Pine Technical College Foundation adopts new logo

The Pine Technical College Foundation Board voted in favor and adopted a new logo at their Nov. 19 board meeting. The logo will be used as the organization’s primary visual identifying icon and will appear on all Foundation brochures, flyers and correspondence.

"Previously, the Foundation was using a logo that did not match the College logo," said Dani Chandonnet, Pine Technical College Director of Marketing. "Looking at the old Foundation logo, it appeared as though the Foundation was a separate organization and not necessarily affiliated with the College. Now, with the new logo, the Foundation is clearly associated with Pine Technical College,” Chandonnet added.

The Pine Technical College logo, or "house logo," was revamped and updated in 2007 and is a prominent feature in all print and electronic communication pieces. The house logo features a graphic image of three aligned, stylized pine trees with the text, "Pine Technical College," and the image and text together comprise the College’s official logo.

"The new Foundation logo is a kind of spinoff of the house logo," Chandonnet said. "The Foundation logo is actually the PTC house logo with 'Foundation' written underneath the text 'Pine Technical College,'" Chandonnet explained. "Additionally, in the future, should more PTC departments wish to develop and use their own logos, this formatting is the template those departments will follow – this template provides consistency in the College’s overall image and message while maintaining unity among our many departments, functions and services," Chandonnet added.

"It’s important that the Foundation’s identity and image match the College," said Foundation Board President Lori Tapani. "The Foundation logo is now a part of the family of PTC logos, and it’s much more stylized and catchy for easy identification and quick memory recall," Tapani added.

PTC Veterans Center helps student veterans transition to college

With more than 50 veterans on campus, the Veterans Center at Pine Technical College is committed to providing student veterans a successful and fulfilling educational experience. The center offers a wide array of services such as social events, GI Bill information, peer support, counseling and more.

"A big issue facing veterans is social isolation – many have difficulty adjusting to civilian life, and even more have difficulty adjusting to college life," says Doug Davis, PTC Veterans Liaison. "The center is open to all our brave men and women from any service branch who may have served in war or peace. We want to help them make the transition," Davis adds.

Davis, a Vietnam War Veteran, served in the Marine Corps from 1964 to ’68 and began his career in academia with PTC in ’91. Davis manages the center with assistance from a representative with Minnesota Veterans Affairs, Ray Bohn. Bohn is available at the center once a week to help student veterans with education benefits and financial resources.

"Our main focus is to serve as a resource center for student veterans. We’re a casual, drop-in center, and students may walk in or make an appointment if they wish," Davis says. "And, although many of our student veterans have recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan, we welcome all veterans from any era as well as their spouses and dependents. We are a resource and support center," Davis adds.

The PTC Veterans Center is open 12 hours a week, typically Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call PTC's main number, 320-629-5100 or the Veterans Center directly, 320-629-5181.


Photo: Doug Davis welcomes visitors to the PTC Veterans Center.

PTC helps launch region-wide healthcare career awareness event

Nearly 500 junior and senior high school students will attend a daylong healthcare career awareness event, "High Demand Healthcare Careers in Your Community: A Crash Course," on Nov. 20 at the Anoka-Ramsey Community College – Cambridge campus. The event will provide information on job outlooks, salaries and necessary training regarding 12 key healthcare careers in high demand in Minnesota’s east central region.

"This is the first event the Healthcare Alliance is hosting, and the goal is to offer high school students an exciting look at healthcare careers," said Stefanie Schroeder, Healthcare Alliance Program Coordinator. "There are significant workforce shortages in the healthcare industry across East Central Minnesota, and it's part of the Alliance’s mission to improve the quality and quantity of healthcare workers in the region. It will definitely spark interest in healthcare careers," Schroeder added.

High school students from Braham, Cambridge-Isanti, Mora, North Branch and Princeton school districts are scheduled to attend the event, which is designed to generate interest in pursuing medical careers requiring certificates, diplomas or associate or bachelor degrees. Students will receive information about each key career, post-secondary education options and local scholarship information.

“The day’s activities will be a hands-on, engaging and theatrical experience for students,” Schroeder said.

The event is spearheaded by the Healthcare Alliance, a consortium of area school districts, higher education institutions, healthcare providers and the workforce center system determined to strengthen and ensure a strong, qualified healthcare workforce is available now and into the future for East Central Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Partners in the Healthcare Alliance and event sponsors include Pine Technical College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Allina Medical Transportation, Braham Area High School, Cambridge Medical Center, Cambridge-Isanti High School, Fairview Lakes Medical Center, HealthForce Minnesota, Kanabec Hospital and North Branch Area High School.

Check out the Healthcare Alliance on Facebook!