racc fall 2012 communiqué
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RACC Fall 2012 CommuniquéTRANSCRIPT
communiquéA n u p d At e f o r fA m i ly & f r i e n d s o f r e A d i n g A r e A c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e F A L L 2 0 1 2
Ballroom with a TwistcelebrAtion of educAtion gAlAHonoring mary Ann chelius smith
2 FALL 2012 communiqué
Recently RACC was able to make the case about our
special value in two very different public settings. At an
August 21st hearing of the Pennsylvania House Policy
Committee co-chaired by Representatives David Maloney
and David Reed on “Assessing the Challenges Facing
Pennsylvania Job Creators,” I was asked to comment on
workforce issues and the role that our College can play
in ensuring that our region has a supply of appropriately
educated workers. That same day I was an education
panelist on the television forum “Poverty to Prosperity”
organized by WFMZ and the Reading Eagle and recorded
in our Miller Center for the Arts. In both venues,
legislators, and especially our public citizens, repeatedly
hailed RACC as an invaluable resource offering solid
solutions to problems so many in our community face––
the need for more education.
It is heartening in these challenging times to hear from
so many in our community that our College is trusted to
offer practical pathways for educational attainment––for
those who want to acquire job skills, perhaps for the first
time, for others who need to keep pace with employer
upgrades by enhancing their level of competency, as
well as for learners who view RACC as the first step on
their personal ladder to a professional career. We offer a
range of opportunities, from preparation in basic reading
and language skills, to an honors program that combines
rigorous academic requirements with opportunities to
work closely with talented faculty on special projects, to
highly sophisticated training in advanced manufacturing.
RACC’s focus is squarely on learning and student success.
In this issue of Communiqué you will learn more about
how this focus on success has paid off for our students
and has also led us to develop new credit and non-credit
offerings in non-clinical healthcare fields including a new
associate degree program Electronic Health Records/
Health Information Technology. These new offerings were
designed with employer input and will help meet the
growing need for skilled workers in these areas.
At RACC we are committed to keeping our programs
in tune with community needs for on-target job training
and as a cost-effective way to gain a solid and well-
accepted foundation for more advanced education at
other institutions. This is an exciting time at our College,
as the community’s need for a strong RACC has never
been greater. I look forward to providing more updates as
RACC continues to demonstrate every day we are, indeed,
The Community’s College.
Dear friends of RACC,
communiqué FALL 2012 3
In this Issue 4 Planting the Seed
5 You’re Welcome
6 New RACC Degree Trains Students for Growing Healthcare Field
8 New Look at Learning Language
10 Military Leads to Second Chance at College
12 Explore the Arts! 2012–2013 at the Miller Center
14 Café Gets Modern Makeover
15 Going small… to make it big!
16 The Foundation for Reading Area Community College Celebration of Education Gala
on our cover Ballroom with a Twist featured at this years Celebration of Education Gala
communiquéreading Area community college 10 South 2nd Street P.O. Box 1706Reading, PA 19603www.racc.edu
president Dr. Anna D. Weitz editor Melissa Kushner contributors Alison M. Wenger, Caehlin Belldesign Liz Berdow photography Secoges Photographics, Alison Wenger
Reading Area Community College is an equal opportunity institution.
www.facebook.com/ReadingArea CommunityCollege
www.facebook.com/RACCalumni
RACC_edu
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4 FALL 2012 communiqué
When Gus Daniels arrived in Reading in the 1970s, he was
a military veteran and worked as a cement mason. One
day as he was walking down Penn Street, a gentleman
stopped him to ask if he had thought about going to
college and taking advantage of his GI benefits.
Admittedly Gus said he didn’t do much reading in those
days, other than the sports page, but he decided to give
RACC a try. All of these years later, he is glad that he did.
“I give credit to RACC for helping me get started,”
said Gus, who especially is thankful to his Composition
teacher, Ms. Pamela Miller. “We had to read and write and
that made me buckle down. But once I started reading, I
could comprehend and that really whet my appetite.
“I started going to the library and my children saw me
reading. It planted the seed of education in our family and
I just kept watering it,” he said.
It’s obvious when speaking with Gus how proud he
is of his family’s achievements, especially given his own
background. He dropped out of school growing up and
went to work for Campbell’s Soup in Camden before he
was offered the opportunity to train as a mason.
His masonry work led to traveling, and with a
background in Spanish, he was given the chance to
travel to Puerto Rico for work. There he met his wife and
together had four children––two boys and two girls.
He became a single father when his youngest daughter
Amy was 10 and worked several jobs to pay her tuition
at the Reading Seventh-Day Adventist Junior Academy to
ensure she had access to a quality education. He sees the
potential that all children possess and said, “Parents are
our first teachers and need to set the example because
with education, all things are possible.”
Gus said he encouraged his children to be individuals
and stand out from the crowd in school. He heavily
stressed to his daughters the importance of respecting
themselves in how they acted and dressed.
Both of his sons, William and Francisco, graduated from
medical school. Francisco works in the emergency room
at Hagerstown Hospital now, while William is taking time
off to raise his daughter while his wife Carmen starts her
career in dentistry.
His oldest daughter Maria graduated from Temple
University as a Communications major and spent time
working at WEEU as a Traffax reporter. Then, she and
her husband Harry, moved to Texas and started their own
technology company, Heuristic Automation in Layout, LLC.
Maria is currently the vice-president.
Finally, the youngest Amy, graduated from Albright with
a degree in finance. After being downsized during the
recession, she returned to Philadelphia to pursue a new
career in health care.
Gus talks about his children with pride, sharing
their academic accomplishments, as well as the
five grandchildren they have given him. “My little
granddaughter Sophia, I could tell she was gifted. I
enrolled her in that My Baby Can Read program and she
was reading at 3 years old,” he said. “She’s studying Level
I Mandarin Chinese.”
Even now, Gus continues to learn, watching educational
programs on PBS and frequently visiting the library. He
also attends Berks Encore in Reading and Wernersville
where he shows some of his PBS favorite films and
participates in activities like yoga and bingo.
“I wish I could inspire these folks that are dropping out
of school and collecting unemployment,” he said. “Anyone
can go to college. You just have to work at it and study
hard.
“You plant a seed and then that seed grows as long as
you keep watering it.”
Planting the Seed
“I WISH I COuLD INSPIRE THESE FOLKS THAT ARE DROPPING OuT OF SCHOOL AND COLLECTING uNEMPLOYMENT…ANYONE CAN GO
TO COLLEGE. YOu juST HAvE TO WORK AT IT AND STuDY HARD.”
communiqué FALL 2012 5
New students visiting RACC this
summer received a “welcome”
surprise when they entered Berks Hall.
On july 2, RACC opened its official
Welcome Center in the building’s
lobby as a first stop for all prospective
students.
Calley Stevens Taylor, Director of
Enrollment Services, said the idea
of the Welcome Center came about
in january of this year as the result
of an academic advising group that
believed that advising goes beyond
helping students select courses.
“Advising starts with that first
contact you have with a student,”
she said, “helping them decide what
they want for an education and
whether what we have as a college
is appropriate in helping them meet
their goals.”
At the Welcome Center, students
can receive help with online
applications, schedule placement
tests and receive information on
the financial aid process. The center
is a collaborative effort aimed to
serve all students of RACC, whether
they are looking for an associate
degree program, career training or
community education courses.
“Our goal was that we would have
comprehensive information about
all the educational opportunities at
RACC. Prospective students can all
start in one place no matter which
program they want,” said Stevens
Taylor.
The center is staffed by
representatives from Enrollment
Services, Financial Aid and Workforce
Development. Fall hours for the
center are Monday, Thursday and
Friday from 8 AM to 5PM with
extended hours on Tuesday and
Wednesday from 8 AM to 7:30 PM.
You’re Welcome!
“Advising starts with that first contact you have with a student…helping them decide what they want for an education and whether what we have as a college is appropriate in helping them meet their goals.”
communiqué FALL 2012 7
More than 9,100 people trained in Medical Records and Health
Information Technology will be needed by 2016, according to the
PA Department of Labor and Industry.
That fact is one of the drivers of the new Electronic Health
Records and Health Care Information Technology associate degree
program introduced by Reading Area Community College this fall.
Highlights of the program include:
• Receiving training on both the relevant hardware and
software relating to electronic medical records.
• Opportunities to earn industry-approved Comp TIA A+ and
Healthcare IT certifications built into the program.
• Real-world work experience as part of the 135-hour
practicum.
A unique aspect of this program is that students who are taking
a credit course and wish to sit for the three IT certifications offered
through our Schmidt Training and Technology Center can receive
financial aid toward that extra cost. The certifications are: CompTIA
A+, Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician 1, and CompTIA
Healthcare IT Technician.
Additionally, students who have already received their IT
certifications and wish to pursue this new degree can apply those
transfer credits into the program.
Two other major factors driving the growth in this field are new
medical privacy regulations and government mandates that all
medical records should be captured electronically. In addition,
this electronic information must be secured by people who have
extensive training on dealing with sensitive personal information.
Those facts have led the State to expect that employment in
Medical Records and Health Information Technology will grow by
16% in Pennsylvania by 2016. Some of those jobs may be right
here in Greater Reading. Local employers, the Reading Hospital and
Medical Center and St. joseph Medical Center, are working closely
with RACC on this new program.
“Many programs do not bridge that gap between the IT and
clinical sides,” said Adam Worrell, Information Technology Services
Site Director at St. joseph. “Having both the technology skills as well
as the medical background is paramount for understanding and
building EMR workflows that meet the needs of the clinical staff.
“The RACC leadership was open-minded and had clearly done
their homework; educating themselves and realizing the potential
benefits a program like this would produce not only for their
students but for the community as a whole,” he added.
The local hospitals estimate their patient records will be totally
electronic within the next two to three year—just in time for the
first graduating students!
Worrell said there are numerous benefits to a career in Electronic
Health Records, “While at a high level you’re working with
technology hardware and software like others within the field,
you’re implementing a solution that can allow clinicians to share
valuable information, prevent potential safety problems, and overall
improve the patient experience.”
For more information about this new program, please visit
http://www.racc.edu/Academics/programs/ehr_car.aspx.
New RACC Degree Trains Students for Growing Healthcare Field
A few months ago, janet Gilchrist-
Rush was living in South Carolina and
attending college with the intention
of starting a new career in Early Child-
hood Education after taking an early
retirement package from the federal
government.
She now lives here in Berks County
and is the first student enrolled in
RACC’s new Electronic Health Records
and Information Technology associate
degree program.
Gilchrist-Rush, 48, moved to the
area to be closer to her 8-year-old
granddaughter and said she settled
on coming to RACC after attending
an Open House. “I really enjoyed the
tour of campus and everyone— from
the financial aid office to my career
coaches—is so kind and friendly and
informative. I felt that this is where I
was supposed to be,” she said.
By chance, her advisor was Linda
Bell, Assistant Dean of the Business
Division, whom she says genuinely
cares about the overall well-being and
academic experience of a student.
Gilchrist-Rush said she met with Bell
and shared her background which
also had included more than 10 years
working in medical administration
relating to dialysis.
“When she told me about the new
program, I just lit up,” Gilchrist-Rush
said. “She said not only would I be
getting my degree, but also the IT
certifications and that got me even
more excited. All of my previous work
experience was administrative,
electronic and tied to a computer.”
Gilchrist-Rush said her sister and
niece also work in information technol-
ogy, so the computer bug tends to run
through the women in her family.
Gilchrist-Rush is taking classes full-
time and thanks to transfer credits is
on pace to earn her degree in May of
2014. She knows that having her de-
gree will serve her well in a new career
and said, “Once I left the government,
it was a priority of mine to go back to
school and get my degree. The gov-
ernment workforce is getting younger
and more educated, so if I want to get
back into it, I’m going to need that
degree with my work experience.”
“Having both the technology skills as well as the medical background is paramount for understanding and building EMR workflows that meet the needs of the clinical staff.”
8 FALL 2012 communiqué
After several years studying and teaching at Purdue
University, with the second largest U.S. international
student population, Dr. Elena Lawrick brings her passion,
knowledge and skills to Reading where she hopes to
revamp RACC’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Credit
Program.
“Having a robust ESL Program is instrumental in the
College’s success,” Dr. Lawrick said. “The program needs
to function both as a gateway for prospective students
whose proficiency in English is insufficient for college-
level courses and as the core of RACC’s support system for
matriculated multilingual students.”
“There is no doubt that achieving this goal is a
significant professional challenge,” she added. “But, I look
forward to implementing my vision of the program, with
confidence that my education, research and experiences in
teaching English have prepared me well for the task.”
Dr. Lawrick, who received her diploma (the Soviet
equivalent of B.A. and M.A. degrees) from Far Eastern
State University in Russia, explained that her school
teacher’s exceptional enthusiasm for English inspired
her to pursue a degree in English Linguistics, Translation
Studies and Teaching English as a Foreign Language. In
the Soviet Union, English was rarely spoken or written.
Therefore, the coursework for English majors heavily
focused on linguistics and English literature.
Dr. Lawrick’s ability to use “real” English was put to
the test after graduation when the fall of the Soviet Union
opened the floodgates to international business ventures
in post-Soviet Russia. For several years she worked in the
business sector as a marketing specialist, administrator and
liaison between Russian businesses and their international
New Look at Learning Language
“THE PROGRAM NEEDS TO FuNCTION BOTH AS A GATEWAY FOR PROSPECTIvE STuDENTS WHOSE PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH
IS INSuFFICIENT FOR COLLEGE-LEvEL COuRSES AND AS THE CORE OF RACC’S SuPPORT SYSTEM FOR MATRICuLATED MuLTILINGuAL
STuDENTS.”
communiqué FALL 2012 9
The Center for Multilingual StudentsThe Center for Multilingual Students opened this fall and is designed to provide a sense of community and support for RACC’s multi-
lingual students. The Center offers a student-friendly study area with computer stations that include English learning software, as well
as textbooks and dictionaries. Writing tutoring is also available so students can receive assistance from a writing professional trained
in helping multilingual writers. The final component of the Center is a conversation group that meets weekly as a way for students to
practice their English speaking. The Center is located in the Yocum Library, Room 119.
partners. Later, she joined the English Department faculty
at her university, where she specialized in ESL teacher
training.
Before permanently coming to the U.S. in 2005, Dr.
Lawrick returned to the business sector for two years––
this time teaching English to Russian staff of Alcoa, L’Oreal
and RusAl.
Dr. Lawrick first arrived in the United States in 2003
as a visiting scholar on a grant from the U.S. Department
of State. She spent a semester at Purdue University
conducting her research project “A Comparative Analysis
of Russian and American Cultures of Learning and
Teaching Foreign Languages.”
In addition to her research, Dr. Lawrick participated in
the graduate seminars on Second Language Writing and
Communicative English Language Teaching. “These new
areas of linguistics were a perfect match with my own
vision of teaching of English as being learner-centered and
driven by student needs. Most importantly, these seminars
introduced me to the concept of research-informed
teaching practices, thus changing my philosophy of
teaching once and for all,” she said.
After a brief return to Russia, Dr. Lawrick applied to
Purdue’s graduate program in Second Language Studies/
ESL to pursue a Ph.D. in Teaching ESL. “From day one,
I fell in love with Purdue. It is such an amazing school,”
she said. “The Second Language Studies/ESL Graduate
Program is one of the most robust in the country. The
faculty members are world-renowned experts in the
areas such as World Englishes, Second Language Writing,
Second Language Acquisition, and Language Assessment.
Although the admission process is very competitive, I was
fortunate to get accepted, mostly because the faculty knew
my potential from my previous stay as a visiting scholar.”
While working on her doctoral degree, Dr. Lawrick
focused on bridging two fields of applied linguistics—
World Englishes and Second Language Writing. She said
it is important for writing teachers to be aware of how
English is used around the world.
“Because of its global spread, English is spoken and
written with many accents,” she explained. “Knowing how
American English differs from, for example, Nigerian or
Indian English helps a great deal in teaching ESL students
in U.S. college composition classes.”
During her time at Purdue, Dr. Lawrick was fortunate
to have diverse experiences in teaching composition. She
started in ICAP (the Introductory Composition Program at
Purdue), learning the ropes of teaching first-year writing
to native English speaking students. Later, she switched to
teaching composition in the ESL Writing Program, working
with international undergraduate and graduate students.
As a graduate instructor and later a post-doc lecturer, she
taught a 600-level course “Written Communication for
International Graduate Students.”
In addition to teaching in Purdue’s Writing Programs,
Dr. Lawrick taught first-year writing at Ivy Tech
Community College, the fastest growing two-year
institution in the Midwest. “Ivy Tech taught me to
better understand community college students and,
most importantly, to appreciate their hard work and
determination,” she said.
Dr. Lawrick added that over the course of her
first weeks on the job, she had met many amazing
professionals here at RACC. “RACC certainly has a great
potential,” she said. “I’m honored to join a team of
knowledgeable, driven, and, most importantly, caring
professionals in RACC’s journey to its stellar future.”
10 FALL 2012 communiqué
When a strange name showed up
on his AOL Instant Messenger years
ago, Nick Marriott never would have
thought it would lead to Pennsylvania
and RACC. But a long winding road
brought him the love of his life and a
hope for a new career.
Marriott, starting his second year at
RACC, met his wife, Katie, online years
ago as a teenager. He lived in Florida
and she lived in Pennsylvania, but
they became friends and electronic
pen pals. They just celebrated their
second wedding anniversary and Nick
is celebrating his second chance at
college – both thanks to the military.
Marriott, 27, grew up in Florida,
was raised by a single mom and
admits he spent more time partying
than worrying about what he was
going to do after high school. He
tried a large four-year university and
a local community college before
deciding to explore his options with
the military.
“I had good friends who went
into the military right after high
school and I called them to get their
thoughts on which branch they
recommended,” he said. “I took it as a
sign when every one of them said the
Air Force.”
After basic training in San
Antonio, Texas, Marriott had dreams
of traveling the world and being
placed at exotic locations. Instead, his
first assignment was for Cheyenne,
Wyoming. He made the best of it and
even flew back to visit friends on the
East Coast, including a New Year’s
Eve trip to Times Square… where he
arranged to meet Katie in person for
the first time.
“As soon as I saw her, I walked
up to her and kissed her and didn’t
even say anything,” he said. “We were
inseparable for the week, and then
for the next six months, we took turns
flying out to see one another.”
It was then that Marriott got
his dream wish – orders to report
to Kleine Brogel Air Force Base in
Belgium. After a year and a half of
waiting, he was going to get his wish.
Then he offered Katie the opportunity
to come along with him.
“I told her I would float the bill and
she could come with me and travel,”
he said. “We didn’t realize how hard it
would be to get her visa, but we did
get a long-term visa eventually. After
we were there for two years, I knew
that was it.”
The pair spent the next four years
enjoying weekend trips to Paris,
London, Italy and other destinations.
“You could be almost anywhere in
about 2–3 hours by taking the high-
speed train or commercial airlines,”
he said. “I went to Barcelona with two
friends for about $80 round trip.”
In between all the traveling,
Marriott was working long hours
and quickly moving up the ranks at
Kleine Brogel, which is a NATO base.
He was in charge of seven programs,
including some related to anti-
terrorism and counterintelligence. He
also was assigned to the Plans and
Program group that authored lengthy
procedures on base operations and
inspections.
Because of the programs he
was involved in, Marriott had
opportunities to participate in
special training programs, including
a conference at Eidelweiss Lodge
in Germany. He was also well-
respected by his supervisors, earning
his squadron’s Airman of the Year
award, as well as the National
Defense Service Medal, Global War
on Terrorism Service Medal and other
honors.
One of the best things about the
military for Marriott was the exposure
to other cultures and learning about
respect. “Service before self is one of
the core values, and I find that is still
with me,” he said. “My friends who see
me now say it was the best decision I
could have made.”
Once his six years of active duty
were up, he opted to return to Berks
County so Katie could be close to her
family. He said the pair spends every
Sunday night having family dinners.
When it was time to use his
veteran’s benefits to return to school,
Marriott opted to start gradually
at RACC. “My mom gave me great
advice not to overwhelm myself. I just
wanted to get acclimated to the area,
to civilian life and to school,” he said.
“Being in a class with 30 to 40 kids is a
lot better than 200 or 300.
“The post-9/11 GI Bill will give
you up to 36 months of school plus
a housing allowance for full-time
students. They’ve also expanded it to
include technical training and other
certifications,” he said.
Marriott will graduate from RACC
in May with a Liberal Arts degree and
is transferring to Penn State Berks
where he will major in Information
Technology. He recently applied to
the vets to Feds program, hoping to
land a government internship where
he can combine his military and IT
background. He would eventually like
to have a career in one of the federal
government programs.
Military Leads to Second Chance at College
“I had good friends who went into the military right after high school and I called them to get their thoughts on which branch they recommended… I took it as a sign when every one of them said the Air Force.”
communiqué FALL 2012 13
The Miller Center’s 2012–2013 season is an exploration of
cultures and experiences taking us around the world and
back again. It is, perhaps our most multicultural season
to-date with performances and films that reach as far away
as Fiji and Ireland and then return to settle in our own
backyard. Included in this excursion is Tomaseen Foley’s
A Celtic Christmas, Motet—a juggling and movement
experience from Great Britain and Finland, Tanzanian
Safari—a film by Bob DeLoss, Terrance Simien’s Creole for
Kidz and Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days by
Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, to name a few.
Nearly every performance this season includes an
audience enrichment activity to make your trip with us
more meaningful and exciting. This includes simple post-
performance meet-and-greets and talk-backs with the
artists, as well as juggling and craft workshops.
Collaborations and partnerships play a strong role in
the Miller Center’s programming for 2012–2013, including
featured performances by the Yocum Institute for Arts
Education’s Primary Players in the children’s favorite How
I Became a Pirate, also being staged as part of the Greater
Reading Literary Festival, and the Reading Community
Players in the African-American drama Hats. At the
conclusion of the season in April, is a performance of the
contemporary string quartet ETHEL joined by Native
American Flutist Robert Maribal. ETHEL and Maribal will
be joined on stage by a local choral group and will make
an appearance at the Reading Public Museum for a special
residency program for area school children in conjunction
with the Museum’s newly renovated Native American
exhibit.
Dance continues to take center stage and we are
pleased to include three dance companies on our 2012–
2013 roster. Brian Sanders’ JUNK Dance Company opens
the season on Saturday, September 29 with Patio Plastico
Plus, a show that blends traditional dance theater with
exciting physicality. Splashy ballroom dancing is the focus
during Ballroom with a Twist, a show choreographed
and directed by Dancing with the Stars’ Louis Van Amstel.
Musical selections were chosen by two American Idol
finalists and infused with the latest hip-hop styles. Finally,
the Lula Washington Dance Theatre travels to the Miller
Center stage from Los Angeles with exemplary works that
examine the past and present and teem with political and
social commentary.
For more information about the Miller Center and its
programs, please call 610.607.6205 or visit www.racc.edu/
MillerCenter or like our Facebook page for updates.
Explore the Arts! 2012–2013 at the Miller Center
The Miller Center’s 2012–2013 season is an exploration of cultures and experiences taking us around the world and back again.
At left: Collage of featured Miller Center performances.this page: Around the World in 80 DaysWalnut Street Theatre; vietnam, Cambodia & Cruising the MekongClint Denn
14 FALL 2012 communiqué
The Berks Hall Café underwent
a makeover this summer and
reopened for the first week of
classes as the Avanti Market.
The new Avanti Market is
self-service and offers students,
faculty and staff the convenience
of easy card payments either by
credit/debit card, or by loading
points on to a RACC ID.
The Avanti Market menu
includes breakfast items, as
well as healthy choices like
deli sandwiches and salads,
along with daily and weekly
specials. Additionally, there will
be snacks and sweet treats for
anyone who needs a quick pick-
me-up before class. Gluten-free
products will also be available.
Students and staff will be able to
make suggestions for items they
would like to see featured in the
Market.
Along with the new food
offerings, the Avanti Market also
has a new environmentally-
friendly look.
“We restored the existing
floors and cabinets,” said Jeff
West, Jr., Vice President of
Canteen Berks/West Dairy. “We
also upgraded all of our coolers
to energy star-rated equipment
with LED lighting. The vending
banks in the cafeteria will also
have a new look, with a sleek
uniformed appearance and
energy star-rated equipment.”
While it is a major change for
the Café, West, Jr. hopes it will
be a positive one.
“Our feeling is that we will be
able to offer many more items
and enhance the consumer
experience,” he said. “We hope
that the new technology and
grab ‘n go style will attract
people not only for breakfast
or lunch, but a quick snack
between classes.
“The most important thing for
everyone to remember is that this
is their market, and we will do
whatever it takes to make their
experience an enjoyable one.”
Café Gets Modern Makeover
“We hope that the new technology and grab ‘n go style will attract people not only for breakfast or lunch, but a quick snack between classes.”
From his office across from Penn State university’s nanoscience lab,
it’s hard for Zac Gray to believe that he once thought college wasn’t
for him.
Eight years after dropping out of his first attempt at college,
Gray is now the lab coordinator for the capstone program, which
is the final semester of RACC’s nanoscience degree. The capstone
program takes place at Penn State’s main campus.
He recalled his initial effort at college after graduating from
Garden Spot High School. “I was studying computer science, but I
just wasn’t into it. I thought I wasn’t meant for college,” he said.
After considering joining the military, Gray ended up with a job
at Wal-Mart. It was then that he decided maybe he should give
college a second try. This time, he didn’t have to look far, figuring
that RACC was his most economical option that would allow him to
save the money from his job to pay his tuition.
“I took general credits my first semester just to put my foot in the
water and see if I could handle it,” he said. “The classes I took were
really beneficial and I wanted to stick with it.”
Gray’s degree from RACC is in nanoscience, a booming field as
more companies produce products using nanotechnology. He
admits that the program sort of found him.
“I was sitting at RACC and I saw a booklet about nanoscience,”
he said. “It had some of the curriculum in it and it talked about the
capstone semester at Penn State’s main campus but at RACC tuition
costs. My goal was to get to a bigger campus, so I thought it was a
great opportunity.”
Kathy Evans, who coordinates RACC’s nanoscience program, said
she had Gray as a student in biology and knew he had potential.
“His attention to detail and desire to be absolutely correct was
evident even then. Gray asked serious, well formulated questions
and kept me on my toes,” she said.
Now, five years after graduating from RACC, he is still in State
College, having recently accepted his position as lab coordinator
with the capstone program in january. His role is to oversee all
the teaching assistants and ensure that their nanotechnology lab
activities run smoothly and cohesively.
In fact, Gray just hosted his former professor and a current RACC
student for a tour of the Penn State lab. “I can’t tell you how proud I
am of Gray,” Evans said. “What was so great about the tour was that
Gray was proud of his accomplishments and wanted me to see how
fantastic a scientist he is now. Gray is a RACC miracle.”
Part of his new job also includes recruiting new students, and he
hopes to soon return to RACC and convince students like himself to
give the program a try.
“The job outlook in this field is fantastic,” said Gray. “If they go
through this program they can find work, with reasonable pay,
almost guaranteed. In fact, the number of products incorporating
nanotechnology is expected to increase two orders of magnitude
over the next 20 years, meaning it will require 2 million workers with
nanotechnology-related skills by 2020.”
He also touted the benefits of the capstone semester at Penn
State, including résumé building, job assistance and hands-on
learning. “They design the capstone semester to help you get a job.
They will help you put together a resume, and then there is a career
day where you have a chance at an on-the-spot interview with
a variety of companies who have already hired graduates of the
capstone semester.”
“Plus, the experience you get with the tools and equipment
usually only graduate or PhD students have access to. So, it’s
graduate student experience at a community college level,” he
added.
Gray credits his new job to the time he spent as a teaching
assistant while he was working toward his Bachelor’s degree in
Materials Science at Penn State. He again put himself through
school, on a part-time schedule, while working a 9-5 job at a local
company who hired him right out of the capstone program.
“I really give credit to RACC because if that first semester was not
a good experience, I wouldn’t have come back for a second, which
eventually led to my degree.,” he said.
For more information on RACC’s nanoscience program and
the capstone semester, visit http://www.racc.edu/Academics/
programs/nano_car.aspx.
communiqué FALL 2012 15
Going small…to make it big!
“…THE ExPERIENCE YOu GET WITH THE TOOLS AND EquIPMENT uSuALLY ONLY GRADuATE OR PHD STuDENTS HAvE ACCESS TO. SO,
IT’S GRADuATE STuDENT ExPERIENCE AT A COMMuNITY COLLEGE LEvEL…”
10 South 2nd StreetP.O. Box 1706
Reading, PA 19603www.racc.edu
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PAIDReading, PAPermit #755
F O R C O M M E N T S , F E E D B A C K O R S T O R Y I D E A S , P L E A S E E M A I L M K u S H N E R @ R A C C . E D u O R C A L L 6 1 0 . 6 0 7 . 6 2 1 2 .
Ballroom with a TwistSaturday, October 20, 2012, 7:30 p.m. At the Miller Center for the Arts
Ballroom with a Twist is a critically acclaimed international dance production conceived and choreographed by ABC-TVs Dancing With the Stars, Emmy-nominated Louis van Amstel. This ground-breaking show, starring finalists from
TVs So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol, pushes the boundaries of ballroom dance, infusing it with the energy and intensity of the latest contemporary and hip-hop styles.
The dancers will join us at the champagne reception in the Schmidt Training & Technology Center that follows the performance. There will be an open bar, a dessert extravaganza, a live auction, AND dancing…with the stars!
$150/person discounted pricing available for groups of 8.
www.racc.edu/millercenter 610-607-6239 [email protected]
Join us in celebrating our honoree this year, Mary Ann Chelius Smith. Proceeds benefit students enrolled at RACC.
The Foundation for Reading Area Community College Celebration of Education Gala