Reading, PA – On Monday, April 4, Reading Area Community College President Dr. Susan Looney and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania President Dr. Kenneth Hawkinson signed an agreement, which will provide a seamless transfer for RACC students to enter the KU Bachelor of Science in Physics: Engineering Technology. 

Under the Dual Admissions Agreement, Reading Area Community College students will be guaranteed admission into a B.S. Physics: Engineering Technology degree program with third year (junior) status at Kutztown University of PA on the condition that they meet specific criteria.

“We are celebrating today a new agreement in engineering with Kutztown University, one of the top transfer destinations for our graduates. This agreement is the result of great cooperation and collaboration between faculty and deans of our respective institutions and will serve well the needs of our institutions and, more importantly, those of our students,” says Reading Area Community College President Dr. Susan Looney.

A full-time student admitted with third year status to Kutztown University will be able to complete a Bachelor of Science in Physics: Engineering Technology at Kutztown University within four regular semesters provided that the student completes the appropriate Associate Degree program at Reading Area Community College and completes and appropriately sequences their remaining course work at Kutztown University while maintaining full-time status.  

 “Our purpose in developing these important agreements with RACC is to provide quality, low-cost programs to the citizens of this region and to further develop our partnership with one of the finest community colleges in the state to serve the greater Reading area by providing well-educated, well-trained graduates, who after their graduation, can give back and serve their community,” Kutztown University President Dr. Kenneth Hawkinson.”

To learn more about the Kutztown University B.S. Physics: Engineering Technology Transfer Agreement, or transfer agreements RACC has with other four year colleges, please call 610-607-6245 or transfer@racc.edu.

Reading, PA – Alpha Sigma Rho, Reading Area Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Chapter, attended the PTK Middle States Regional Convention March 11-13, 2022 in Galloway, New Jersey. The Hallmark Awards, one of the major programs of PTK International, engages members to participate in activities which support the Society’s Hallmarks of Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Fellowship. Chapters submit reports on their work in several areas.  These submissions are judged competitively and individuals, chapters and regions are recognized for their excellence in support of these hallmarks. Awards are given on both a regional and international level. The Middle States Region includes over eighty chapters from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

During the annual PTK Middle States Regional Convention, the Reading Area Community College Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Sigma Rho Chapter received several significant awards, including: 

• Distinguished Chapter-#7 in the Region. This is awarded to chapters based on average scores on written entries for     Honors in Action (HIA) and College Projects. 
• Distinguished College Project-#15 in the Region
• Distinguished Honors in Action (HIA)-#6 in the Region
• Five-star chapter (among 36 in the region who received this distinction) In addition to these chapter-based awards,     the following individuals received awards: 
• Outstanding Chapter Officer-Kimberly Suárez (President)
• Outstanding Chapter Officer-Chelsey Nievez (Public Relations Officer)

PTK students have a 91 percent student success rate, and research has shown that strong presidential leadership and support of PTK increases member success and the depth of their college experience.

The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society recognizes academic achievement of community college students and provides opportunities for them to grow as scholars and leaders.

For more information about Phi Theta Kappa at Reading Area Community College, please call 610.372.4721.

Reading, PA – Halema Bobby, a student at Reading Area Community College has been named a 2022 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. 

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver, and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion.

“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”

 “I am very proud of the hard work Helema applies toward achieving her goals,” says Dr. Susan Looney, president of Reading Area Community College. “She is a shining example of the positive results enabled through RACC’s ongoing commitment to access, opportunity, excellence, and hope.”

Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies and will be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention, PTK Catalyst, to be held in Denver, Colorado, April 7-9.

“We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,” said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. “Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.”

About Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier 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 comprised of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more about PTK at RACC, call 610.372.4721 ext. 5451.

Reading, PA- The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) has announced the election of its Executive Committee and Officers for the term January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.

Dr. Susan D. Looney, J.D., President of Reading Area Community College, were re-elected to the Executive Committee.

Dr. Looney became the sixth President of Reading Area Community College on July 1, 2018. Her teaching career began in 1998, when she accepted a full-time faculty position in Accounting at Mohave Community College (AZ). In her 21 years as a full-time community college educator, eight as a faculty member and 13 years as a senior administrator, Dr. Looney worked in diverse roles at Mohave Community College, Delaware Technical Community College, and Colorado Mountain College. She was named Dean of Instruction at RACC in 2014 and named Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost at RACC in 2015. 

After completing her A.A. at Brookdale Community College (NJ), Dr. Looney went on to earn her B.S. and M.B.A. in business administration from Monmouth University (NJ), a J.D. from Widener University School of Law (DE), and ultimately an Ed.D. in higher education leadership from Nova Southeastern University (FL). She was named to the MSCHE Executive Committee in 2021 and 2022.

To learn more about Reading Area Community College, visit racc.edu or call 610-607-6224.

Reading, PA, June 7, 2021 – Reading Area Community College (RACC) along with its valued partners, Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Berks County Career and Technology Center (BCTC) and Reading Muhlenberg Career Technology Center (RMCTC) have signed articulation agreements that result in a 2+2+2 engineering pathway. 

Career and technology center students enrolled in the Technical Academy Mechatronics/Engineering Automation Programs can earn up to 25 credits toward a RACC Associate of Science (AS) in engineering prior to graduating high school. The AS in Engineering transfers to a Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology or Mechanical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University-Berks Campus.

This integrated pathway involves early and intensive advising for high school students seeking to earn an ABET-accredited engineering degree and also want hands-on experience offered by the CTC and the Schmidt Training and Technology Center. Faculty from both RACC and Penn State Berks discussed curricular changes needed for RACC’s AS in Engineering, even sharing syllabi and discussing in-depth learning outcomes in order to help create a seamless pathway.  

“RACC is very fortunate to have deeply connected K12 and university partners that continue to improve our transfer pathways in order to provide students of Berks County access to an affordable college education,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney.

To learn more about partnership pathway programs at RACC, please contact Director of Community and Academic Partnerships, Kristen Marcinko at kmarcinko@racc.edu.