Johnson College Programs Receive American Design Drafting Association Certification

Johnson College’s Architectural Drafting & Design Technology and Civil Design Technology 2-year Associate Degree programs have been awarded curriculum certifications from the American Design Drafting Association (ADDT) for the 2024-25 academic year.

The ADDA Curriculum Certification is a specialized copyrighted program certification developed by ADDA to assist education facilities and vocational training institutions in aligning their educational process to meet or exceed industry standards. The Curriculum Certification process is based on a thorough review of criteria used within the training program and requires teacher and facility certifications as well as standard auditing processes.

While the Architectural Drafting & Design Technology program has been certified in the past, this is the first time the College’s Civil Design Technology program has received certification.

Jim Burden, Johnson College Associate Director of Faculty and Program Director of the Architectural Drafting & Design Technology and Civil Design Technology programs became professionally certified with ADDA in 2014 and has held the title of ADDA Certified Educator since beginning his career at Johnson College five years ago.

“The certification of the Civil Design Technology program has been a goal of mine since its inception and has now come to fruition, for the benefit of our Civil students and recognition of the quality of the course of study,” said Burden.

Johnson College Receives $95,000 Grant from AllOne Foundation

Johnson College has been awarded a $95,000 grant from AllOne Foundation to update training equipment for its health science programs and to support community outreach to school-age and adult learners interested in pursuing training in the healthcare industry. The grant will assist the College in addressing Northeastern Pennsylvania’s healthcare workforce needs.

Providing students at Johnson College with the latest technology used in modern clinical settings is essential to their industry-focused, hands-on learning. The upgraded, cutting-edge equipment acquired through this grant will prepare students from Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology, and Medical Assistant programs for any environment they encounter during internships and post-graduate careers.

These upgrades will include a SynDaver Silicone Anatomy Model, which will allow Physical Therapist Assistant students to best understand the muscles that they will work in their daily careers; a portable digital X-ray machine for Radiologic Technology students; and an EKG machine for Biomedical Equipment Technology students.

Using Johnson College’s Careers in Healthcare RV, previously funded by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Healthcare Foundation and the Moses Taylor Foundation, the College will also visit regional schools, healthcare and employment fairs, and camps to meet with residents and discuss opportunities for careers in the healthcare field. Sample equipment within the RV will give people an inside look at careers in the Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology, and Medical Assistant fields.

To learn more about Johnson College’s health science programs, visit Johnson.edu.

Pictured left to right in front of a SynDaver Silicone Anatomy Model: John Cosgrove, CEO, AllOne Foundation; Dr. Katie Pittelli, President & CEO, Johnson College; Frank Apostolico, board member, AllOne Foundation; and Heather DeFazio, Physical Therapist Assistant Program Director, Johnson College.

Johnson College Receives $5,000 Grant from Robert H. Spitz Foundation

Johnson College has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation’s Spring 2024 grant cycle, managed by the Scranton Area Foundation, to support its Military and Veterans’ Resource Center for students and alumni who are affiliated with the military. The project is being directed by Dr. Natalia Melgarejo, Johnson College Student Success Coordinator.

The Johnson College Military and Veterans’ Resource Center, located on the College’s Scranton campus, will serve as a private space for military service members and veterans to study and develop a sense of community as students at the College. Both students and alumni will use the space to find peer support, discuss common concerns, celebrate connections, and share with others who have lived through similar experiences.

In addition to the new Resource Center, Johnson College provides services such as priority scheduling and registration to servicemembers, as well as assistance with military and veteran benefits.

Johnson College’s goal in serving military-affiliated families and veterans is to help ease the transition in starting, continuing, or resuming educational pursuits and to offer assistance with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational benefits. Through its continued efforts to empower servicemembers to further their education, Johnson College was awarded the 2024-25 Gold Military Friendly® School designation from VIQTORY, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-2025 survey, with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.

About the Robert H. Spitz Foundation

The Robert H. Spitz Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports initiatives and programs serving the residents of Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Robert H. Spitz was born in Scranton in 1955. He was a graduate of Scranton Central High School and the University of Miami, Florida. The Robert H. Spitz Foundation was established from his estate in 2015 and supports an array of projects and programs that are aimed at improving the community. To date, the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation, has provided nearly $6 million in funding to the community.