May 8, 2012 3 min read

Westmoreland County Community College named Alan Laick of Fairchance as the 2012 Distinguished Alumnus at the 41st commencement ceremony held May 3 at the Youngwood campus.

Presented by WCCC President Daniel J. Obara, the award recognizes and honors WCCC alumni who have distinguished themselves through professional accomplishments, community service and support or service to the community college.

A 1999 WCCC graduate, Laick earned associate degrees in graphic communications and commercial art and design and a certificate in web communications. After graduating from WCCC, he attended Waynesburg College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in digital media and graduated magna cum laude and ranked number one in his field of study.

Laick is the owner and creative designer at Laick Design which specializes in advertising, graphic design, marketing, print production, search engine optimization and website development. Over the years, he has won numerous awards for his design work and has been featured in publications including Graphic Design USA and Photoshop User magazine. In addition, Laick is a monthly featured guest on The American Entrepreneur Radio Show 1360 AM with host Ron Morris where he discusses the latest trends and tips in graphic design, website development and marketing. Laick also is an adjunct faculty member at WCCC teaching in the Computer Technology and Business Division and has previously taught at Waynesburg University.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, he also serves on many local technology-based committees and is active in the Uniontown, Pittsburgh and Waynesburg communities. In 2009, he was elected as the president of the Waynesburg Area Chamber of Commerce and also serves on the boards for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Light the Night committee and The Uleta Fund and acts as the secretary for the Uniontown Chestnut Ridge Rotary Club. He maintains memberships with the Tri-County Oil and Gas Association, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Build Guild, Creative Industries of Greene County, Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Graphic Arts Guild and others.

Since graduating from WCCC, Laick has maintained ties with the community college. He was named to the WCCC Education Foundation board of directors in 2010, served on the college’s digital media advisory committee for seven years, and taught credit classes in graphic communications part-time in since 2004 and noncredit classes since 2006. Additionally, he is a member of the WCCC Alumni Association, served as treasurer for three years and has donated his time and services to the association’s golf outings.