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College receives National Endowment for the Humanities Grant

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College was one of only 38 cultural institutions nationwide to receive a Common Heritage grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Common Heritage program will enable the college to host “digitization days” to capture local historical records and artifacts.

The local project, Families Forever: A Cambria Memory Project, will take place in 2016 and will feature several opportunities for the public to bring family records or artifacts and have them digitized and preserved. Partners with Pennsylvania Highlands in the grant include the Cambria County Historical Society, the Johnstown Area Heritage Association, and St. Francis University.

In addition to the public digitization days, there will also be humanities programs and digitization workshops to teach the public how to digitize and conserve family history using best practices.

All participants will receive their digitized records the day of the event and all records will be stored in the state’s digital repository, Power Library, and also in the Digital Public Library of America.

Common Heritage is part of The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square, an initiative that seeks to enhance the role of humanities in civic life.

Blair Center gives back to the Community

The Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Blair Center recently collected stuffed animals for the Altoona Police Department. These stuffed animals will be distributed to local area children during emergency situations. The donation was accepted by Officer Himes of the Altoona Police Department.

“As a community college, our students, faculty, and staff are dedicated to giving back to the communities we serve. This stuffed animal drive provided us with a wonderful opportunity to partner with our local law enforcement agency, helping them assist the youth in our area in times of need. We greatly appreciate the donations provided by College employees and students, as well as community members,” stated Julie Patosky, Director, Blair Center.

College ranks 2nd among Community Colleges in Pennsylvania based on recent Study

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has been ranked the second best community college in Pennsylvania by Schools.com. In total, Pennsylvania has 14 community colleges serving the state.

The study performed by Schools.com gathered data on seven quantitative metrics (percentage of students enrolled in distance education, total cost of attendance, student-to-faculty ratio, average retention rate, graduation rate, number of transfer agreements, and flexibility) and were put through a carefully weighted analysis model to determine where the best community colleges could be found.

According to the data, Pennsylvania Highlands featured the third-highest rate of outbound transfers in the state. It was also one of four schools to tie for second place in number of students per faculty member, with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reporting a student-faculty ratio of 17:1.

The study recognized that the College’s cost of attendance is relatively inexpensive, and that the Johnstown-based institution achieved the highest retention rate among all two-year public schools in Pennsylvania. This coincides with data provided by the U.S. Department of Education indicating that Pennsylvania Highlands ranks first in lowest net price for two-year public institutions in Pennsylvania.

About Pennsylvania Highlands:
Since 1994, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has served over 52,000 community members throughout the Southern Alleghenies region and beyond utilizing five facilities in Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties, and an Online Campus. Offering over 30 degree, certificate and diploma programs, Penn Highlands has the highest graduation rate of all community colleges in Pennsylvania. Our nationally accredited dual enrollment program is one of only two such accredited programs in the state and is the foundation of our innovative associates in the high school program. Workforce and continuing education programs round out our diverse offerings, making Pennsylvania Highlands the choice for a quality and affordable education. The College currently has an enrollment exceeding 2,500 students.

About Schools.com:
Schools.com is a resource for career-minded students that features in-depth information about growing careers and different educational programs, both online and on-campus, and helps job-seekers and students alike identify potential pathways to success. Schools.com has a network of writers and researchers that compose authoritative articles and infographics that have been syndicated numerous times on national media outlets like AOL and USA Today. Topics that are regularly discussed include career outlooks and planning, adult education, college financial planning, time management tips and more. The wide network of educational institutions, government agencies, bloggers and members of the media that reference and link to the articles and resources on Schools.com continues to grow. Its vast directory of schools makes it easy for students to connect with programs in approximately 200 subjects spanning all 50 states.

Free Viewing of Critically-Acclaimed Documentary “The Hunting Ground”

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College will host a free public viewing of the film “The Hunting Ground” on Tuesday, November 17th, at 12:30 pm in the Richland Campus Auditorium. The film, which presents several students who discuss being sexually assaulted at their college campus and their experience in reporting these assaults to college administrators, is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes long.

Slate reported that the film “has received nearly universal acclaim from critics,” and is a “documentary… whose influence continues to grow.” The Washington Post called it “lucid,” “infuriating,” and “galvanizing.”

While the film has been labeled by some as controversial, it provides an opportunity to open the door for increased discussion on prevention and ways the whole community can stand up against victim blaming and the failure of those in charge to act responsibly.

This film presentation is free and open to the public, and is being hosted by Pennsylvania Highlands Community College and Victim Services, Incorporated. The screening will take place in the Richland Campus Auditorium, at 101 Community College Way in Johnstown, PA.

Staff members from Victim Services will be in attendance to assist anyone who may experience any traumatic response to the film. Please keep in mind that there is no food or drink permitted in the College’s auditorium and that free parking is available.

College designated a 2016 Military Friendly® School; named to Top 25 Community Colleges List

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College announced today that it has been designated a 2016 Military Friendly® School, as well as a spot on the Top 25 Community Colleges list, by Victory Media, the leader in successfully connecting the military and civilian worlds, and publisher of G.I. Jobs®, STEM Jobs^SM, and Military Spouse. Now in its seventh year, the original, premier Military Friendly® Schools designation provides service members and their families with transparent, data driven ratings about post-military education and career opportunities.

Institutions competed for the elite Military Friendly® School title by completing a survey of over 100 questions covering ten categories, including military support on campus, graduation and employment outcomes, and military spouse policies. Survey responses were scored against benchmarks across these key indicators of success. In addition, data was independently tested by EY (Ernst & Young) based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media with guidance from an independent Advisory Board of higher education and recruiting professionals.

“Pennsylvania Highlands is pleased to once again be recognized as a military friendly school,” said Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. “We take great pride in providing educational opportunities to members of the military and their families and thank them for their sacrifice and service.”

“Post-secondary institutions earning the 2016 Military Friendly® School award have exceptionally strong programs for transitioning service members and spouses,” said Daniel Nichols, Chief Product Officer of Victory Media and Navy Reserve veteran. “Our Military Friendly® Schools are truly aligning their military programs and services with employers to help students translate military experience, skills and training into successful careers after graduation.”

Visit Pennsylvania Highlands Community College full website for more information about the College’s commitment to attracting and supporting military students at pennh.25comm.com. Penn Highlands will be showcased along with other 2016 Military Friendly® Schools in the annual Guide to Military Friendly® Schools, special education issues of G.I. Jobs® and Military Spouse Magazine, and on MilitaryFriendly.com.

About Victory Media: Based in Pittsburgh, Victory Media is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects classrooms to careers for the nation’s next generation of professionals. Our data driven ratings are published in G.I. Jobs®, Military Spouse, Vetrepreneur®, and STEM Jobs^SM media, and featured in national media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, FORTUNE, Bloomberg, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox News and others. Learn more about our Media, Training and Ratings solutions at victorymedia.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.