January 17, 2023 — Earlier this year, PA Governor Tom Wolf announced that $1 million in PA Hunger-Free Campus grants have been awarded to 28 institutions of higher education and private licensed schools to combat student hunger across the commonwealth. Reading Area Community College (RACC) is among those recipients, and will receive $40,000 in total grant funding. 

“Hunger affects far too many postsecondary students across the nation,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney. “The PA Hunger-Free Campus designation and grant funding will help provide RACC students with access to healthy food so they can stay focused, learn and graduate.”

Postsecondary institutions that received a PA Hunger-Free Campus+ designation implemented additional innovative solutions to address student hunger and other basic needs for their campus community in conjunction with demonstrating additional criteria. Examples of these initiatives included offering a variety of meal plans, including an option that provides ten or fewer meals weekly to avoid interfering with SNAP eligibility, creating or implementing meal-sharing programs, educating student leaders on campus to develop student-centered programs, or facilitating innovative community partnerships.

RACC will use the funding to support two campus initiatives. Approximately $15,000 will be allocated to providing hot meals to eligible students in the campus cafeteria. The remaining funds will support The Raven Food Pantry. The pantry is regularly stocked with a variety of non-perishable foods and products, including canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, snack bars, crackers, rice, sauce and pastas. Personal care and clothing items are also available.

The grants are awarded with the purpose of addressing food insecurity on campus, including expanding access to food options, creating awareness initiatives, and upgrading facilities. Awardees will be able to utilize the grant funds until December 31, 2023.

To learn more, contact RACC Director of Grants, Rhonda Hudak at 610.372.4721 x5016.

January 9. 2023 — Reading Area Community College (RACC) and Villanova University, College of Professional Studies (CPS) entered into a Guaranteed Admission and Transfer Agreement on Friday, January 6 in a signing ceremony in the Miller Center for the Arts on the RACC campus.

The agreement will facilitate the transfer of RACC students to all majors offered through CPS exclusively under the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies.

"We are proudly celebrating this new agreement with Villanova University, which will open many new doors of opportunity for our graduates," says Dr. Susan Looney, RACC president. “This pathway is the result of great cooperation and collaboration between faculty and deans of our respective institutions and will serve well both the needs of our institutions and, more importantly, those of our students."

"This new transfer agreement between Reading Area Community College and Villanova University College of Professional Studies is an exciting step forward,” says Christine Kelleher Palus, dean of the College of Professional Studies. “Every day in CPS we strive to allow greater access to a rigorous Villanova education, and we are thrilled to welcome RACC graduates to our community of learners. To our future students, with a solid educational foundation at RACC and a bachelor’s degree from Villanova, where you’ve been is just the beginning.”

Eligible students with an overall grade point average of 3.0 to 3.49 will receive a 20% tuition reduction, and those with a 3.5 to 4.0 will receive a 25% tuition reduction for each course taken at CPS.

"The new admissions agreement between Reading Area Community College and Villanova will expand access to our college's transformative education for our students. This partnership will provide a direct pathway to a Villanova degree for the talented graduates of RACC programs," says Kristen Marcinko, RACC director of academic partnerships.

In addition to tuition reduction, CPS may also offer Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) scholarships for qualified graduates admitted to CPS.

To learn more about the RACC and CPS and other transfer opportunities, visit the Transfer Services page.

Addressing a 16-year-high in global talent shortages, a new seamless path from associate to master’s degree has been created through an articulation agreement between Reading Area Community College (RACC) and the Albright College School of Professional Studies. The agreement enables community college graduates to earn a master’s degree in a little over two years, as compared to the 10-year national average. Academic scholarships will be awarded to qualified RACC students admitted to Albright.

“This innovative new pathway is the first of its kind, and it couldn’t come at a more important time,” said Albright President Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Ph.D.

President Fetrow speaks during an event announcing the RACC to Albright agreement.

President Fetrow explains how the new Associate to Master’s Degree agreement creates a seamless transition for RACC associate degree graduates to transition to Albright bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Photo by John Pankratz.

Although a small number of pathways exist for associate degree students to earn advanced degrees in a single field of study (such as nursing), the RACC-to-Albright pathway addresses skilled labor shortages across a range of fields, from business and marketing, to psychology research, and education.

Right now, three out of four employers across all major industries are reporting difficulty finding the talent they need.” said Fetrow. “This fall, the National Education Association estimated a shortage of roughly 300,000 teachers and staff across the nation, particularly in rural districts and where special education and STEM teachers are in high demand. This new pathway aims to address that shortage and others like it, by helping working adults shift into high demand roles more quickly.”

“We’ve built this innovative pathway to empower adults to earn multiple degrees at a top-ranked institution, faster and for less than just a bachelor’s degree at most other colleges,” said Boris Vilic, dean of Albright’s School of Professional Studies. “The pathway allows students to complete a bachelor’s and master’s for the cost of a single degree at another college.”

Building on a previously established Guaranteed Transfer Admissions agreement for RACC associate graduates to earn bachelor’s degrees at Albright, the new Associate to Master’s Degree agreement creates a seamless transition for associate degree graduates to transition to bachelor’s degrees, followed by master’s degree programs at Albright.

Pictured (left to right): Boris Vilic, Karen Campbell, Jacque Fetrow, Susan Looney, Cynthia Seaman and Kevin Coots.
Signers include (left to right) Boris Vilic, Karen Campbell, Jacque Fetrow, Susan Looney, Cynthia Seaman and Kevin Coots. Photo by John Pankratz.

“Our graduates are highly valued by our college and university partners, and we are excited that Dr. Fetrow and Albright College have committed to a seamless transfer to their master’s degree programs,” said RACC President, Susan Looney, Ed.D., J.D.

While the length of time for students to complete Albright bachelor’s and master’s degrees vary by degree program, most RACC associate degree graduates can complete their bachelor’s degree within two years of part-time study. Albright College master’s degrees are designed to be completed in one year.

Reading Area Community College graduates will complete as few as eight classes for their Albright bachelor’s degree (compared to an average of 20 classes at other institutions) and 10 classes for their Albright master’s degree. The seamless transfer applies to any of Albright’s graduate level degrees: Master of Arts/Master of Science in Education, Master of Science in Business, Master of Science in athletic leadership and Master of Science in applied psychology.

“As anchor institutions in Berks County, Albright College and Reading Area Community College are proud to work together to offer world-class educational opportunities for the betterment of our community’s families and businesses,” said Fetrow.

READING, PA – On Thursday, November 10, the Berks Regional Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professions (AFP) honored The Foundation for Reading Area Community College (RACC) as its Outstanding Foundation at the annual AFP Berks Regional Chapter Awards Breakfast held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Reading.

Gary Moyer, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Foundation for RACC says, “We are honored to be recognized for our dedication to RACC students. The year 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the college and the foundation celebrated the historic significance of this milestone with an incredible year of philanthropic success for the benefit of the students of the college.” 

Key Foundation initiatives included a comprehensive partnership with Helping Harvest, which led to the establishment of the Ravens’ Food Pantry on campus for students experiencing food insecurity. Another initiative is the Student Emergency Assistance Fund, which helps students pay for rent, electric bills, transportation, phone bills and other emergent needs; to allow the student to remain in college and complete their education. The Foundation for RACC also secured a grant from Truist to sponsor an event at Boscov’s Department Store, which provided professional clothing for graduating students.

“RACC has 8500 students. Last year we distributed over a million dollars through over 700 scholarships to students. Scholarships are the essence of what we are about as a foundation. Despite our successes, the best is still ahead for us,” says Tony DeMarco, RACC VP for college advancement & executive director of the Foundation for RACC.

DeMarco and the Foundation also managed and organized the sold out RACC 50th Anniversary Gala with over 800 attendees that raised $1.3 million dollars and featured the co-founder of Apple Computer, Steve Wozniak. RACC’s 50th is widely regarded as one of the finest non-profit events in Berks County history.

The Foundation manages over 120 scholarship opportunities, many of which are for first generation or lower-income students, high school students who matriculate to RACC from a Berks County high school, or students in the college’s workforce training programs. In 2021, the Foundation distributed over $1M in scholarship support to RACC students.

To learn more about the Foundation for RACC, call 610.607.6239.

READING, PA – On Friday, October 21, the Miller Center for the Arts on the Reading Area Community College (RACC) campus celebrated its 15-year anniversary with a performance by world-renowned contemporary dance sensation, Parsons Dance Company. A pre-show reception at the Schmidt Training and Technology Center on the RACC campus hosted a large crowd of supporters, followed by the capacity performance in the Miller Center venue.

“Thank you, Marlin and Ginger Miller, for the beautiful theater that bears your name. Your generosity has provided our RACC students, staff, and community members with one of the finest performance venues in Pennsylvania. We thank you for 15 years of spectacular concerts and dance presentations, 15 years of comedy and music and 15 years of performance excellence,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney.

The Miller Center for the Arts emerged from the vision and philanthropy of Mr. Marlin Miller. Working closely with the President Emeritus, Gust Zogas as well as with the architects, construction crews and various visual artists, the Miller Center for the Arts emerged to bring some of the finest singers, musicians and dancers in the world to the campus of RACC. 

“After 15 years, we are so very proud to hold true to Marlin and Ginger Miller’s vision of an exquisite theater that brings some of the finest performance artists in the world to Berks County and our surrounding region. We are blessed through the endowment commitments of Dr. Frank Franco, Renee and Bruce Dietrich, Gust and Doris Zogas and, of course, Marlin and Ginger Miller, to bring a varied array of musical, comedic and dramatic genres to the Miller Center,” says RACC Vice President of College Advancement and the Executive Director of the Foundation for Reading Area Community College, Tony DeMarco. 

The Miller Center for the Arts has become an anchor in the City of Reading’s cultural landscape. The 500 seat theatre offers quality programming for all ages and interests. Whether it is modern dance, improv comedy or a children’s show, the Miller Center has something for everyone.

Some of the more prominent acts that have appeared at the Miller Center include David Sedaris, Judy Collins, Three Dog Night, The Machine, Tom Papa, and Josh Ritter. 

Along with performances, the Miller Center also hosts community events and is available for rental. For more information on how we can accommodate your event, please contact Megan Schappell at 610.607.6205.

Photo Caption: From Left to Right:
Dr. Susan Looney, Marlin Miller, Ginger Miller, Tony DeMarco