male and female finishers based on pre-determined age groups.

Proceeds from both the golf tournament and the race will benefit Community College scholarships, programs, facilities, and faculty development.

Following the race, students, employees, alumni, and community members are invited to our Homecoming Family Day activities. From 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, attendees will enjoy a 9-hole mini-golf course, musical entertainment, family activities, alumni/student athletic games, and a catered lunch at noon. College alumni are encouraged to attend our Alumni Meet & Greet at 11:30 AM in the Mangarella Library.

“Penn Highlands is thrilled to welcome community members to the Richland Campus to help us celebrate our 20th year of service to the Southern Alleghenies,” said Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Penn Highlands. “When we take a step back and look at all that we have been able to accomplish over those 20 years, all of the lives the College has impacted, it’s quite remarkable.

“We would like to thank everyone in the community for being so welcoming to us over the past twenty years,” said Asonevich. “We will continue to serve the region through both our high quality educational opportunities and community service projects.”

Quality Assurance Training Contract awarded; Training Sessions being provided to six Counties

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has contracted with the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Investment Board and the Southern Alleghenies PREP Network to conduct Quality Assurance training throughout the region. Attendees must be employees of, and sponsored by, a business located in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, or Somerset counties.

Participants will gain an understanding of Quality Assurance (QA) systems, problem solving, the impact QA has on consistently meeting the customer’s requirements, and QA’s role in supporting Continuous Improvement. In addition, participants will learn Root Cause Analysis methodologies through both hands-on exercises and lecture-based learning. ISO requirements for internal audits, auditing techniques, documentation of findings, communicating results, and corrective action follow-up will also be presented.

The program includes eight hours of training, morning and afternoon breaks, and lunch for $94 per person. The cost of this training is being subsidized through a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Attendees realize a savings of 70% ($217) off of the total cost of the program ($311).

All training sessions will begin at 8am and end at 5pm. A training session will be held in each of the six regional counties. These training sessions include:

• Bedford County: April 15^th, Pennsylvania CareerLink of Bedford County
• Blair County: April 16^th, Penn Highlands Blair Center
• Cambria County: May 4^th, Penn Highlands Richland Campus
• Fulton County: May 7^th, VFW in McConnellsburg, PA
• Huntingdon County: May 5^th, Penn Highlands Huntingdon Center
• Somerset County: April 13^th, Penn Highlands Somerset Center

For additional information or to register for any of these training sessions, please call 814.262.3813. The deadline for registration is five business days prior to the training date.

Blair Center adds two Academic Programs

Beginning this fall, the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Blair Center is adding two healthcare programs to its already diverse list of academic offerings, the Associate of Applied Science in Healthcare Information Specialist degree and the Medical Coding Specialist diploma.

Due to the increased use of electronic medical records, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor anticipates the need for 9,150 trained medical records and health information technicians by 2016. Students enrolling in the Healthcare Information Specialist associate’s degree program will be prepared to fill this demand.

In addition to documenting records, students will learn how to securely protect, process, and prepare records, process admission or discharge documents, and more. Healthcare Information Specialist students will be able to use their knowledge to become a highly valued member of various medical environments.

Students taking part in the Medical Coding Specialist program will learn the necessary skills and gain professional experience in medical coding, including Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), as well as International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9 CM and ICD-10 CM). Graduates of this diploma program will be able to enter the medical profession as confident coders.

These programs may be completed at Penn Highlands Blair, located in the Logan Valley Mall, or students may take several courses online, providing flexibility and convenience. For additional information on these offerings or other opportunities in Blair, please contact Penn Highlands Blair at 814.201.2700 or blair@pennhighlands.edu.

Assistant Professor elected Vice Chair of ACJS Critical Criminal Justice Section

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College would like to congratulate Dr. Robert Clark, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice & Social Sciences, on being elected as the Vice Chair (Chair-Elect) of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) Critical Criminal Justice section for 2015-2016. Dr. Clark will assume the duties of Chair from 2016-2018.

The Critical Criminal Justice section promotes empirical and theoretical work on the ways in which the history, political economy, and ideology of ethnicity, race, class and gender impact, and are impacted by, crime and our reaction to crime.

PTK announces Fall 2014 Induction Class

The Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is proud to announce their Fall 2014 Induction Class. With this class, Beta Epsilon Omega inducted sixteen new members into the prestigious international honor society.

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society of the two-year college. The mission of Phi Theta Kappa is to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service and fellowship programming.

The sixteen new inductees are:

Beaverdale: Nannette Parkinson

Clearfield: Abigail Snyder

Gallitzin: Joann Watt

Hesston: Angela Nicklow

Huntingdon: Brian Stromer

Johnstown: Deanna Bair, Shauna Bixel, Francine Cashaw, Jessica Krouse, Justin Ramsdorfer, Ryan Santichen, Chet Sharp

Nanty Glo: David Kivisto

Somerset: Danielle Close

Windber: Michael Christie, Alexis Graham