Monday, August 22, 2011

PTC's Fall, 2011 semester is officially underway

Opening its doors for the first day of fall semester classes, Pine Technical College is once again welcoming more than 1,000 new and returning students to the campus, as the term officially gets underway today. Students are locating their classrooms and labs, talking with academic advisors, purchasing textbooks, getting parking permits, and adding-and-dropping courses in a flurry of activity.

New and notable this fall, is PTC’s remodeled and expanded gunsmithing technology and prototyping labs. Gunsmithing technology students are returning to what looks like a different environment; the space has been significantly upgraded over the summer months.

"The gunsmithing program has been at PTC since 1980, and it has been in need of an upgrade for a while now," says Gunsmithing Technology Instructor Dave Defenbaugh. "But, this upgrade is more than just a face-lift – the space has been re-created to be more functional and usable for students. It’s not simply a cosmetic enhancement," Defenbaugh adds.

Also new this fall, PTC continues to expand educational opportunities by adding general education courses such as MUSC 1200, Music Appreciation and SPCH 1250, Intercultural Communication. By adding courses like these to its curriculum, the college is increasingly able to provide students with more general education options for students planning to later transfer and pursue a baccalaureate degree.

In addition to expanded transfer opportunities, PTC continues to increase its academic and support services by offering a series of mini-workshops with focused topics such as, "School and Life Demands, and Getting it all Done," and "Unlocking the Secrets of Study Tips," and "Test-Taking Secrets," for example. These mini-workshops, co-sponsored by the Office of Disability Services and the Academic Skills Center, are going on now through Oct. 5.

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