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, PA – On August 20, 2019, Reading Area Community College (RACC) President Dr. Susan Looney and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania President Dr. Kenneth Hawkinson signed an agreement for Kutztown University (KU) to teach a Bachelor of Science in Education (BSED) with Prek-4 Teacher Certification program at Reading Area Community College’s (RACC) campus starting fall 2020.  

The agreement frames a teacher certification pathway through leveraging Berks County public institutions, Reading Area Community College, Kutztown University, Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Centers, and Berks Career and Technology Center and addresses workforce projections for qualified early childhood teachers in the region.
Students will be able to begin taking college courses this fall at the Career Technology Centers (CTC) through the Teacher Academy, a college-credit bearing career pathway in CTC Early Childhood Education taught at both CTC’s. Students will be able to complete their AAS in Early Childhood Teaching in a year after graduating from high school before transitioning to Kutztown University’s BSED (PreK-4 Certification) program offered at RACC’s campus. At the center of these agreements, which creates a seamless pathway from the CTC’s to Kutztown University, are the students who graduate from RACC’s AAS Early Childhood Teaching program and need an accessible and affordable pathway to better employment opportunities through earning a  Bachelor of Science in Education in the community where they live, work, and raise their families. 

“The BSED at RACC’s campus will help our students achieve their career goals and help our community with well-trained early childhood teachers. These students want to stay in Berks County and teach our very youngest students in Berks County. To partner with the Career Technology Centers so high school students can begin their career programs with college credit helps accelerated the pathway to completion,” says Dr. Susan Looney. 

For more information about KU – BSED Cohort starting fall 2020 at RACC’s campus, please contact Jim Garraway, KU’s Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions, 610.683.4787. For more information about the Teacher Academy contact Jodi Corbett, director of academic partnerships/special assistant to the president, 610.607.6219.

Reading, PA – Reading Area Community College (RACC) has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) MentorLinks: Advancing Technological Education project, which is supported by the National Science Foundation.

Through the MentorLinks program, RACC will apply the grant toward strengthening its popular Cyber Defense Certificate program. Funding will help connect faculty and administrative staff to institutions or organizations with strong cyber defense systems, allowing them to stay current with new technologies. Grant money will also be used toward developing internships and field experiences. This will provide opportunities for program graduates to earn industry standard credentials and hands-on practical experience.

By 2021, there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions in the workforce. In response to the shortage, RACC introduced a Cyber Defense Certificate program in fall 2018.

“This accelerated program is ideal for professionals seeking to upskill, change careers, or for students wishing to enter the cybersecurity field,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney. “This grant will enable us to continue to strengthen and expand the program to meet the growing demands of the cybersecurity industry.”

The RACC Cyber Defense Certificate combines both networking and systems administration fundamentals, with a focus on defensive strategies to securing systems. This accelerated program can be completed in 15 months, and all courses may be taken online.

For more information about Cyber Defense training at RACC, visit racc.edu/cyberdefense.

RACC’s new quarterly print and digital publication ALIVE features timely news and events about RACC students, faculty, staff, programs and workforce development. Each issue of ALIVE illustrates RACC’s commitment to enhancing the educational and economic vitality of Berks County and its residents.

View the current issue of ALIVE

Reading, PA. – The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is proud to announce the appointment of Reading Area Community College President Dr. Susan D. Looney to its Commission on Student Success, effective July 1, 2019. 

The Commission on Student Success focuses on student access and success, and organizational transformation. The commission may examine subject areas which include degree completion and two-year to four-year transfer. In addition, the commission may focus on initiatives that facilitate the implementation of the 21st-Century Initiative and Implementation Guidelines, showcase cutting-edge innovation with proven outcomes, and improve student success.

“It is a particularly exciting time to be appointed to the Commission on Student Success. The AACC is truly the ‘voice of America’s community colleges’ and I am honored to be selected to assist in providing advocacy, leadership, and service for community colleges. The mission of the AACC aligns closely with my personal hallmarks of access, opportunity, excellence, and hope in guiding our students to success,” says Dr. Looney.

In her 20 years as a full-time community college educator, eight as a faculty member and 12 years as a senior administrator, Dr. Looney has worked in diverse roles including: assistant to the campus director and director of corporate and community programs at Delaware Technical Community College, and interim assistant vice president of academic affairs, arts and sciences at Colorado Mountain College. Dr. Looney was named dean of instruction at Reading Area Community College in 2014 and named senior vice president of academic affairs/provost at RACC in 2015. She became the 6th president of RACC in July of 2018.

After completing her AA at Brookdale Community College, Dr. Looney went on to earn her BS and MBA in business administration from Monmouth University, JD from Widener University School of Law, and ultimately an Ed.D. in higher education leadership from Nova Southeastern University.