Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center program wins national EPA honor

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Window of vehicle smashed; items reportedly stolen

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Good news, Lego lovers and K&#8217;Nex connoisseurs &#8212; King&#8217;s College has new majors to turn your constructive ambitions into a career. Beginning with the 2017-18 academic year, the school will offer Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical and civil engineering.</p><p>&#8220;We chose civil engineering because it&#8217;s a very popular major among high school applicants, and it will be the first civil engineering program in Northeast Pennsylvania,&#8221; program director Paul Lamore said. And mechanical engineering is even more eagerly sought after.</p><p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s because you can see the things you make work,&#8221; Lamore speculated. &#8220;If you played with construction toys as a kid, like Legos or K&#8217;Nex, you have an affinity for it.&#8221;</p><p>Civil engineering also creates a visible legacy, he said. &#8220;You can drive past a big building or bridge and know you had a part in creating it.&#8221;</p><p>By comparison, Lamore said, fewer youngsters get to play with chemistry sets or electrical gizmos, making chemical and electrical engineering a bit less popular.</p><p>The new engineering degrees dovetail with a three-year old arrangement allowing students to attend King&#8217;s for three years and then head to Notre Dame for an engineering degree.</p><p>&#8220;Enrollment in the 3-2 program has exceeded expectations,&#8221; Lamore said. But it&#8217;s a bit of a gamble because students don&#8217;t know if they will be accepted at Notre Dame until their third year at King&#8217;s.</p><p>Having a separate, 4-year degree available at King&#8217;s gives students who may not want to take that risk an alternative and creates a safety valve for students who do sign up for the 3-2 program and later decide it&#8217;s not for them.</p><p>Lamore said initial expectations are modest. King&#8217;s is hoping for about 20 freshman students each year to start. The goal is to get the new programs accredited before the first class graduates. Once accreditation is attained, Lamore said, the school expects enrollment will &#8220;easily double.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not unusual for colleges to go this route,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There are a number of schools associated with Notre Dame&#8217;s 3-2 program that have started their own in-house programs.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Paul Lamore</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Lamore-Paul.jpg</photo0><caption0>Paul Lamore</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Got the building bug? King’s has new majors for you