Pierpont Community and Technical College

Students across Harrison County were given an exciting opportunity on Friday to learn about aviation education and career paths in the field that are available to them locally.

Pierpont Community and Technical College Director of Aviation Technology Dr. Brad Gilbert visited Bridgeport High School, Bridgeport Middle School, Lincoln High School, and Lincoln Middle School to share information about aviation job opportunities in the community.

During his visit, Dr. Gilbert spoke to the students about the various programs offered by Pierpont, not only in aviation but also in fields such as emergency management, culinary arts, and nursing. He encouraged the students to dream big and work hard, stressing that anything is possible if they are dedicated to their goals.

Doddridge County Elementary Students sell sweet treats to learn about money “The goal is to get them enthusiastic about aviation or other programs like emergency management, culinary, nursing—giving them an idea of what they can choose for a goal and aspire to,” Dr. Gilbert said.

As part of his outreach, Dr. Gilbert plans to visit all the high schools and middle schools in the area before the school year ends. At the conclusion of his presentations, students will have the chance to attend a field trip to Pierpont’s facility at the Robert C. Byrd National Aerospace Center, where they can explore more about the aviation field and what it takes to pursue a career in the industry.

The Benedum Airport Authority cleared the way for the West Virginia Economic Development Authority to move forward on Pierpont Community and Technical College's $25 million Aviation Maintenance Program hangar classroom on Tuesday.

"We gave them the option to purchase a piece of land to build the school," BAA Board President David Hinkle said. "So it's up to the West Virginia EDA to do due diligence on it and get the land from the Department of Highways and build the building."

Hinkle said the BAA put up 2.63 acres of land belonging to the North Central West Virginia Airport up for sale. That alone won't be enough to begin construction as plans for Pierpont's new educational facility call for additional land currently owned by the Division of Highways.

Hinkle said it's always been in the WVEDA's court to buy the land and build the building.

The decision to put the stub of land up for sale came after the BAA took their regular board meeting behind closed doors to discuss property. Pierpont Community and Technical Director of Aviation Technology Brad Gilbert said the school has been in a holding pattern. The Jim Justice Administration approved $25 million for the hangar combination classroom nearly a year and half ago. It would allow Pierpont's Aviation Maintenance Program to expand from 130 students to 200. The building's footprint would be 70,000 square feet. Since then, the project has been dormant.

"We've got a lot of students," Gilbert said. "We need more parking, more classrooms, more bathrooms."

The proposed design features two high bay hangers, aviation-related specialty labs, including shops for turbine and reciprocating engine overhauls, flight controls and hydraulics, lecture classrooms, and a learning resource and testing center.

According to Pierpont research, students who enter the aviation maintenance field can earn a median annual salary of $52,921 a year. Other data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows the hourly wage range from $17-to-$37 an hour with the proper Federal Aviation Administration-sanctioned training from Pierpont.

Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Complex President Tracy Miller also provided a litmus test of how hot the state's aviation industry is right now. The state will be at the Australian Aerospace Show, which is an export show. What especially interests Miller in the development is the foreign direct investment component, saying Australian companies are interested in the opportunities available in North America.

Although Miller will not be making the trip to the show, she will still do what she can to help the state's representation.

"I will be working with them to make sure they have brochures and whatever is available so that our Aerotech Park is on their radar," she said.

PAMLICO COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A community college in the East has officially appointed a new president.

Pamlico Community College says Zac Schnell, who has served as the college’s chief administrator since November, has been appointed to the college’s top job permanently.

The State Board of Community Colleges made Schnell’s appointment official Friday at its meeting in Raleigh.

Schnell, who hails from Wilmington, led the college’s Environmental Science Technology program since 2016. He was named acting president following the unexpected death of Interim President Michelle Willis Krauss on November 7th.

Schnell, who lives in Arapahoe, said he looks forward to his new role with the college.

“I am excited to work with our team here to build on our accomplishments and to help lead the college forward,” Schnell said. “Pamlico County is a wonderful place, and all of us at the college are dedicated to providing new opportunities for our community to grow together and thrive. I am eager to strengthen partnerships and to create new ones. I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

Schnell turned 36 earlier this month, becoming one of the youngest people ever appointed to lead a community college in the United States.

Bob Lyon, chairman of the college’s Board of Trustees, said he views Schnell’s age as a positive, adding Schnell had worked at Pamlico for nearly a decade and knew a great deal about the area and its residents.

“He is young, energetic, and extremely smart,” said Lyon. “He is going to lead the college in new directions and add to its program offerings. It’s an exciting time at Pamlico Community College.”

Schnell earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Technology and Management from N.C. State and went on to earn a master’s degree in Natural Resources from NCSU.

He spent two years in the Peace Corps, working on coastal resource management projects in the Philippines. He also worked at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Institute at Tremont.

Schnell joined the PCC faculty in 2016. During his tenure, the college says he has been recognized for his work in the classroom and has been active on campus.

Schnell was voted Pamlico’s instructor of the year in 2020, and the college says he has helped to lead multiple summer day camps for middle schoolers.

Schnell said he wants to be accessible to the community, even if they only know him as “Magic Zac,” a nickname from being an amateur magician.

“Students know me from doing magic tricks and other engaging activities in the classroom,” Schnell said. “I want to bring that spirit and a touch of magic to this new role.”

Officials from Nassau Community College are excited about the potential increase in enrollment due to a newly proposed state education intiative.

The county’s only two-year college provides education to over 17,000 people. That number may expand under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan for free community college for individuals in high-demand fields.

Nassau Community has an IT program, a cybersecurity program and a nursing program that would all likely fall under the state’s proposal.

The school’s Vice President for Community and Governmental Relations, Jerry Kornbluth, says that if Hochul’s proposal is passed, enrollment is likely to increase, and it could benefit everyone.

“We’re going to be able to target a different population of 25 to 55,” Kornbluth said. “There are people that are in jobs that may be at a dead end, and this will give them an opportunity to get into a high-demand career. I think it would really be a win-win, not just for Nassau, but for the residents of Nassau County.”

Hochul’s office sent out a press release following her Tuesday, Jan. 14 State of the State address, which proposed making community college free for students ages 25-55 who are studying for an associate degree in high-demand jobs.

“Associate degrees facilitate entry into the workforce, increasing both likelihood of having a job and earnings,” the governor’s office said.

The state will cover the costs of tuition, books and fees for participants in the proposed program and will also increase funding for career support infrastructure to connect students with job opportunities, according to the governor’s office. The program is based on the framework of Massachusetts’ MassEducate and MassReconnect programs, as well as the SUNY and CUNY Excelsior Scholarship Program.

Kornbluth said the restrictions on the proposed policy have yet to be released. He mentioned that when the Excelsior Scholarship was put into effect in 2018, it too had several restrictions that schools had to work around.

There is no current timeline for the program.

Fairmont, WV – Acclaimed author Jonathan Corcoran will deliver a literary reading at Pierpont Community and Technical College’s Advanced Technology Center on Thursday, October 17 at 6:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Corcoran will read from his new memoir, No Son of Mine, where he details the chasm between his upbringing in rural West Virginia and the expanding horizons that brought him new bonds beyond bloodlines. He recounts the years of a seemingly unbreakable relationship with his late mother that ended abruptly as he embraced a new path, leaving the remnants of a complex relationship to be explored through grief, anger, questioning, and growth.

“I hope readers of my book will come away with a better understanding of the complicated factors that shape families and family relationships, particularly within our wonderful and complex homeplace of West Virginia,” said Corcoran. “I hope that my book – my life story – offers folks a chance to reflect on how we love each other and how we can love each other better. This story is bigger than the LGBTQ+ community. It is about learning to treat our friends, loved ones, and neighbors with kindness and dignity. It’s about choosing respect and kindness over the forces of hate.”

No Son of Mine: A Memoir has received high praise following its release in April 2024, joining Corcoran’s collection of essays and stories that have been published in Belt Magazine, Salvation South, Still: The Journal, the Oxford University Press text book, How Writing Works, and more.

Corcoran received his Bachelor of Arts in Literary Arts from Brown University and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Rutgers University-Newark. He resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his husband, where he teaches writing at New York University and for the low-residency MFA program at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Light refreshments and a question and answer session with Corcoran will follow the event.

This literary reading is a collaboration between Pierpont’s Office of Student Involvement and writing program. The collaboration is the second of the series, with hopes of providing a showcase for diverse literary forms and voices in the Mountain State and beyond.