Mining Technology Program Recognized
Posted on: Monday, 12 May 2008, 00:00 CDT
By Mark Hofmann
Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus' mining technology program has been hailed as one of the best in the area.
And with a recent present from Consol Energy, the program will be enhanced.
The local energy company recently presented the Fayette campus with $25,000 to be used in the mining technology program.
"It's very critical that we have industry partnerships as we prepare our students to take job opportunities," said Penn State Fayette Chancellor Emmanuel Osagie.
The mining technology associate degree is unique in the entire Penn State system and one of few similar degree programs in the United States.
The first class of the two-year mining technology program graduated in May 2007.
Currently, Osagie said the mining program is in the process of being reviewed for accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the only agency sanctioned by the federal government to do so.
The partnership between the school and the energy company started three years ago.
Last year, the company donated $15,000 to the local campus for the program.
"Our relationship here is amazing," said Jeffrey Hohn of Consol Energy.
Hohn said the relationship between the school and the company goes beyond money.
"We've channeled our employees to this program, and we hope to attract the general public," he said.
Hohn said the mining industry is constantly changing and the mining program at Penn State is keeping up to date with those changes.
"It's increasingly smart to get industry involved," Osagie said. The $25,000 donation will go toward further sustaining the faculty for the program as well as to facilitate student costs to continue to make the program viable.
"We work close together in harmony," Hohn said. "That's how you accomplish good things."
(c) 2008 Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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