Johnson College Receives $7,500 Grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation

Johnson College has been awarded a $7,500 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, managed by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. This grant will support the College’s Animal Care Clinic and pet owners in our community.  

Johnson College will purchase medical equipment that will help enhance the safety and comfort of patients receiving surgical care. The grant will give Johnson College Veterinary Nursing Program students valuable clinical experience preparing them to enter into the workforce or advance their careers.  

As many people struggle to feed their families every week, family pets, while loved dearly, are not always updated on vaccines and spay/neuter procedures until finances are available. This grant will help these families take proper care of and responsibility for their pets by providing up to 20 reduced-cost spay/neuter surgeries for qualifying low-income families. The grant will also provide low-cost rabies vaccines.

Johnson College’s Veterinary Nursing Program prepares students to join an animal care team as entry-level technicians. Their tasks can include collecting samples, performing lab tests, taking radiographs, preparing the surgical suite, assisting in surgery, monitoring anesthesia, and providing general nursing care to patients. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredits the program. Students become Certified Veterinary Technicians upon passing the Veterinary Technician National Exam.  

“Through this grant, we are excited to give low-income pet-owning families peace of mind that their pet is cared for without incurring financial hardships,” said Dr. Katie Pittelli, President & CEO of Johnson College. “Equipment purchased will help our Veterinary Nursing Program students with the hands-on training they need to pass their national exams and enter the workforce.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Johnson College has been awarded a $7,500 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, managed by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. This grant will support the College’s Animal Care Clinic and pet owners in our community. Pictured left to right: Dr. Katie Pittelli, President & CEO, Johnson College, Karen Baker, Sr. Director of College Advancement, Johnson College, Cathy Fitzpatrick, Grants and Scholarships Manager, The Scranton Area Community Foundation, and Jack Nogi, Trustee, Robert H. Spitz Foundation.

New Two-Year Associates Degree Program, Civil Design Technology

Students can enroll in Johnson College’s new two-year Civil Design Technology associates degree program launching during the spring 2022 semester.

This two-year associate degree program prepares students as entry-level technicians in the field of civil engineering. This program provides the foundation for applying basic engineering principles and technical skills to support civil engineers engaged in designing and executing public works projects such as highways, dams, bridges, tunnels, and other facilities. The program also emphasizes professional interpersonal skills.

Students will acquire the skills necessary to obtain an entry-level position in the civil design field, which has a 3% growth potential through 2029 per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  They will also demonstrate professional behavior and ethics to meet work challenges and develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.

Graduates will work as civil designers, CAD technicians, survey technicians, design engineering technicians, or similar roles in the civil engineering industry and have the opportunity to make a medium annual income of up to $53,410. Typical employers in the civil design career field are civil design and engineering firms, structural engineering companies, environmental engineering firms, surveyors, consulting firms, construction companies, and government design agencies.

“The launch of the Civil Design Technology program is a great example of how Johnson College continues to answer industry demand for highly skilled technicians,” said Dr. Katie Pittelli, Johnson College President & CEO. “The College will work with industry partners to ensure our Civil Design Technology students are introduced to industry from day one and get the hands-on education needed for this in-demand career.”

To learn more about Johnson College’s new Civil Design Technology Program visit Johnson.edu/civildesign.

Photo Caption: Recently, Dr. Katie Pittelli, President & CEO of Johnson College, visited PennDot’s I-84 Twin Bridge Project just outside of Dunmore, PA, to record a special Presidential Update Video announcing the launch of Johnson College’s new Civil Design Technology program, the College’s 16th two-year associates degree program. To watch the video, visit johnson.edu/presidential-update or learn more about the Civil Design Technology program at Johnson.edu/civildesign. Left to right: Chad Faraday, Civil Engineer Trainee, PennDot, Dr. Katie Pittelli, President & CEO, Johnson College, Chris Christopher E. Rood ‘06, P.E., Assistant Construction Engineer, PennDot, and John Pivovarnik, P.E., Assistant Construction Engineer, PennDot. 

Johnson College Signs Articulation Agreement for Veterinary Nursing Program with University of Missouri

Johnson College has signed an articulation agreement with the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, for the College’s Veterinary Nursing program. The agreement provides students who earn a two-year Veterinary Nursing associate degree at Johnson College with the opportunity to transfer all 74 credits earned through the program into the University of Missouri’s Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology program.

Qualifying students will graduate from Johnson College’s Veterinary Nursing program with at least a 2.5 GPA. Students transferring through the articulation agreement must pass the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) to earn their national certified veterinarian technician license. They must receive a score of at least 425.

Graduates of the Veterinary Nursing program at Johnson College enter the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine with a junior-year standing in the Veterinary Technology Bachelor of Science program.

“Creating this agreement gives our Veterinary Nursing students a new pathway to a bachelor’s of science degree to help them advance in their careers,” said Dr. Katie Pittelli, President & CEO of Johnson College. “Our students will use the strong values and hands-on training they received at Johnson College as they continue on their academic journey at the University of Missouri.”

“We began developing our bachelor’s degree in veterinary technology program more than two years ago to help remediate the national shortage of veterinary technicians,” said University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Carolyn J. Henry, DVM, MS. “It’s gratifying to now be able to form partnerships with institutions like Johnson College, which share our vision of providing an opportunity for skilled, experienced technicians to further their education while continuing to work.”

Founded in 1839 in Columbia, the University of Missouri is a public research university that belongs to the people of Missouri. The first public university west of the Mississippi River, Mizzou is a member of the competitive SEC conference, a committed flagship and land-grant institution — and a proud member of the prestigious AAU which features the top research universities in the country. With an enrollment of over 30,000 students, Mizzou is a $2.2 billion global enterprise, with areas of strength including media, agriculture and plant science, human and animal health, sustainable energy and more. A pioneer of experiential learning and the famed Missouri Method, Mizzou is a place where hands-on learning leads to world-class research and unparalleled student success. Visit missouri.edu and bsvt.missouri.edu to learn more.

Johnson College Receives $30,000 Grant from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation

Johnson College has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation. The grant will support the College’s “Widening the Pipeline for a Trained Healthcare Workforce” project designed to increase the pool of qualified, well-trained health care workers for our area. 

Johnson College will establish a mobile training laboratory to provide a hands-on experience for potential students to see and feel what it is like to work in the health care field. This positive and highly visible project will provide an interactive way to share career information. With a focus on engaging non-traditional students, Johnson College will show participants various paths to meet their educational training needs. Johnson College offers pathways to health care careers with associate degree programs such as physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, and biomedical equipment technology as well as continuing education programs.

Regionally, there are several successful STEM-related pipeline programs serving middle and high school students. With this new program, Johnson College will widen that pipeline to include non-traditional students who represent diverse age, economic, educational, and cultural backgrounds. These potential students include displaced workers due to COVID-19, non-English speaking individuals, those who want/need to return to the workforce post-retirement or family, and those dissatisfied with their current career path.

“We are excited to offer this new experience and information to people from all around NEPA and beyond, and to bring it directly to them,” said Dr. Katie Pittelli, President & CEO of Johnson College. “Our goal with the mobile lab is to show the region that a career in health care is attainable no matter who you are or what your current situation may be. We want to give people a taste of what hands-on education at Johnson College is like. We continuously strive to be the leaders in hands-on education and meet the workforce needs of NEPA.”

Photo Caption: The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation board of directors recently met with Johnson College to discuss the $30,000 grant awarded to the College in support of its “Widening the Pipeline for a Trained Health Care Workforce” project and tour the mobile training laboratory. Front Row L-R: James Clemente, Chairman, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Shubhra Shetty, M.D., board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Marie Roke Thomas, Ph.D., board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Donna Martucci, board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Katie Pittelli, Ed.D., President & CEO, Johnson College, Karen Baker, Sr. Director of College Advancement, Johnson College, Michele McGowan, D.B.A., board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, and Laura Ducceschi, President & CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation. Back Row L-R: The Honorable Terrence Nealon, board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Robert Knowles, Vice Chairman, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Kerry O’Grady, board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Christopher Dressel, M.D., board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Mark Mitchell, board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, James Mileski, board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, Jeremiah Eagen, M.D., board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, and Peter Cognetti, M.D., board member, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation. 

From Headlights to Taillights: Towing the Line

By Mark Kozemko, Johnson College’s Automotive Technology Program Director

Original published in the August 27, 2021 edition of the Valley Advantage.

https://www.thevalleyadvantage.com/community-columns/from-headlights-to-taillights-towing-the-line/article_05518445-349e-5a52-af84-19709c71143e.html

Summertime is not only about vacation time. It’s also about summer fun. By that, I mean camping, boating, jet skiing, and the like, all of which include towing something with your vehicle.

Over the last few weeks, a few readers submitted questions about towing, so I thought we’d answer a few this month.

Our first question is, “I want to buy a boat, but I’m not sure if my vehicle will tow it. Will I have to purchase a truck or other vehicle to get my new boat to the lake?”

It’s a great question. Most people I know who tow something have a truck to pull whatever they’re hauling.

A truck or large vehicle is not always necessary, and here’s why. The first thing you need to know is the camper weight or the weight of the boat with a trailer, jet ski(s) with a trailer, or whatever you’re towing. Usually, the information is on the vessel you’re planning to pull. The camper will have only one weight to consider, but the other towable items will have their weight plus the trailer weight. The total weight of the item and its trailer, if necessary, is called the Gross Combined Weight Rating, or GCWR.

The next thing you need to know is your vehicle’s towing capacity. Your car or truck manufacturer determines the towing capacity and lists this information in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Of course, you can always Google your year, make and model to find this information, too.

Here are a few examples of towing capacity from https://auto.howstuffworks.com/. A 2009 Toyota Camry can tow a maximum of 1,000 pounds while a 2009 Toyota 4Runner can tow a maximum of 5,000 pounds. A 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 can tow a maximum of 3,800 pounds, and a 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 can tow up to 12,300 pounds.

As you can see from the examples, your current vehicle may be enough to get you — and your summer fun vessel — to your destination with no problems. Just remember, never exceed your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity. Doing so can cause significant damage to your vehicle’s engine or transmission.

“What is tongue weight?” is our second question.

Tongue weight is the weight put on the hitch at the connection of the trailer to the vehicle. A vehicle suspension is designed to carry a certain amount of weight. The weight is mainly made up of the vehicle itself, but the suspension can take additional weight when towing. The car or truck, and a specific hitch class, can carry a certain amount of weight.

If you connect your boat or whatever is on the trailer to your vehicle and the rear of the vehicle sags where the rear bumper is close to the ground, then your tongue weight is probably too much.

Our third question is, “If the tongue weight is too high, does this mean the vehicle is not capable of towing what I have connected?”

If connecting to the vehicle causes too much sag, it most likely means your vehicle cannot tow this particular unit. But, there is a chance the boat or whatever is on the trailer is not positioned on the trailer correctly. Let me explain.

If a boat and trailer have a combined weight of 950 pounds and you’re using a 2009 Toyota Camry that can safely tow 1,000 pounds to tow it, we know the weight is under the maximum towing capacity.

However, if the tongue weight is too high, the excess weight causes the rear of the vehicle to sag excessively. This extra weight can create an unsafe driving condition. When we investigate a bit further, we find the boat is too far forward on the trailer, and this adds to the tongue weight. The boat’s position on the trailer needs to be adjusted to get the boat weight back over the wheels of the trailer. When we do this, the tongue weight and the sagging condition are corrected.

“Do I need a special tow hitch on my vehicle?” is our fourth and final question.

Tow hitches are designated by class. The class of the hitch is determined by the tongue weight capacity and the towing capacity. The hitch class goes from a Class I hitch with a tongue weight capacity of 100–150 pounds and a towing capacity of 1,000–1,500 pounds to a Class IV hitch with a tongue weight capacity of 500 pounds or more and a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds. Your vehicle’s towing capacity will determine what class hitch you should have installed to meet all the safety requirements.

Remember that safety is always first, so be safe, no matter what your choice of summer fun may be.