READING PA – Lehigh Valley Business has selected Terri Lampe Melcher, vice president of workforce development and continuing education at Reading Area Community College (RACC), as an honored member of its prestigious Business Circle of Excellence. Melcher previously was honored by Lehigh Valley Business as a recipient of its Women of Influence award.  

Mrs. Melcher is the wife of Marathon Founder and CEO Ray Melcher.

This recognition honors high-achieving women for their career accomplishments. The honorees are selected based on their professional experience, community involvement and commitment to mentoring. 

Circle of Excellence honorees are women of longstanding, notable success in the community. To be eligible for the awards, the honorees must live or work in the Greater Lehigh Valley region, including Berks County. 

The honorees were selected by a panel of judges comprised of previous years’ Circle of Excellence honorees and the Lehigh Valley Business editorial team.

“The honorees are outstanding leaders who inspire innovation, celebrate success and support the next generation of leaders. They open doors and create positive change, sharing their success with their professional network and the community around them,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of BridgeTower Media/Lehigh Valley Business. “The Circle of Excellence honorees are trailblazers and change makers who know the value of helping other women see something special in themselves, something they might not have known was there. 

This year’s Awards Celebration where the recipients will be honored will be May 14 at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way in Bethlehem. 

The honorees will be profiled in a special magazine that will be inserted into the May 19 issue of Lehigh Valley Business and will be available online at LVB.com.

About Lehigh Valley Business
Lehigh Valley Business is a multimedia news source with 38 years of journalistic excellence that breaks news daily on its website, LVB.com. It also publishes a print and online edition. In addition, Lehigh Valley Business publishes special focus sections and products throughout the year including the yearly Book of Lists. It also hosts eight annual events, including Women of Influence, Icon Honors and Forty Under 40, to recognize excellence and provide leadership opportunities. Lehigh Valley Business facilitates thoughtful discussion with market leaders through its webinar series. Its Digital Marketing Solutions helps customers with social media, search engine marketing and optimization, retargeting, email marketing and more. Lehigh Valley Business and its sister publication, Central Penn Business Journal, are part of BridgeTower Media, the authoritative voice for insights and marketing solutions across 40+ brands in five key sectors across the United States.

David Hessen
Director of Marketing and Communications
Reading Area Community College
610.607.6212
dhessen@racc.edu

READING PA – Reading Area Community College announced today that Angela Caldero-Perez, has been selected as a 2025 Phi Theta Kappa Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and will receive a $1,500 scholarship!

Selection as a Coca-Cola Gold Scholar was based on scores the student earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, for which nearly 2,100 applications were received this year. This program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and is administered by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Throughout the spring, 37 states host All-State Academic Team Recognition ceremonies, where Coca-Cola Gold Scholars are recognized. If your scholar has not already been presented a Gold medallion at your All-State Recognition Program, your student will receive this soon. If your state does not offer such a program, the medallion will be mailed to your student at a later date.

Phi Theta Kappa will recognize the 2025 Coca-Cola Academic Team Scholars as a group on stage during the Parade of Scholars at PTK Catalyst, Phi Theta Kappa’s Annual Convention, April 3-5, in Kansas City, Missouri. Receiving the award is not contingent upon being present at the convention; however, please consider if institutional funds are available that would permit you and your scholar to attend. We hope you can join us in Kansas City!

About Phi Theta Kappa.
Phi Theta Kappa is the first honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 4.4 million members and nearly 1,250 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 220,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.

David Hessen
Director of Marketing and Communications
Reading Area Community College
610.607.6212
dhessen@racc.edu

Ms. Gonzalez Recognized for Intellectual Achievement, Leadership, Community and Campus Engagement

READING PA – Reading Area Community College announced today that Noemi Gonzalez has been selected as one of 20 college students named to the prestigious 2025 All-USA Academic Team. Selected from nearly 2,100 nominees, Ms. Gonzales will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Noemi was recognized for her academic achievements, campus and community engagement and overall leadership. She will be recognized during the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) annual convention in Nashville in April.

"The All-USA program is a prestigious recognition of a student's exceptional abilities both in and outside of the classroom,” Amanda Karpinski-Gorman, Interim Director of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation, said. “These students are selected for their resilience, creativity, and ingenuity in tackling global and local challenges. We are incredibly proud of the individuals named to the 2025 team and eagerly anticipate the continued impact they will make."

The All-USA program is among the nation’s premier academic honors for students pursuing an associate degree. Each institution may nominate two students who have shown outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and citizenship. The program also honors students who leverage their community college experience to better themselves, improve their schools and impact their communities.

About Phi Theta Kappa.
Phi Theta Kappa is the first honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 4.4 million members and nearly 1,250 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 220,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.

READING PA – Reading Area Community College student Ms. Noemi Gonzalez, has been named a 2025 New Century Transfer Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship. 

New Century Transfer Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Nearly 2,100 students from more than 1,300 college campuses nationwide were nominated. Only one New Century Transfer Scholar is selected from each state.

The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa, and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). 

“We congratulate Ms. Gonzalez for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and the AACC to recognize these outstanding achievements,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for two-year college students to succeed and for putting college completion within reach.”

About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please visit coca-colagivingback.com.

About The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation celebrates and empowers visionary leaders who are refreshing the world. Supporting more than 1,400 exceptional college students each year, it awards $3.55 million in scholarships annually through three nationally recognized programs. Learn more at coca-colascholarsfoundation.org.

About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is the first honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 4.4 million members and nearly 1,250 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 220,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org..

Reading PA, November 6, 2024 – Reading Area Community College (RACC) has been named a top ten finalist for the 2024 Bellwether Award in the category of Planning, Governance, and Finance.

The Bellwether Award is one of the most prestigious community college awards in the nation. The competition and selection process brings a level of excellence that demonstrates the innovate spirit and results-driven mindset that exists among the finest community colleges.

RACC’s submission, “Driving Enrollment: Bringing the College Registration Process into the High Schools” showcases RACC’s innovative initiatives of inserting the college admissions process into high schools; ensuring a smooth enrollment transition for the student by providing a seamless transfer from the high school guidance counselor to college admissions counselor, and then to a RACC academic advisor.

“Meeting students in their school environment rather than having them come to campus is a critical aspect of recruitment for the students in our community,” says RACC Director of Admissions and Enrollment Services, Kathy Cunningham, M.Ed. “It also strengthens RACC’s presence in the high school while ensuring the school guidance office is engaged with the college,” she adds.

The Bellwether College Consortium is comprised of award-winning colleges charged with addressing critical issues facing community colleges and recognizing best practices. RACC won the Bellwether Award in 2024 in the category of Instructional Programs and Services. 

“I am so proud of the incredible work done by our admissions and advising staff to continue improving processes to better serve our high school students,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney. “Being recognized as a Bellwether finalist for the third year in a row, further validates my belief that RACC’s faculty and staff are among the best in the country.”

Annually, the Bellwether Consortium nominates 30 community colleges finalists from a large group of applicants in the United States and its territories. The selected colleges compete for one of three Bellwether Awards. A rigorous selection process with two rounds of judging by peers and academicians in the field culminates with a daylong event of presentations by contenders for the Bellwether Award. 

Finalists will participate in the final round of the Bellwether Award competition at the 31th Annual Community College Futures Assembly to be held Sunday, February 23 through Tuesday, February 25, at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.

David Hessen
Director of Marketing & Communications
Reading Area Community College
610.607.6212
dhessen@racc.edu