PENNDOT's Ambassador Program and UPJ

摘要

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) conceived the Professional Development Initiative (initiative) to create opportunities for citizens to more easily interact with the department. PENNDOT's District 9-0, which encompasses Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Somerset, Bedford, and Fulton counties east of Pittsburgh, recognized that the initiative should be expanded to include the civil engineering technology (CET) program at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) as a partner to build on personal ties that had developed between the District and UPJ during the past 15 years. This past relationship allowed the partnership to be easily established and implemented. This forum describes the initiative, its evolution and features, and how it can be used as a model to create similar professional/ educational partnerships elsewhere.