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Soaring Through Life

The original column appeared in the Tribune-Democrat, written by Dr. Steve Nunez. Click here to see original sourced column.

One of the unique aspects of my job is my reporting structure. I report to a Board of Trustees.

Twelve of these trustees are appointed by the Cambria County Commissioners. Three additional trustees are appointed by the Board itself – one from Somerset County, Blair County, and Huntingdon County. The last is a Student Trustee who is voted onto the Board by the student body of Penn Highlands Community College.

Yes, you heard me right – I have 16 bosses, and one of them is a student.

I, of course, was not surprised that a Board of Trustees would supervise me and provide oversight to college operations when I took this job almost two years ago. I have been in higher education for 25-plus years.

I have presented many times to other boards as a faculty member or as a senior administrator. But in this job, the trustees are my direct supervisors, and so, it is different.

Initially, it was a little intimidating, trying to understand the motivations and expectations of so many different people. I made it a goal of mine to meet with every single trustee individually as soon as I could; a goal I accomplished within a few months of my initial hire.

Those meetings and my regular interactions with them during the past two years as president have convinced me to embrace the perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of the trustees – to be open-minded and to listen.

Having those 16 diverse perspectives, sometimes contradictory to my own, became comforting when I recognized that they all want the college to be successful – and hence, they want me to be successful. Having served on a few boards myself (all not-for-profit), I hope that those CEOs always felt that I supported them and the mission of the organization.

At Penn Highlands, trustees serve six-year terms – a very long commitment to any organization. But the long terms provide stability by reducing constant turnover. Recently, trustee Dr. Kathleen O’Rourke indicated that she would be leaving the board after serving two full terms (that’s 12 years to you and me).

O’Rourke spent her entire career dedicated to educating youth. In her words, “I always wanted to work with kids.”

Having earned a college degree in elementary education from Lock Haven, she taught fourth grade for several years. She then turned her attention and talents to being a school counselor after earning a master’s degree in counseling; she eventually earned a doctorate in counseling and administration. She retired, after 38 years in education, as the head of counseling in the Altoona Area School District.

In 2009, she helped start SOAR (Study, Overcome, Achieve Rewards) – a mentorship-based after-school educational program that helps youth attain college degrees – youth who have great potential but are struggling to find their way. The program helps them focus on their education and career goals so that they can be prepared to attend college (and for some, find a path out of poverty).

If the young people stick with the program, they can eventually earn $7,500 toward that degree. But their true reward is that they have built a life-long relationship with an adult mentor and friend, one that supports and cares for them.

I’ve been in the business of education for my entire professional life. And yet, when I hear stories like O’Rourke’s, I can’t help but feel gratitude.

Gratitude for her commitment to our youth. Gratitude for her clear focus to make a difference in individual kids – every kid matters. Gratitude that even after retirement she found the energy and drive to continue with educational programs that make a difference in our communities and to be a trustee on her local community college’s board.

Thank you, Dr. O’Rourke, for everything you have done for our communities and for your support of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College and its president. I will miss your insight and support.

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.

College Offers Four-Week Online Winter Classes

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.

Winter classes include:

• ANT 100 – Introduction to Anthropology
• COM 101 – Public Speaking
• MAT 131 – Intermediate Algebra
• MAT 145 – College Algebra
• MAT 200 – Probability and Statistics
• SOC 100 – Introduction to Sociology
• PSY 100 – General Psychology
• PSY 130 – Human Development Across the Lifespan

Get started today by calling 1.888.385.7325 or visiting our winter session page.

1ST SUMMIT BANK Donates Over $2,000 Through EITC Program

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.

The Smell Of Football Is In The Air

The original column appeared in the Tribune-Democrat, written by Dr. Steve Nunez. Click here to see original sourced column.

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.

UPMC Altoona Foundation Provides Grants To Qualifying Patient Care Technician Students

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@pennh.25comm.com. Enrollment for the Spring 2022 semester is currently underway.