HARRISBURG, Pa. – HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, shares recent news, including:

• HACC Culinary Students Participate in Hands-On Cooking Demonstration with Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd.
• HACC Expands Transfer Options with Penn State
• HACC Announces 2023-24 Part-Time Dean’s List

HACC Culinary Students Participate in Hands-On Cooking Demonstration with Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – On Sept. 5, 2024, students in the Culinary Arts Program at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, enhanced their skills during a hands-on cooking demonstration with representatives from local duck farm Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd. (JJS).

As part of the educational opportunity, students learned insider tips on preparing Pekin duck directly from one of North America’s top suppliers. Plus, they collaborated with representatives from a local company that regularly works with Michelin-starred restaurants and chefs around the world. The company employs over 200 Pennsylvanians and partners with 27 local farm families throughout the Commonwealth to raise their ducks. JJS raises 9 million Pekin ducks annually and approximately 400,000 eggs per week. 

“We were delighted to partner with JJS and give HACC students the opportunity to learn about local Pennsylvania-grown products as part of their culinary training,” said Jennie Baar, D.M., executive dean of business, technology and industry at HACC.

“We were thrilled to work with a leading culinary program in our backyard to introduce tomorrow’s top chefs to our Pekin duck, the importance of sustainable farming, and discuss how farmers and chefs can work together to create culinary delights that turn patrons into repeat customers and drive profitability,” added Joe Jurgielewicz of JJS.

This hands-on learning experience is just one way HACC’s Culinary Arts Program, which is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation, prepares students for successful careers. To learn more about the Culinary Arts Program, please visit HACC’s website. 

Photo Caption: HACC’s Culinary Arts students learned how to prepare Pekin duck during a hands-on cooking demonstration with representatives from Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd. on Sept. 5, 2024.

HACC Expands Transfer Options with Penn State
HARRISBURG, Pa. – HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, and Penn State recently expanded their transfer options for students. This is part of a larger initiative between Pennsylvania’s community colleges and Penn State to enhance educational opportunities for students and help improve undergraduate degree attainment rates statewide. 

Through this initiative, all 15 of Pennsylvania’s community colleges and individual Penn State Commonwealth Campuses will renew or enter into new articulation agreements using a standard template. The community colleges, including HACC, will also collaborate with Penn State to strengthen academic advising and transition support services, further streamlining the transfer process. 

“HACC is grateful for our strong, long-standing relationship with Penn State,” said Al Griswold, Ed.D., HACC’s vice president of academic affairs and workforce development. “This new initiative will provide HACC students with additional opportunities for exceptional and affordable education options.”

“This new agreement between Penn State and Pennsylvania’s community colleges is built upon our shared mission to strengthen our communities, serve the students and families of our commonwealth, and create expanded pathways to the transformative power of higher education,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi in a recent Penn State news release.

The collaboration also provides additional scholarship opportunities through the RaiseME Transfer Scholarship program. RaiseME allows students who enroll at a Pennsylvania community college and transfer to a Penn State Commonwealth Campus the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree at considerable savings. Students can earn micro-scholarships for various achievements – including receiving good grades or volunteering in their community – while working on their community college degree. When students transfer to Penn State, micro-scholarships are converted to Penn State scholarships.

HACC Announces 2023-24 Part-Time Dean’s List
HARRISBURG, Pa. – HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, named 1,693 part-time students to the dean’s list for the 2023-24 academic year. 

The 2023-24 part-time dean’s list recognizes students who achieved a 3.25 GPA or higher in college-level classes; completed a minimum of 12 credits during the academic year; and were not enrolled full time in either the fall 2023 or spring 2024 semesters.  

The students are listed by county and according to hometown mailing address. The complete list can be viewed online.

About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 15 community colleges. HACC offers approximately 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 12,000 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit hacc.edu. Also, follow us on X (@HACC_info), follow us on Instagram (@HACC_edu), like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.

About Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd. (JJS)
Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd. (JJS), America’s Tastiest Duck, is one of the leading Pekin duck suppliers in North America. The company employs over 200 Pennsylvanians and partners with 27 local farm families throughout Pennsylvania to raise JJS Pekin ducks. These same ducks are descendants of the original Long Island ducks that Dr. Joe’s grandparents raised on their farm in Long Island. Throughout the years, the staff geneticists at JJS have hand-selected the perfect breed of ducks for our clients. The JJS breed is favored by leading chefs for its perfectly balanced meat-to-fat ratio, giving clients the signature, succulent flavor of the famous JJS Tasty Duck. The Jurgielewicz family is proud to continue its 91-year tradition of providing the highest-quality Pekin duck products and world-class service to clients globally for generations to come.