Reading, PA – December 7, 2019 – The Practical Nursing Program of Reading Area Community College celebrated its Commencement on Thursday, December 6, 2019 at 4PM in the Miller Center for the Arts on the Reading Area Community College campus.

A total of twenty-two students received Certificates in Practical Nursing, which then makes them eligible to take for the PA State Board of Nursing Licensing Exam. Students in the 2019 graduating class are: Samuel Bandle, Pamely Dejesus, Sophie Desrosiers, Karon Dockery, Leimy Dotel DeJesus, Rashana Harris, Olivia Huertas, Jarrice Jones, Anusha Liyanage, Sonia Mendoza, Diana Morales-Camargo, Marisa-Ashlee Morris, Sophiane Mouscardy, Gerardine Murassaint-Orelien, Victoria Najarian, Loise Otieno, Beverly Ramirez-Oliva, Princessca Rene, Bianca Rodriguez, Catherine Rogers, Yomaris Torres and Christina Waltman.

Awards were presented to students who excelled academically and exhibited outstanding clinical performance throughout the Practical Nursing Program. The Frances Troutman Award for Nursing Excellence was presented to Loise Otieno. The Award for Outstanding Performance and Nursing Professionalism was presented to Sophia Desrosiers, and the Country Meadows Award for Academics and Leadership was presented to Rashana Harris. Congratulations to the Class of 2019. Good luck in your nursing career.

To learn more about the Practical Nursing Programs at RACC please call 610.236.3944.

Reading, PA – Fifteen staff and faculty members of Reading Area Community College are being honored for creating and implementing innovative programs, practices, partnerships, policies, and activities that improve the institution’s ability to serve students and their communities.

“I could not be more proud of the RACC staff and faculty members who have worked so hard to achieve this award. Their dedication to student success and their abilities to motivate and support students in the development of valuable learning experiences continues to inspire me every day,” says RACC President Dr. Susan D. Looney.

Faculty and staff members receiving the award are: Pamela Blakely, Professor, Social Sciences/Human Services; Danelle Bower, Associate Professor, Social Sciences/Human Services; Jodi Corbett, Director of Academic Partnerships and Special Assistant to the President; Robin Eckert, Associate Dean, Social Sciences/Human Services and Foundational Studies; Teri Floyd-Brumm, Associate Professor, Foundational Studies; Michael Gregory, Director of Teaching and Learning; Mary Ellen Heckman, Associate Dean, Library; David Hessen, Director of Marketing and Communications; Nancy Jackson, Associate Professor, Social Sciences/Human Services; Alexis Jardine, Professor, Foundational Studies; Kay Litman, Vice President of Enrollment Management; Maria Mitchell, Dean of Student Affairs; Dolores Peterson, Associate Vice President for  Finance and Administrative Services/Controller; Benjamin Rosenberger, Director of Financial Aid/Registrar and Bonnie Spayd, Executive Director of Workforce and Economic Development.
 
The winning members will be honored at the League for Innovation Conference in March 2020, in Seattle, Washington.

The League’s Innovation of the Year Award was devised as a way to nationally recognize significant innovations at community colleges. These innovations reflect capstone achievements and the continuing renewal of the spirit of innovation and experimentation upon which the League was founded. The award honors faculty, staff, and administrators at member colleges who have created and implemented innovative programs, practices, partnerships, policies, and activities that improve the institution’s ability to serve students and the community.

To learn more about the instructional innovation and student success models at RACC, call 610.607.6224.

Reading, PA – Reading Area Community College hosted over 130 Berks County middle school students, teachers and administrators for their third annual STEM Day on Friday, November 8th.

Students from Tulpehocken, Reading, Wilson, Kutztown, Brandywine, Oley Valley, Conrad Weiser, Antietam and Daniel Boone School Districts conducted hands-on experiments using techniques and procedures in the areas of geocaching, chemistry, robotics, physics, medical lab technology, respiratory therapy and even simulated crime scene investigations using forensics technology. The experiments were designed to help get students excited about how fun science can be as a career path and encourage them to make positive future life and career choices.

“We’re focused on developing strategies and fun programming for young people that encourage a passion for STEM. This is our third annual STEM Day and it’s a wonderful chance to show the students from Berks County school districts and the Berks community what is happening in STEM at RACC; and how our young people can prepare to take these areas to an exciting new level in the future,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney.

After extensive renovations in the spring and summer of 2017, RACC’s labs are dedicated to every segment of the STEM division, incorporating applied engineering and technology, physical and life sciences, and health sciences. The chemistry and physics labs were relocated into the Schmidt Training and Technology Center to better integrate both areas into the workforce development and applied engineering programs.

“In just three years, STEM Day has become a beloved RACC tradition for our K12 partners’ middle school students and teachers. Our faculty and staff have as much fun as the kids, and I’m especially proud of RACC colleagues who share their talents and time on STEM Day. A truly remarkable day for STEM education in Berks County,” says RACC Director of Academic Partnerships, Jodi Corbett. 

To learn more about the STEM programs at RACC please call 610.607.6224 or visit RACC STEM programs.

Reading, PA – Reading Area Community College, in partnership with Tower Health, is proud to announce a new 15 week Pharmacy Technician Program beginning in the spring of 2020. The program, designed by administrators from both institutions, will prepare students to take the national certification examination administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Students who complete the pharmacy technician program can seek employment in a hospital or retail pharmacy setting.

“We are very excited about this partnership with Tower Health. For students who want to enter the pharmacy technician field, enrolling in this program is the fastest way to get great training and enter the workforce. Because of the shorter time to completion, the courses will be quite focused. The curriculum is designed to teach students the exact skills they will need to work as a pharmacy technician,” says RACC president Dr. Susan Looney.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, employment of pharmacy technicians is projected to grow almost ten percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. To prepare students for this career, the program will provide classroom content lectures, hands-on lab training, and practicum experience in a hospital setting.

“RACC is a wonderful educational institution in the community,” says William M. Jennings, president and CEO, Reading Hospital. We are pleased to partner with them to offer a Pharmacy Technician training program that will provide students the hands-on experience needed for a successful career as a Pharmacy Technician. We are privileged to provide the students the opportunity to shadow Reading Hospital pharmacists and technicians in different areas of the facility to fulfill their training.”  

The Pharmacy Technician Program will be held from 5:30-9:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The program start date is January 13, 2020 and ends April 16, 2020. Learn more or call 610.375.8188.
 

READING, Oct. 31 – State Reps. Tom Caltagirone and Mark Rozzi and Sen. Judy Schwank announced Reading Area Community College will receive almost $43,000 in state funding from a Preschool Development Grant as part of a $1.5 million investment from the state to improve the quality of early childcare education.

“This grant will ultimately help provide a seamless pathway for students attending Reading Area Community College to pursue a Bachelor of Science in education at Kutztown University,” said Caltagirone, D-Berks. “The program will not only benefit college students by helping them earn teacher certification, but it has the potential to have a great impact on our region by improving the quality of the education our future teachers receive.” 

Reading Area Community College will receive a grant totaling $42,947.

“This grant will help provide a stronger relationship between a local college and local university, developing project partners that will ultimately benefit all of the students in our region,” Rozzi said.

The grants will allow the universities and colleges to design specific courses related to Pennsylvania’s Learning Standards for Early Childhood Infant and Toddlers and Pre-Kindergarten.

“We are fortunate in Berks to have institutions of higher learning that are willing to work together for the benefit of students,” Schwank said. “Well-educated early childhood teachers are a necessity if we are to properly prepare future generations of learners, and this grant will help pave the way for those teachers.”

The grant is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Human Services Office of Child Development and Early Learning and the Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education.