Reading, PA — Alvernia University and Reading Area Community College (RACC) are expanding their dual admission partnership to include full-tuition scholarships for qualified RACC graduates through a special Reading Collegiate Scholars Program, modeled after Alvernia’s highly successful program aimed at the city’s high school students. 

“Alvernia has benefitted from a longstanding relationship with RACC for decades as many of their students have successfully transferred to our university to complete four-year degrees,” said Alvernia President Tom Flynn. “We welcome this new opportunity to advance our relationship to the next level including building upon our Reading Collegiate Scholars Program.” 

Alvernia’s expanded Reading Collegiate Scholars Program will now include two full-tuition scholarships for qualified RACC graduates beginning fall 2019, increasing to four by fall 2020. In addition, scholarship support will be expanded for all RACC graduates who transfer to Alvernia and meet academic and service criteria.

“Community college students who transfer to four-year universities graduate at a rate well above the national average and way above traditional four-year students,” said RACC President Susan Looney. “We are especially excited about strengthening our partnership with Alvernia to provide even more opportunities for RACC students such as expanding access for RACC graduates to the Reading Collegiate Scholars program,” she added. 

The Reading Collegiate Scholars Program enrolls underserved but capable students from the City of Reading and provides support, incentives and financial aid designed to ensure students successfully complete a college education. Started in 2014, the first group has a 100% graduation rate. The program is supported primarily by private donors, local businesses and foundations, and university funding.

Reading, PA – Reading Area Community College is pleased to announce that Huascar S. Rivera has recently been appointed to the Board of Trustees for the college by the Berks County Board of Commissioners.

Rivera is presently employed as the vice president of WSK & Associates, a security consulting company based in Wyomissing, PA. He is a retired Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Professional Responsibility for the Pennsylvania State Police with 25 years of service.

As Deputy Commissioner he oversaw operations of the Bureau of Professional Responsibility, Training and Education, Human Resources, and Member Assistance Program. Having held multiple ranks from Trooper to Lieutenant Colonel, he served in the following positions: Area Commander, Director of the Bureau of Communications and Information Services, Troop Commander, Emergency Planning and Preparedness Officer, Section Commander, Station Commander, and Criminal Investigator.  

During his tenure he also established the Commonwealth’s Risk Vulnerability Assessment Team. He also held responsibilities under the Office of Domestic Security for the development of Emergency Response Policies and was the State Police liaison officer to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Rivera graduated from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey, PA. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, 213th Session, and holds an AAS in Criminal Justice from Reading Area Community College.

Reading, PA – On Friday, November 9th, Phi Theta Kappa’s Reading Area Community College Chapter inducted fifty new members.

Family, friends, faculty, and staff all watched with pride as twenty-four young men and women inductees in attendance, who have fulfilled all requirements for membership, were selected because they have chosen scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship as their hallmarks.

Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1.3 million members and 1,100 chapters located in fifty United States, U.S Territories, Canada, Germany, and Japan. In 1929, the American Association of Community Colleges recognized Phi Theta Kappa as the official honor society for two-year colleges.

The RACC chapter also provides members with many opportunities for scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship as an active club on campus. Membership can be beneficial in terms of a variety of scholarships, not only at RACC, but at future four-year colleges as well. Currently enrolled students are invited to join when they have completed at least twelve hours of associate degree coursework at RACC with a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher.

For more information about PTK at RACC, please contact Danelle Bower, 610.372.4721 ext. 5451.

Reading, PA –Reading Area Community College hosted almost 200 Berks County high school and middle school students, teachers and administrators for their second annual STEM Day on Friday, November 9th.

Students conducted hands-on experiments using techniques and procedures in the areas of physics, robotics, 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.

“For us, the most exciting aspect of the day was observing the amazing level of engagement and curiosity displayed by the students. Giving students the opportunity for interactive, hands-on experiences is one of the most effective ways of building a solid future pipeline for STEM,” 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.

“We hope the students left the campus today believing that RACC is a great place to learn and earn their post-secondary STEM credentials,” says Jodi Corbett, RACC director of academic partnerships. “Our STEM division positions RACC to help meet future workforce needs by integrating advanced science lab experiences, and technology and healthcare programs,” she continues.

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

Written by David Mekeel, Reading Eagle

Reading, PA —The students sat in groups of three behind rectangular folding tables, their heads drooped in concentration directed at the sheets of paper in front of them.

Some rested their heads, tilted slightly to the left or right, on their hands. Some had bottles of water nearby. Each table featured a small bowl filled with candy.

What wasn't anywhere to be found? A calculator.

Forty-eight high school students from 16 Berks County schools gathered Wednesday morning at Reading Area Community College to take part in the 29th annual Berks County Interscholastic Mathematics Championship.

The competition - sponsored by the Higher Education Council of Berks County - pits three-member teams against one another, each working through a slew of problems in algebra, trigonometry, probability and limits. The questions, which take the form of both an individual and group written test, must be solved within a time limit and without a calculator.

The task, the students said, was tough.

"It was challenging," said Matthew Boyer, 17, a Tulpehocken High School senior. "I didn't know what to do on half the questions."

"I was confused a lot," added his teammate, Hairuo Zhao, 17, also a senior.

The team from Reading High agreed that the contest was difficult. But for 19-year-old senior Natalie Perez, that was quite all right.

"It was fun," she said, explaining that math is her favorite subject. "I loved it. I loved every minute of it."

Perez said it was thrilling not knowing what to expect and being presented with problems she had to figure out.

"That's math," she said.

Miguel Hernandez, one of Perez's teammates, felt much the same way.

"It was difficult and a bit frustrating," he said, adding that he was faced with things he'd never seen before.

But knowing that there's a lot to math that he still doesn't know, that there are frontiers he's yet to encounter, was exhilarating, he said.

"There's still so many new things out there," he said. "It's so exciting."

Speaking to the students following the competition, Dr. Susan D. Looney, RACC president, said the type of work they did Wednesday morning represents building blocks they will use in the future.

"The problems you solved this morning using algebra, trigonometry and probability are the kinds of math needed in our advanced manufacturing labs, and will serve you well in a number of majors such as criminal justice and business," she said.

Because the tests are scored by hand, results of the competitions won't be available until early December. Wyomissing won the championship last year, and Berks Catholic won it two years ago.