Johnson College is proud to announce the establishment of the Andrew Mazza Memorial Scholarship. Funded by the Andrew Mazza Memorial Foundation, the scholarship will provide $1,000 each to two Johnson College students in the 2017-2018 academic year. The scholarship supports first or second year students studying Diesel Truck Technology.

Phil Mazza contacted Johnson College in the spring of 2017 to discuss a partnership in honor of his late son, Andrew. Andrew passed away as the result of an automobile accident in 2016 and his father wanted to be sure his son’s legacy carried on in the community. Andrew was not only a truck enthusiast, but also a person who lived his life helping others. The Andrew Mazza Memorial Scholarship aims to serve local students as they pursue a career in the diesel industry.

Additionally, an agreement has been made to host a truck show on the Johnson College campus in support of the scholarship. The truck show is planned for the spring of 2018 and will welcome the entire community to Johnson College’s campus to celebrate the legacy of Andrew Mazza and support students of the future.

The recipients of this year’s Andrew Mazza Memorial Scholarship are students Joshua Dippel, a freshman from Scott Township and Jesse Korty, a sophomore from Forest City.

 

On July 12, Johnson College’s Veteran Task Force offered a Green Zone Training for faculty and staff so they could become more familiar with military life. The training highlighted experiences of student veterans, service members, and their families in higher education. The faculty and staff in attendance volunteered to become an empathetic ear and a guide for resources for student veterans, service members, and their family members on campus. Green Zone Training is a 2-hour session that consists of an informational presentation as well as a discussion and Q&A with current student veterans and their family members.

Johnson College currently serves numerous veteran students and continues to become more military friendly. The College is a certified Yellow Ribbon School and offers the Post 9/11 GI Bill® to those who qualify. For more information on veteran services or benefits, please visit www.johnson.edu/veterans. 

The Pocono Mountain Street Rod Association has awarded $2,000 to be given to one Johnson College Automotive Technology student. The Automotive Technology Program prepares students to enter into the work force as entry-level technicians in the many phases of the automobile, truck, and diesel industries.

This is the 9^thyear for the scholarship by the club, which raises funds through Cruise Nights held at the Viewmont Mall parking lot on the last Friday of each month. Cruise Nights help raise funds for their scholarship at Johnson College as well as other charitable community activities. The next Cruise Night is scheduled for Friday, July 28^th at 6 p.m.

For more information on Johnson College’s Automotive Technology Program, click here!

Johnson College’s Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Technology (AMET) program  allows students to train on CNC machines, lathes, 3D printers, drones, and robots. Launched in 2015, these students and graduates have will play an important role in the future of manufacturing  and technology.

In support of this new degree, the College recently received a $5,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation to support students in the AMET program. The grant will provide scholarships to current and future students as they progress through their education to become part of the advanced manufacturing workforce. According to the foundation’s website, Gene Haas established the foundation in 1991 to fund the needs of the local community. Haas is the owner of Haas Automation, Inc., America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools, which he started in 1983. Gene’s commitment to the importance of US manufacturing prompted him to grow his personal foundation and direct his foundation board to focus on manufacturing education in the form of scholarships for CNC machinist training. To date, more than 4,000 charitable organizations and schools have received funds totaling over 50 million dollars from the Gene Haas Foundation.

Andrew Zwanch, ’82, Sr. Director of Student Affairs said, “The grant from the Haas Foundation will support the type of student who is eager to break into the newest technologies in automation and additive manufacturing. These scholarships will certainly set our students up for a promising career.” In the 2017-18 academic year, every student of the AMET program will benefit from the grant by receiving funds to pursue or continue their education.

Johnson College has received a $1,000 grant for its Healthy Workplace Initiative from the Moses Taylor Foundation. The Moses Taylor Foundation welcomed the opportunity to partner with the College to improve the health and wellness of people in Northeast Pennsylvania. The $1,000 grant will sponsor a free fitness class one evening per month open to all 75 employees. Each month will focus on a different activity, including Zumba, yoga, strength training, Pilates and kickboxing.

Tracey Pratt, Manager of Development said, “Support from the Moses Taylor Foundation allows Johnson College to offer many types of fitness activities to our employees. It allows each participant to find what works for them and their wellness goals.”

Employee wellness is something the College has been working on for quite some time. Heather Buck, Human Resources Manager, is excited to get the employees even more active. “This past year our employees have participated in several healthy initiatives including the March Mayhem walking competition, walk it out Wednesdays, and organized Zumba and yoga classes. We have also organized healthy socials including a salad bar day where everyone can make a healthy lunch and share ideas for eating well.”

Over the next year, the College plans to utilize the funds to promote health and wellness in the workplace. “It is important for faculty and staff to not only do well at their job, but to feel their best every day. I think the Healthy Workplace Initiative grant will help us establish a workplace that is more health conscious and could even lead to better productivity on campus,” said Buck.

About Moses Taylor Foundation

Moses Taylor Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to building healthy communities and providing opportunities for people in Northeast Pennsylvania, especially the most vulnerable, to lead healthier lives. The Foundation was endowed in 2012 with the net proceeds from the sale of the Moses Taylor Health Care System to Community Health Systems of Franklin, Tennessee. Information on the work of Moses Taylor Foundation is available on the Foundation’s website: www.mosestaylorfoundation.org

Johnson College is once again celebrating its students for hitting high marks by celebrating their inclusion into a major national honor society. 24 students were honored during a ceremony on Friday, May 12^th for the Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society.

Alpha Beta Kappa (ABK) is the premier national collegiate honor society for trades and essential occupations. The society honors excellence not only in the classroom, but also in shop, studio, and laboratory study. Students must also rank in the upper ten percent of their graduating class.

The 25th Annual Johnson College Open will be held on Friday, May 19, 2017 at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club in Mountaintop, PA (rain or shine).  Proceeds from this annual golf tournament support the Johnson College Presidential Scholarship Fund. Each academic year, Presidential Scholarships are awarded to two qualified and deserving full-time students.

Sponsors of the 25th Annual Johnson College Open to date include:
Presenting Sponsor: Gerrity’s Supermarkets
25^th Anniversary Sponsor: Shop Rite of Daleville & Mount Pocono
Advertising Sponsor: Lamar Advertising
Platinum Marketing Sponsors: Blackout Design, Sweda Advertising
Gold Print Sponsor: Sprint Print
Gold Sponsors: Highland Associates, L.R. Costanzo Company, PNC Bank, Simplex Industries, NAPA Auto Parts of Daleville & Mount Pocono, Reilly Associates
Silver Sponsors: Sordoni Construction Services, Shea Demolition
Cart Sponsor: Kane Is Able
Lunch Sponsor: Stevens & Lee
Dinner Sponsor: Postler & Jaeckle
Gift Sponsor: Action Lift
“Crossroads” Snack Bar Sponsor: Troy Mechanical
Mulligan Sponsor: McCarthy Tire & Automotive Centers

Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. Golfer registration deadline is May 8^th. To obtain more information or to register to play in the tournament, visit www.johnson.edu/golf or contact Tracey Pratt, Advancement Specialist at 570-702-8908 or tpratt@johnson.edu.

Johnson College students and instructors from welding technology, advanced manufacturing engineering technology, and architectural drafting & design technology all contributed to a recent project for the Scranton Police Department Bomb Squad. The students created two 6 x 9 ft., c-channel structural steel door frames for the bomb squad to practice explosive entry training.

Since the Orlando nightclub shooting in the summer of 2016, police nationwide are preparing to enter buildings that may be locked down to outside force with a dangerous person or situation inside using explosive entry training. The Orlando incident was a tipping point where many police departments realized that explosive entry training was a necessary and powerful tool. Detective Sergeant Robert Martin, SPD Bomb Squad Commander said, “Developing a program for our officers is expensive, and Johnson College is saving us a ton of money by helping us with this project.” He said, “Chief Graziano, being proactive, wanted to develop a program to prepare the Scranton Bomb Squad in the event that we are confronted with  a situation similar to Orlando.”

The door frame will be used at the police training range on the Morgan Highway where the department also holds pistol and rifle training. “We can train up there by finding doors made of all different configurations including steel and butcher-block. We need to practice and train with all different variants of doors or materials that we may be confronted with.” The frame, designed and built by the Johnson College students allows the bomb squad trainees to attach different kinds and sizes of doors. “What we will do is train to see how much explosive is needed to break through certain materials. Since explosive or forced entry is so dangerous, we want to minimize any harm to the people inside,” said Det. Sgt. Martin. The goal is to use just the right amount of explosive to get through the construction of the door. “We keep records of explosives used to get through different kinds of doors, what the outcomes were, and the amount of fragmentation produced as well as if we had a positive or negative entry,” he said.

The Bomb Squad contacted the College in December and provided photos of what the frames should look like. The students of architectural drafting and design technology rendered the photos to create a set of prints and materials needed. The advanced manufacturing engineering technology students had approximately 10 hours of setting up and machining slots in the frames. Within eight weeks, the project was complete with the help of over 20 students and staff members over spanning over 55 hours of work. Det. Sgt. Martin said, “Thanks to the expertise of the staff and students at Johnson College, it came out perfect.”

Johnson College has chosen Ken Okrepkie, Regional Manager of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania to give their 2017 commencement address to graduates on Sunday, May 14th, 2017 at 10 a.m.

As the Regional Manager for Ben Franklin Technology Partners, he oversees investments in a portfolio of Northeastern PA companies that in 2016 generated more than $1B in revenue in the region. At Ben Franklin Technology Partners he also connects manufacturing companies to college and university resources. As a result, today a project with Johnson College is creating a new programmable logic controller (PLC) for a local company that employs 148 people in Carbondale that will drive significant additional revenue to the firm.

Mr. Okrepkie’s career blends a variety of experiences from higher education to the world of the entrepreneur. He started his career at the University of Scranton ultimately serving as Assistant Dean of Admissions followed by Junior Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania where he held the position of President leading an organization that teaches life skills and the American free enterprise system to 12,000 young people a year. Ken then transitioned to founding member of an internet start-up company, CollegeRecruiting.com, where he led the sales and strategic initiatives. Prior to Ben Franklin in 2004, he joined the Great Valley Technology Alliance, now TecBridge, as a Vice-President.

He is credited with creating the Lackawanna and Luzerne County Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) Program that generates more than $2M each year for technology companies, now totaling $17.4M since the inception of the program. In support of regional economic development and local nonprofits, he continues to serve the community as Chairman of the Boards for SLIBCO- the Scranton Chamber’s Economic Development arm and Scranton Tomorrow, an organization that is leading the revitalization of downtown Scranton. Mr. Okrepkie also serves as Treasurer for United Neighborhood Centers and Chairs the Hazleton based CAN BE Business Incubator and Penn State University Wilkes-Barre Engineering Advisory Committee. He serves as Vice-President for the Carbondale Technology Transfer Center’s Board while participating on the Scranton Chamber Executive Board, CAN DO Board, Wilkes University Engineering Advisory Board, Wilkes-Barre Connect, Penn’s Northeast, TecBridge and the 9 Business Incubator Boards in the region. He has been both Commissioner and/or Coach for girls’ basketball and soccer in the Abington Youth programs and coached his daughter’s Holy Cross High School winter and summer league girls’ soccer team.

A graduate of the University of Scranton, Ken holds an undergraduate degree in marketing and a master’s degree in human resources. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of Scranton Kania School of Management teaching in the Entrepreneurship program while being recognized as the 2013 TecBridge Bill McNally Mentor of the Year and a 2016 Wilkes University Allan P. Kirby Center Mentor of the Year recipient.

He resides in Scott Township with his wife, Dr. Kim Pavlick, and two daughters, Emily and Grace.