Pierpont Community and Technical College

FAIRMONT — An acclaimed West Virginia native author will read from his new memoir this week as part of Pierpont Community and Technical College’s reading series.

Jonathan Corcoran will read and discuss "No Son of Mine: A Memoir" at a free public event at Pierpont's Advanced Technology Center on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m.

Corcoran's book, which was released in April, details how his hyper-religious mother disowned him after he came out to her when he was in college.

"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," according to a Pierpont news release.

“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,” Corcoran said. “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.

Corcoran, who lives in Brooklyn, teaches writing at New York University and in the low-residency Master of Fine Arts program at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

"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,” he said.

No Son of Mine: A Memoir has received praise from other writers and literary magazines since its release.

“Jon Corcoran’s memoir of a beloved son’s twenty year cycle of rejection and grief is also the story of the conflicted mother who adored him, her youngest child and only son, but could not accept him. Every American should read this elegy about the politics of place and church, the loss of one home, and the triumphant forging of another," said fellow native West Virginian Jayne Anne Phillips, winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for her novel "Night Watch."

The literary journal Kirkus Reviews said Corcoran was able to remain empathetic despite his entire past being "wiped clean" with his mother's disownment.

“Corcoran is a remarkably empathetic writer whose subtle portraits capture undeniably tender moments in the lives of his characters," Kirkus writes. "A lyrical and uncompromisingly honest memoir."

Prior to publishing his memoir, Corcoran has a 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 has a bachelor of arts in literary arts from Brown University and a master of fine arts from Rutgers University-Newark.

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.

Fairmont, WV – Pierpont Community and Technical College will host its third-annual Community Trick-or-Treat event on Tuesday, October 29 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Advanced Technology Center in Fairmont. The event is free and open to the public. Donations of non-perishable food items are encouraged.

Attendees will navigate the building to visit a number of family-friendly, festive tables representing Pierpont’s academic programs and local businesses and organizations across the region. Last year, the event hosted almost 300 individuals and featured more than 30 spooky and fun displays.

Businesses and organizations interested in tabling at the event should register here by Monday, October 14. For questions regarding the Community Trick-or-Treat, email [email protected].

Pierpont's new aviation school will break ground in October.

The North Central West Virginia Airport Authority authorized the airport to begin searching for a surveyor to determine the exact boundary of the facility on the airport property. The airport will retrieve estimates from surveyor companies for the work before making its formal funding request to the board.

"We've needed to get a larger school to supply the workforce for the industry that's located at the airport," Board President David Hinkle said. "We worked with the legislators over the last few years, and we came up with a plan to increase enrollment, build a new school and allow Fairmont State to have 100% use of the present buildings at the airport. And, we would build a new [airframe and powerplant] school."

Hinkle said the project has been under discussion for at least a decade. The challenge, however, was financing, Hinkle said. The board's desire for a new school received material support last year from a special session of the state legislature and the governor's office. Together, both branches of government came up with a plan to finance the new school. Senate Bill 1029 provided $25 million for the new school.

The design of the entrance road coming into the airport meant the location of the school had to move about 16 feet from where it was originally planned. The change from an interchange to a traffic circle pushed the school from its initial spot. As a result, the governor's office requested a new land survey.

The new school will be 65,000 square feet. Enrollment in Pierpont's aviation program will go up to 200 from 130. The state limits how many students can be taught in a facility based on square footage.

"What this new school is going to do is it's going to bring us into the modern age of aviation, maintenance, and repairs," Andy Lang, board member and Bridgeport Mayor, said. "We currently worldwide, not just here in West Virginia, have a complete shortage of A&P, mechanics and electronics."

The airport's new terminal building is scheduled to be completed around the same time. Airport Director Rick Rock said the building is about 80% complete. Crews are focusing on the finishing work required to turn the facility into an operational building. Crews working on the exterior are working on taxiways, entrance roads and parking lots. The building will start with one jetway, with plans to expand to two.

The airport is rethinking what role its current terminal will play after the new one opens.

"We're going to repurpose this," Rock said. "This will be more for our private aircraft and some of our charters and whatnot. There will be separation from commercial and private aviation, so we're going to really look and see what's the best use of this."

Lang said during the meeting the average construction time of a new terminal from conception to facility is 10 years. By contrast, the new terminal at North Central West Virginia Airport will have taken only four or five.

The board recognized Director Rock's 15 years of service to the airport and Airport Operations Manager Ronald Cochran for 30 years of service. The board also awarded its passenger of the year award to Andrew Givens, sales manager in the tire industry. He covers West Virginia to Florida through his business travels.

"I can leave here at 6:30 in the morning and I can be at my customers in the Carolinas by nine o'clock," Givens said. "That is so amazing that we can do that. In 2022, I flew 51 one-way stops out of Pittsburgh. It's so nice to come home and have a 20-minute drive compared to an hour and a half drive down. So I commend everybody on this board. Awesome things are coming."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19021677

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18811186

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airmont, WV – Individuals looking to pursue career pathways in manufacturing, oil and gas, and energy systems operations are invited to attend an open house event for Pierpont Community and Technical College’s applied process technology (APT) program on Thursday, August 15 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. The event is set to take place at Pierpont’s Advanced Technology Center in Fairmont.

Attendees will tour the facilities, participate in a live demonstration, and learn more about the program. APT faculty will be on hand to answer questions.

Pierpont’s two-year applied process technology program offers concentrations in energy systems operations and process technology instrumentation. Students gain knowledge in electrical circuits and machinery, mechanical fundamentals, hydraulics, pneumatics, components fundamentals, and more.

It is not too late to enroll; the fall semester begins on August 26 at Pierpont. To register for the open house event, click here.

Individuals looking to pursue career pathways in manufacturing, oil and gas and energy systems operations are invited to attend an open house event for Pierpont Community and Technical College’s applied process technology (APT) program from 2-4 p.m. Aug. 15.

The event is set to take place at Pierpont’s Advanced Technology Center in Fairmont.

Attendees will tour the facilities, participate in a live demonstration and learn more about the program. APT faculty will be on hand to answer questions.

Pierpont’s two-year applied process technology program offers concentrations in energy systems operations and process technology instrumentation. Students gain knowledge in electrical circuits and machinery, mechanical fundamentals, hydraulics, pneumatics, process systems and components fundamentals and more.

The fall semester begins Aug. 26 at Pierpont and enrollment is still open.

To register for the open house event, visit go.pierpont.edu/3AmYP8z