Pennsylvania College of Technology will hold three commencement ceremonies May 16-17 for the 885 students who have petitioned to graduate following the Spring 2025 semester.
Nearly 750 students will march at the ceremonies, all of which are ticketed events to be held at the Community Arts Center. All of the ceremonies will be livestreamed.
On Friday, May 16, at 3 p.m., a ceremony will be held for graduating students from the School of Business, Arts & Sciences and the School of Nursing & Health Sciences.
On Saturday, May 17, at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., ceremonies will be held for students from the School of Engineering Technologies, the college’s largest academic school.
At 10 a.m., a ceremony will be held for the following School of Engineering Technologies divisions: Diesel Technology & Natural Resources, Materials Science & Engineering Technologies, and Transportation. The 1:3o p.m. ceremony will feature the divisions of Construction & Architectural Technologies and Industrial & Computer Technologies.
The student speakers for the three ceremonies will be Olivia D.A. Magann, of New Albany, Friday, May 16; Alec Dalton Rees, of Centerport, New York, Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.; and Walter J. Heiser, of Easton, Saturday, May 17, 1:30 p.m.
Magann will be awarded a Bachelor of Science in business administration: management, with a minor in business analytics. She will also be presented with the President’s Award, the Business Management Faculty Award and the Davie Jane Gilmour Award for Leadership and Service to Penn College.
A Dean’s List student, Magann has served as a residence life intern, a senior resident assistant and resident assistant, and a presidential student ambassador. She also served on the Student Conduct Board and on the Student Government Association as executive vice president.
Rees will be awarded a Bachelor of Science in applied technology studies with a minor in small business management and entrepreneurship. He was awarded associate degrees in metal fabrication technology and machine tool technology in May 2024.
A Dean’s List student, Rees is a member of the college’s Baja SAE Team, which placed first twice in the endurance race in 2022 SAE competitions in Tennessee and New York state. He is an Eagle Scout with Scouting America. His Eagle Scout project was a floating dock completed for the Huntingdon Lighthouse Preservation Society, Long Island, New York.
Heiser will be awarded a Bachelor of Science in heating ventilation & air conditioning engineering technology. He earned an Associate of Applied Science in heating, ventilation & air conditioning technology in 2023. A Dean’s List student, Heiser will be presented with the Academic Vice President and Provost’s Award. He is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, the Aplha Chi National College Honor Society and the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. He has served as a member and public relations lead for the Penn College HVAC Club and a member and president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Heiser has played on the men’s lacrosse team and served on the Lacrosse Leadership Council all four years at the college. He served as co-captain of the lacrosse team in his junior and senior years. He has been a United East Men’s Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week and a three-time United East Conference Scholar Athlete.
The college will present a Distinguished Alumni Award to Clifford H. “Pep” Martin Jr., of Dade City, Florida, a 1972 automotive technology graduate of Williamsport Area Community College, Penn College’s immediate predecessor institution. A Williamsport native, Martin continued his education at the University of Maryland and at Mansfield University, where he earned a degree in business administration.
Martin served in the U.S. Navy (Active Duty and Reserves) for eight years and worked in sales and marketing for Ford Motor Co. for 17 years. Subsequently, Martin worked for and owned several Ford dealerships in Florida for more than 26 years, retiring in October 2024.
The graduates’ degrees will be conferred by President Michael J. Reed, with authority granted by state Sen. Gene Yaw, chairman of the college’s Board of Directors.
More information about Spring 2025 Commencement – including links for livestreaming – is available at http://www.pct.edu/commencement.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education and a special mission affiliate of Penn State. For more, visit http://www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
