2023-2024 Catalog

Mission Statement

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College provides its students with affordable opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in their work, in their day-to-day lives, and in their pursuit of life-long learning in a supportive, student-oriented environment.

Core Values

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College strives to be a community of learners where every student, employee, and community member is respected and supported. The College is deeply committed to the following values:

• Student Success - creating a student-centered environment where individuals are challenged, encouraged, and supported to achieve their educational, professional, and personal goals as well as develop a spirit of intellectual curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning.
• Quality and Accountability - establishing performance standards throughout the institution, developing measures to document effectiveness along with a commitment to continuous improvement in pursuit of excellence.
• Integrity and Ethics - holding each member of the organization to high professional and personal standards. These principles are also embodied in the Statement on Professional Ethics adopted by the College’s Faculty.
• Collaboration and Collegiality - informing and involving members of the College community in discussion and problem-solving at all levels in an atmosphere marked by civility and cordiality conducted with respect for personal and professional differences remembering as well the value of humor and humility.
• Responsiveness to Diverse and Changing Community Needs - developing innovative and creative responses to the region’s dynamic economic, workforce, and social needs based on interactions with all segments of the community

Vision

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College will be a dominant higher education provider in west-central Pennsylvania - a catalyst for regional renewal - positioning our graduates to be recognized as highly competent, exceptional members of the community and workforce.

Accreditation

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-662-5606). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency, which is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation.

Registration is the process of selecting courses and completing the necessary processes to have to see selections entered into the College record. Payment for all related charges must be made by the tuition due date specified for the semester in order to confirm registration. Students may register either in person, through the myPEAK portal, or through mailing or faxing a Registration Form to the Registrar's Office. Please contact the Registrar's Office for assistance in the registration process.

Dates for registration periods are listed in the Academic Calendar.

To better assist our students in navigating the financial aspects of their college experience; the Financial Aid Office and the Student Accounts Office have combined to create the Student Financial Services Department. We are here to help you navigate your financial needs in one place to get all of the information you need to pay for your educational experience.

The Financial Aid Office realizes that many students do not have the means to pay for higher education. Penn Highlands participates in financial aid assistance programs that ensure access to and success in higher education for all students. Those programs include the following:

• Grants
• Scholarships
• Federal Work-Study
• Loans

Students are considered for financial aid eligibility based on federal, state, and institutional guidelines. The Financial Aid Office is here to assist you through the application process. Students and parents may also contact us by email or phone at sfs@pennhighlands.edu or 814.262.6454.

The Student Success Center, located in Richland, offers a range of support services to all Penn Highlands Centers, both virtually and in-person, focused on helping students have a positive and successful college experience. Services include academic advising; transfer and career planning; personal counseling; support for students receiving SNAP or TANF benefits; support for students with disabilities; makeup testing; and free tutorial assistance. In addition, the Student Success Center facilitates the College's placement testing and new student advising processes. These services are available without charge to students enrolled in credit classes. Students may contact the Student Success Center via email, phone, text, or Zoom to discuss appropriate services.

Workforce development and education is a vehicle to enhance the skills of workers and potential workers, in order to retain current employers and attract new employers to the area. Pennsylvania Highlands recognizes that improving the quality of life depends upon economic development. Contingent on advancing economically is having a qualified and skilled workforce. Consequently, the College provides a comprehensive assessment of employer/employee needs for training by developing and offering customized programs according to assessed needs, for private businesses, industries, and other agencies in the communities we serve.

Workforce Education Goals

• To provide comprehensive assessment services to firms within the region.
• To enhance the current skills of employees.
• To provide the necessary training to improve the skill transferability of displaced workers and workers with disabilities.
• To act as a catalyst to attract business/industry to the area because of our ability to train the needed talent pool.
• To act as an in-house consulting agent for the development of degree-granting and certification programs.
• To provide certification programs in occupations that meet specific business and industry skill requirements.
• To provide customized training to meet the needs of its customer.

The mission of the Pennsylvania Highlands Continuing Education Department is to identify education and training needs and to develop concepts, strategies, and delivery systems that offer effective and meaningful workforce, professional development, and leisure learning opportunities for Southern Allegheny employers and residents.

The Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Police Academy provides high-quality education and training for the initial certification process of becoming a police officer in the state of Pennsylvania. The Police Academy is approved by the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) to offer Act 120 training, a 919-hour program that qualifies graduates to be municipal police officers in the state of Pennsylvania. This program consists of 498 hours of classroom instruction and 421 hours of practical hands-on training including firearms, defensive driving, defensive and control tactics, and physical fitness. The Police Academy is located at the Richland Campus in Johnstown, PA.

The Police Academy is a part-time academy offering classes four nights per week with approximately ten full weekends for an eleven month period. Once a cadet graduates and earns a Certificate of Completion, they are eligible to take a state test. Upon passing this test, graduates are eligible to seek employment as a police officer in one of the 1,207 police departments in Pennsylvania.

The Police Academy is a “clock-hour” program and is eligible for Federal Financial Aid. Graduates are also eligible for up to 18 transfer credits toward an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice.

The Police Academy also offers programs for in-service personnel in fulfillment of annual mandatory continuing education requirements and nonmandatory courses such as Municipal Police Training Officer (FTO), Perceptual Driving (EVOC), Municipal Police Firearms Instructor, and Instructor Development. Lethal Weapons Training, Act 235, provides the basic requirements and mandatory recertification for armed security personnel.