Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D., conferred degrees on 39 students at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s fall commencement on Thursday, Dec. 18 in the Wunderley Gymnasium.  Diplomas were awarded in a number of areas, including organizational leadership, political science, business, communications, applied psychology, and information sciences and technology.

Mary Preuss, a member of the Penn State Greater Allegheny faculty since 1989, was the keynote speaker at commencement. Currently a professor of Spanish and comparative literature, Preuss has traveled extensively in Mexico and Latin America.  Her research has focused on the Mayan civilization in Mexico and Guatemala where she has recorded, transcribed, and translated ancient oral literature in an effort to preserve the stories of the Yucatec-Maya language and heritage for future generations.  

There were many activities and entertainment throughout the morning. Children enjoyed a delicious breakfast, a visit with Santa, and a keepsake photo. There were plenty of holiday magic memories including toys, candies, games and more for the little ones.  Funding for this event was made possible through donations from local area businesses, alumni, advisory board members, staff, faculty and friends of Penn State Greater Allegheny.

Award-winning musician Greg Adams presented his research on the Caribbean and African roots of the banjo, illustrated with demonstrations on authentic and reproduction instruments.  Maryland-based Mr. Adams has done extensive research on banjo roots and styles.

For more information, visit his and other web sites:
http://www.banjodatabase.org/: prototype database
www.myspace.com/banjoroots: banjo roots cyber-outreach
www.myspace.com/banjargreg: Greg's personal MySpace page
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/guides/Banjo.html: field recordings at the Library of Congress

Students from a variety of disciplines presented their work relating to the campus international regional focus for this year, Latin America and the Caribbean, on November 19, 2008. Many of the students also emphasized the theme of food security. Student work was displayed in a variety of formats.

Judges rated the submissions on the content, the use of the medium to present the information, and on the students' explanations of their work. Entries were judged by current and retired faculty and staff: Linda Curinga, Dr. Richard Frushell, Victoria Garwood, Lee Vercoe, and Sam Zabec.

Winners (in alphabetical order by title)
Title	Authors	Class
Dominican Times	Robin Bennett, Douglas Hodak, Kristin Biondo	International Management
Food Security and Civil Unrest in Haiti	Food Security and Civil Unrest in Haiti	Social Problems
Latin American Beans: Right to Your Cup	Cara Kemerer, Lee Marts, Lexie Chan, Rochon Washington, Stewart Brown	Introduction to Business
Teaching International Promotion Video	Eric Schleicher, Elissa Lapinski, Danielle Bleil, Brendan Smith, Tamara Brumfield, Amanda Boszan, Shyla Kachmarek	Public Relations and Advertising
The 2008 Presidential Election and Attitudes Toward Food Security in the Americas and the Caribbean	Yidi Li, Stephanie Citriniti	Introduction to Social Psychology & Basic Research Methods in Psychology
Using Web 2.0 for the Teaching International Program	Emily Blake, Cassie Clelland, Charles Howell, Lee Marts, Husani Thompson, Richard Whitney	Public Relations and Advertising
Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order by title)
Title	Authors	Class
21st Street Coffee and Tea	Nikeyla Satchell, Dayton Woodard, Anthony Yang, Eric Waites	Introduction to Business
Bolivia in Dire Straits	Zakiyyah Conerly	Honors Social Problems
Business in Jamaica: What Multinational Corporations Should Know	Ted Rice, Heather Kemp	International Management
Food Insecurity in Haiti	Jennifer Troutman	Honors Social Problems
La Prima Expresso	Renee Beckles, Jill Gattegno, Khalid Hatcher, Arianna Lee, Melanie Mak	Introduction to Business
Profitability or Social Responsibility	Dayna Abbott, Jason Barrow, Sasha Brown, Tenay Russell, Sunny Wang	Introduction to Business
Venezuela	Kimberley Jones, Meghan Ulmer	Genetics, Ecology, & Evolution

A Penn State Greater Allegheny associate professor of business administration received a Fulbright Scholar award to lecture at the University of Malta in Msida, Malta during the Spring semester of the 2009 academic year. 

Michelle Gordon Hough of Lower Burrell, Pa., will teach undergraduate- and graduate-level business courses at the university as well as assist with student projects, curricular development, and fostering international business relationships. She was the previous recipient of a Fulbright Scholar grant to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2005, where she lectured at the Niels Brock Business College.

According to the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Hough is approximately one of 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad this academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Fulbright recipients are among more than 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year.  For more than 60 years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.  The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.

The Fulbright program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright program has provided approximately 286,500 people---108,160 Americans---who have studied, taught, or researched abroad and 178,340 students, scholars, and teachers from other countries who have engaged in similar activities in the United States---with the opportunity to observe each others’ political, economic, educational, and cultural institutions, to exchange ideas and to embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants.  The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

The students will present at the Carnegie Library in McKeesport, for their "Story Hour" and on campus for elementary school children in the PEPP program.

The campus and community presentation will be on Sunday, December 7, 2:00pm in the Ostermayer Room

The players will also perform one of the four stories in the production for the Alumni Society's Breakfast With Santa event on Saturday, December 13.

As part of the Teaching International curriculum at Penn State Greater Allegheny, Tangueros de Ley, a local musical and dance group whose repertoire includes all the most popular tangos, milongas, and valses, will perform on November 11 at 6 p.m. in the campus Student Community Center. 

Each year, Penn State Greater Allegheny adopts a country or region of the world as a common theme to inspire teaching and scholarship. The 2008-09 themes are Latin America and the Caribbean and Food Security.  Courses and activities are aimed at advancing a greater understanding of globalization processes and their impact on the lives of people around the world, including our own region.

Since 2002, Tangueros de Ley have been playing “milongas”---a style of dance originating in Argentina and Uruguay---as well as hosting acclaimed tango social events grounded in dance and enriched with other tango-themed cultural arts, including composition, visuals arts, and videography among others.

“Penn State Greater Allegheny is fortunate to have this talented and creative musical group perform for our students and local community,” said Dr. Veronica Montecinos, professor of sociology. 

For more information on Tangueros de Ley, visit http://www.tanguerosdeley.com/.

Lions baseball team splits with Penn College

Penn State Greater Allegheny split its doubleheader with the defending PSUAC champions Penn College of Technology, winning 5-0 and losing 7-4. In game one, freshman John Kobler (Shaler/Shaler) picked up his fourth win of the season, pitching a complete game and striking out nine batters. Kobler and freshman Mike Hyland (Pittsburgh/Central Catholic) each had a hit and two RBIs for Greater Allegheny. 

In the second game, the team jumped out to a 3-1 lead after four innings of play. However, the bats came alive for Penn College as they scored six runs in the final three innings and won, 7-4. Freshman Scott Girdwood (Pittsburgh/Carrick) hit his second homerun of the season for Greater Allegheny. 

Volleyball collects first win of the season

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Volleyball Team collected its first win of the season on Sunday, defeating Penn State Worthington-Scranton, 3-0. The team is currently 1-16 overall and 1-10 in the PSUAC. They will travel to play Penn State DuBois at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 

 Golf team finishes ninth at PSUAC’s

 The Penn State Greater Allegheny Golf Team finished ninth this week at the PSUAC Championships. The event was held at the Blue Course at University Park. 

In its fifth year, the Penn State Greater Allegheny All That’s Jazz scholarship benefit will surpass previous years with delicious cuisine, both a silent and live auction and legendary jazz vocalist Lynn Roberts headlining the event. With all proceeds from the event being added to the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship fund, guests will be contributing to students’ success while they dine, dance and enjoy the sophisticated jazz nightclub atmosphere.

“Scholarship funds have become increasingly important to our students and their families,” said Penn State Greater Allegheny Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D. “With 85 percent of college students depending upon some form of financial aid, these funds can make the difference between students staying in college or having to make some hard decisions about their futures.”

This year’s event will be Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Penn State Greater Allegheny Student Community Center, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport. The public is invited to join in the festivities to help support this worthy cause. Tickets are $75 each or 10 for $600.  Information on tickets, sponsorship opportunities can be obtained by calling Penn State Greater Allegheny at 412-675-9048.

This year's program is entitled Choices for a Warm and Hungry Planet. Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in all or part of this international teleconference, which will provide an overview of the current state of climate change as a factor affecting world hunger, global peace and security. The teleconference will examine the issues affected, the challenges posed and diversity of approaches that will be required to respond. As one expert has said the “catastrophes are not democratic.” The multifaceted ripple effects are being felt from Main Street to the UN and are inspiring urgent searches for new civil society partnerships including the academic community. Three experts from very different backgrounds will be our guests. Dr. Nancy Birdsall, founding president of the Center for Global Development; Dr. Siwa Msangi, from the International Food Policy Research Institute; and Mark Ritchie, Minnesota’s Secretary of State will discuss the many cross-cutting issues and consider ways to encourage collaborative efforts by concerned citizens in every sector of society. (www.worldfooddayusa.org)

The talk is sponsored by the Teaching International program, which has food security as the theme for this year.The talk is sponsored by the Teaching International program, which has food security as the theme for this year.

Date: October 16, 2008
Time: Noon- 3 pm
Location: Ostermayer Room, SCC

Penn State Day at Penn State Greater Allegheny begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at the campus, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport. Valuable information about degree programs, admission strategies, financial aid opportunities and housing options will be offered during the campus open house. This event will be useful to  current high school students, recent high school graduates or adults returning to college.

To register, visit www.openhouse.psu.edu or contact Debbie McKeever at (412) 675-9010.

Penn State Days in Pennsylvania occur at Penn State campuses across the state from Oct. 22-Oct. 26.  Participants can visit as many Penn State campuses as they wish. Different times and dates to apply to the various campuses; visit the online registration site for more information.

Freshman Josh Chisholm (Greenville, PA/Greenville) has been named Penn State Greater Allegheny Student-Athlete of the Week.  Chisholm threw a complete game, one-hitter against Penn State Beaver.  He struck out a career-high 11 batters. 

Rubber Duckies take IM kickball title
In a close game, the Rubber Duckies remained undefeated with a 10-inning win over the two-seed, the Ballhawks. The Ballhawks struck early in the first two innings, taking a 3-0 lead. The Rubber Duckies would not go quietly as they rallied over the fourth through seventh innings to push the score to 6-3. Thanks to a three-run bottom of the seventh by the Ballhawks, the game went into extra innings. After a scoreless eighth and ninth, the Rubber Duckies scored the game- winning run in the 10th and managed to hold on for the victory.

Ero and Dolney will speak about the work of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which serves 11 counties and over 350 member organizations (food pantries, soup kitchens, etc.) in western Pennsylvania. Their talk will address the issue of hunger and the world food crisis from a local and regional perspective. This event is open to the entire campus community.

The talk is sponsored by the Teaching International program, which has food security as the theme for this year.

Date: October 7, 2008
Time: Common period (12:15-1:30 PM)
Location: Frable 117 

A copy can also be viewed in the glass-enclosed bulletin board on the first floor of Frable.

Kelly Library is being joined by the Black Student Union, the Psychology Club and Psi Chi (Psychology National Honor Society in Psychology) in sponsoring voter registration.

Every day this week (Sept. 22nd through Sept. 26th) students will be in the SCC from 11 am to 1 pm with forms!

To print out your own form, apply for an absentee ballot, find your voter registration status, or find your polling place:
https://www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us/Pages/SurePortalHome.aspx

Emergency Absentee Ballots or other election forms:
http://www.votespa.com/ApplicationsandForms/tabid/90/language/en-US/Default.aspx

This event is part of the Teaching International initiative focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean, with a theme of food security.

The international teaching program began in 2004 to promote greater awareness of global trends and civic engagement and to broaden the student's understanding of intercultural and international issues. This event is free and open to the public. For information, call 412-675-9143.

Kelly Library is sponsoring its second annual display of resources for campus international programming. The display can be viewed through September 24.

Head Librarian Kay Harvey and Reference Librarian Mari Soulsby coordinated the presentation of books, films, and other reference materials for faculty to use in their classes.

This year's focus is on Latin America and the Caribbean, and there is an associated theme of food security. The pictures to the right and below also show some of the paintings on loan to the campus from Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, Haiti, for the year's study of the region.

The ACT 101 proposal was authored by English faculty member, Dinah Marcinik, with assistance from Dr. Jeanna Cooper, formerly of the campus’s Career Services Office and IST Department.  Dr. Kurt Torell, Director of Academic Affairs, is responsible for program implementation.  

The Higher Education Equal Opportunity Education Program (ACT 101) was created in 1971 by the Pennsylvania state legislature to provide funding for supportive services at higher education institutions for Pennsylvania residents who face cultural, economic and educational disadvantages that may prevent them from successfully completing a college degree. 

The Penn State Greater Allegheny ACT 101 Program is expected to serve approximately 100 eligible students at the Greater Allegheny campus and will provide the following services:

• Assistance with identifying and applying for scholarships
• Payment of students' initial academic honor society dues
• Assistance with understanding the financial aid process
• Career counseling
• Academic counseling
• Workshops
• Classes
• Tutoring
• A Summer Bridge Program to prepare new students for the fall semester.
• Awards ceremonies to recognize student achievements in the areas of academics, campus leadership and community service.

ACT 101 students who begin their degrees at Penn State Greater Allegheny can continue receiving ACT 101 services while continuing their studies at University Park or another Penn State campus with an ACT 101 program.

Funding for ACT 101 grants is competitive.   Application for the grant is open to all eligible colleges and universities in the state of Pennsylvania.

Eson will speak about the work of the Progress Fund, a Community Development Financial Institution that creates jobs and improves communities by providing entrepreneurial coaching and capital, and more specifically about their new PGH (Produce Grown Here) program that seeks to link local farmers to local businesses, thereby promoting greater community health, food safety, environmental benefits, and local economic support. Eson was invited by the Introduction to Business (BA 100S) class, but his presentation is open to all students and faculty.

According to the BA 100S instructor, Dr. Lydia Lockhart, the class is incorporating both civic engagement and Teaching Latin America this semester.  With the assistance of Sara Ahrens, community engagement coordinator, the class will be exploring the issues of fair trade certified coffee with local (and possibly national) coffee roasters in the context of multiple business topics.

On September 11, Sam Patti, owner of La Prima Expresso, spoke to the class as part of a discussion of ethics and corporate responsibility. On September 18, Alexis Shaffer, owner of 21st Street Coffee and Tea, will speak on the global marketplace.

The Penn State Greater Allegheny baseball team made light work of Robert Morris University on Saturday, sweeping the Colonials, 12-1 and 12-0. Freshman John Kobler (Pittsburgh/Shaler) led the offensive attack in game one, hitting a grand slam and driving in five runs. The Lions scored eight runs in the first two innings of the game. Junior Mike Jackson (Moon/Mercyhurst) dominated on the mound, allowing only one earned run while striking out seven in four innings of work.

In game two, Kobler went from a force at the plate to a force on the mound. He pitched four innings of no-hit ball and struck out seven to pick up his first collegiate win. Kobler also hit his second home run of the day and had two RBIs. Freshman Josh Chisholm (Greenville/Greenville) came on in relief in the fifth inning and preserved the no-hitter for the Lions. Freshman Josh Aldridge (Ruffsdale/Yough) had two RBIs and scored two runs for Greater Allegheny, which scored a run in every inning of the game.

With the wins, the Lions are 2-0 overall. The baseball team will travel to play CCAC-Boyce at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4.

Golf and volleyball seasons open this week

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Golf Team traveled Wednesday morning to Mystic Rock at Nemacolin Woodlands. The Penn State Greater Allegheny women’s volleyball team will open its season at home against Houghton College at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5. 

Dr. Manlove provides this background on reggae:

A moving and easily identifiable music, reggae also inevitably tells stories—whose narratives and sacred roots are often missed for the enjoyable beat. Unlike most other popular music of the twentieth century however, the stories sung in reggae are not about any one individual—their hopes, and dreams, and feelings—but rather are about the modern struggle of sacred versus profane, of a community against 3 colonizing forces: commerce, government, and organized religion. Reggae is a transatlantic cultural transaction between West Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. In addition to its aesthetic and spiritual/folk significances, reggae also tells the stories behind the rebellious political life of the Caribbean, and Jamaica (becoming independent only in 1962) in particular.

Also on September 2, students in participating classes will view the film The Harder They Come, which portrays Jamaican society 12 years after independence and includes much reggae music. Dr. Manlove will introduce the film and provide the context. He recently had an essay on this film accepted for publication in Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts & Letters for their Winter, 2008 special issue ("The Politics Issue"). The paper is entitled "Reggae and Rastafarian “Versions” of “Dread” Politics in The Harder They Come."

Team members Caroline Burke (education, '11), Rob Greene (engineering, '11), Ashley Haggerty (psychology, '10), Dawn Loy (education, '11), and Timothy Robinson (physics, '11) designed, filmed, and edited the production. They were assisted in editing by Evan Bradley (liberal arts, '11). In addition to the team members, the film also features students Brittany Lewis (kinesiology, '12), Markeif Moore (engineering, '11), and Marcus Waters (political science, '10).

Watch Chancellor Porter and students recite the new vision statement.

The first film, The Harder They Come, is a 1973 Jamaican classic, one of the most beloved and longest-running of all international cult favorites. The film expresses the live-wire Jamaican spirit--an impoverished Africa tuned to American radio. Produced and directed by Perry Henzel, the film incorporates "outlaw justice" very common to many American westerns. Released 12 years after Jamaica achieved independence, The Harder They Come also reflects the disenchantment that followed the post independence exodus from the country's small hamlets to the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica's largest city, where a grinding urban poverty awaited.  The story is set to seductive reggae rhythms. The story follows its main character, Ivan, who dreams of being a singer from his arrival in Kingston, through continuing disasters until a final climax, where Ivan breaks from his passive behavior and begins to wreak his revenge.

The campus will host a double-feature on Tuesday, October 7. The first film with be the 1989 Brazilian work of Jorge Furtado, Isle of Flowers, which tracks the path of a tomato from garden to dump with the help of a monotone voiceover and a collection of bizarre images. A humorous film, the message it delivers on how humans treat each other is anything but humorous. The film was awarded the Margarida de Prata (Silver Daisy) , calling it "the best Brazilian film of the year" in 1990. In 1995, Isle of Flowers was chosen by the European critics as one of the 100 most important short films of the century.

The Mexican film, Like Water for Chocolate, filmed in 1993 and directed by Alfonso Arau, tells the story of a young woman who learns to suppress her passions under the eye of a stern mother, but channels them into her cooking.   The steady stream of cuisine is likely to make moviegoers hungry. The film incorporates magic realism with a good story line.

Films are also planned for November and December showings as well as the spring, 2009 semester. All films will be shown in the Ostermayer room of the Student Community Center at 6:00 p .m. Showings are open to students and faculty in participating classes.

Film Series Dates:

Tuesday, September 2
The Harder They Come - Jamaica

Tuesday, October 7
Isle of Flowers - Brazil
Like Water for Chocolate - Mexico

Thursday, November 8
XXY - Argentina

Tuesday, December 2
Nine Queens - Argentina

For all showings:
Time:   6:00 p.m.
Place:  Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center

The campus is currently displaying 32 works of art on loan from the Friends of HAS (Hôpital Albert Schweitzer), Haiti. The Friends of HAS, Haiti, is a Pittsburgh-based organization that supports the operation of the rural Haitian hospital through the sale of Haitian artwork. The organization’s goals, along with its support of the hospital, are to educate the public about Haiti, the genius of its creativity, and the medical needs of its people.

The organization’s curator, Ms. Josie Pellier, organized the Penn State Greater Allegheny display in cooperation with Dr. Verónica Montecinos, Professor of Sociology, and Dr. Margaret Signorella, Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies, who are coordinating the campus’s current Teaching International Program with a focus on food security and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Haitian artwork will be exhibited throughout the current academic year at various campus locations.   The J. Clarence Kelly Library displays a variety of styles of Haitian art including Saint Soleil Paintings, Village Scenes, and Village Ceremonies.

The Frable building’s Conference Center houses paintings with the theme of Haitian local life and the role of the hospital in improving health in Haiti, which is considered an impoverished nation. The Office of Academic Affairs displays two decorative flags.

The third location is the Student Community Center (SCC).  Paintings in the Ostermayer Room depict the history of Haiti and images related to food and food security. 

Throughout the 2008-09 academic year, Penn State Greater Allegheny has scheduled a series of academic and cultural events based on the current Teaching International theme. A speakers’ series, exhibits, and musical events,  all of which will be open to the public,  and a film series, field trips, a common reading and civic engagement activities planned for PSUGA students are publicized through the campus’s events calendar.

Penn State Greater Allegheny hosted an Academic Convocation on Friday, August 22 at the Wunderely Gymnasium. Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D. served as master of ceremonies along with Kurt Torell, Ph.D., director of academic affairs and associate professor of philosophy, who organized a pinning ceremony for the incoming class. Keynote speaker was retired USAF Colonel and NASA Astronaut, Guion S. Bluford, the first African American in space (as mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Challenger).

After the ceremony, an all campus picnic was held on the William L.Buck Family Green where students and their families enjoyed the company of faculty and staff.

Orientation 2008 will consist of a full week of fun activities and informative workshops. 

New students and their families will learn about the many resources available on campus, and have the opportunity to meet the faculty, staff, and students of Penn State Greater Allegheny.  Each activity is designed to provide helpful tools to succeed at Penn State and make a smooth adjustment to life at a Big Ten University. 

Calendar of Events

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Students living on campus are to move into McKeesport Hall on this day between 8am and 5pm.  More information concerning resident move-in can be found at http://www.welcomeweek.psu.edu.

Friday, August 22, 2008

All new students and families are required to participate in Orientation programs on this day.  Please plan to arrive at the Wunderley Gymnasium for Orientation Check-In between 10:30am and 10:50am.

• All campus offices are open beginning at 8:00 am.  Between 8:00 am and 10:45 am, students and families can visit any office to complete last minute preparations for the fall semester.   Financial Aid officers, Finance personnel, and Academic Advisers will be available, campus tours will be offered, and family photographs will be taken at the Lion Shrine.
• Family members with students living in McKeesport Hall are required to attend a Residence Hall Meeting at 9:45 am in McKeesport Hall.
• The Academic Convocation, featuring Keynote Speaker Dr. Guion Bluford, will begin at 11 am in the Wunderley Gymnasium.  Dr. Bluford is a 1964 graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor of science degree in Aerospace Engineering.  He spent 15 years with NASA as one of its elite astronauts and was the first African American to fly in space in 1983.
• An all-campus picnic will be held on the Buck Green/Student Community Center area at 12:15 pm.
• Students will participate in College and Academic Adviser meetings beginning at 1:30 pm.
• Families will participate in Family Information Panels also beginning at 1:30pm.
• The Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society will sponsor an Ice-Cream Social and Parent send off at 3pm in the Student Community Center.
• At 5 pm Students will travel to Station Square in downtown Pittsburgh for a boat ride aboard the Gateway Clipper Fleet.  Students from Penn State campuses at New Kensington, Beaver, and Shenango will also participate in this activity.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

All new students are required to participate in workshops on this day.  A $5.00 lunch coupon will be provided to students to use in our Café Metro located in the Student Community Center.  Please plan to arrive in the Student Community Center for check-in between 9:30am and 9:50am.  Workshops begin at 10:00am and the day concludes at 4pm.   Workshop topics and other activities include:

• Academic and financial wellness
• Responsibilities and rights of a Penn State student
• Personal wellness and safety 
• Get involved:  Intramural and collegiate sports programs
• Get involved:  A look at your Student Government Association
• Veterans and Adult Student information session
• Tie-dying party – bring your Orientation t-shirt!
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Volleyball Tournament

If you are traveling from outside the Western Pennsylvania area, there are hotels that provide special Penn State Greater Allegheny rates.  You may consider contacting one of these hotels to reserve lodging, or choose one on your own.  A detailed listing of these hotels may be found at http://www.ga.psu.edu/StudentLife/orientation.htm.

The Penn State Greater Allegheny community is excited about your arrival and we look forward to seeing you soon. If you have any questions prior to that time, please call us at 412-675-9052 and we will be happy to assist you. 

Penn State Greater Allegheny – We’re Not Just Good….We’re Great!

Dr. Kurt Torell joined the administrative staff of Penn State Greater Allegheny as its Chief Academic Officer, effective July 1. Dr. Torell came to Greater Allegheny from his position as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Marywood University in Scranton, PA.

Dr. Torell earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Duquesne University. He also holds two M.A. degrees in Philosophy, one from Duquesne and the other from the University of Pittsburgh. His undergraduate work was completed at Boston University.

His administrative experience includes the position of Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences, Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI; Interim Chair, Division of Social Sciences, Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, ID, and director of the Honors Program at Lewis-Clark.

Currently holding the faculty rank of Associate Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Torell has taught at numerous institutions of higher education including Lewis-Clark, De Anza College in Cupertino, CA; Diablo Valley Community College in San Ramone, CA; and Cogswell College,  Cupertino, CA. Locally, he has taught at Carlow College, Carnegie-Mellon University, Washington and Jefferson College, Wheeling Jesuit College, West Virginia University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne University. Excellence in teaching awards include the Eugene Baldeck Award and the School of Arts and Sciences Award for Teaching, both at Lewis-Clark State College.

Dr. Torell has several publications in the areas of Modern Philosophy, Ethics, Plato, and Native American Philosophy, and Epistemology.

With his wife, Kim, and two daughters, Dr. Torell resides in Murrysville.

Dr. James Stewart and his wife, Dr. Caryl Sheffield, have recently donated a framed limited edition print to the Penn State Greater Allegheny campus.

"The Americans," by Dane Tilghman, emphasizes the collective attachment to core American values held by most African Americans and shows two individuals that Tilghman met. One man proudly displayed an American flag outside his home as a testimonial to the sacrifices he made for his country, and the second figure was a spectator Tilghman saw at a July 4th parade.

The print is housed in the J. Clarence Kelly Library on the campus and is on view on the first floor.

Drs. Stewart and Sheffield also recently loaned the library a serigraph, "School Bell Time" by noted African American artist, Romare Bearden. According to Amailia Amaki, author of A Century of African American Art, this work recalls Bearden's life experiences and reflects the fact that because of the mobility of his parents, he went to school in many different places.

A grant submitted by Penn State Greater Allegheny to increase Intercultural and International Competencies for the 2008-09 academic year was funded for $20,000 by the Equal Opportunity Planning Committee (EOPC).   Authored by Dr. James Jaap, Assistant Director of Academic Affairs, with Dr. Margaret Signorella, Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies, the grant will promote the campus's efforts to foster diversity and integrate issues of intercultural and international competencies into the curriculum.

Greater Allegheny's faculty and administration have been dedicated to the mission of community service and the development of the student's global perspective.   Grant monies will be used to strengthen those programs which have helped Greater Allegheny develop a curriculum that fosters intercultural and international competencies; namely, the campus's Community Engagement initiative and Teaching International program.

Grant monies are targeted for the following areas:

Funding a campus cultural survey to ascertain the intercultural and international knowledge and needs of our students.  A plan to evaluate activities to determine their relevance will conclude with a campus-wide survey at the end of the academic year.  The campus plans to conduct a continuous evaluative process in its attempt to make informed decisions on activities, speakers, programs, and curriculum.

Continued funding of the Community Engagement Coordinator position which supports the integration of community service projects into the curriculum, fostering the involvement of our students in a diverse community.   It is hoped that this involvement will expand into international projects.   The expected outcome of the continuation of this position would be to increase the number of our classes offering community engagement projects and thus show an increase in the number of students participating.

Support for the campus's Teaching International Initiative promoting a greater understanding of globalization and the impact this has on the lives of people throughout the world as well as in southwestern Pennsylvania.  Funding will be utilized to support speakers; the PSUGA theatre program and its focus on original, intercultural programs; and field trips for classes offering an international component.

Funding for EOPC grants is competitive with grant proposals being solicited from throughout the University.

The Blue lot is located behind Frable Building. The Red and Brown lots are located on Broadway across from Kelly Library and the Student Community Center (also see campus maps).

Dr. Michelle Hough received notification from the University that she has achieved tenure status and will be promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, effective July 1. Dr. Hough joined the faculty of Penn State Greater Allegheny in 2001 and entered the tenure track in 2002. Dr. Hough earned a B.S. in Information Science and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. Her D. Sc. in Information Science and Communications was earned from Robert Morris University. Dr. Hough heads the Business program at Penn State Greater Allegheny and has been instrumental in developing courses for the four year University College degree. She has also been awarded two Fulbright Scholarships, one for 2005-06 in Coperhagen, Denmark to lecture at the Niels Brock Copenhagen College of Business and another for the 2008-09 academic year to teach business administration at the undergraduate and graduate level at the University of Malta in Msida, Malta.

Dr. Elizabeth Mazur, Associate Professor of Psychology, also received notification tenure. Dr. Mazur joined the Penn State Greater Allegheny faculty in 2002 after serving as a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. Dr. Mazur has also taught as an Associate Professor of Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University. Dr. Mazur earned a B. A. in Psychology from Amherst College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Dr. Mazur's research has focused on stress and coping with both children and adults in dealing with uncontrollable negative events. She has involved her undergraduate students in her research with their work being submitted and accepted for presentation at state and national conferences. Dr. Mazur serves as the advisor of the campus's Psychology Club and Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, which she organized on campus.

In 2007-08 the campus's international focus was on Teaching South Asia.   Over 20 Greater Allegheny faculty and staff members cooperated in exploring and reflecting on various aspects of South Asia's history, culture, and economic, social and political reality.  

Greater Allegheny's Teaching International initiative began in 2004 with a Teaching Haiti theme.  In 2005-06 the initiative focused on Africa and in 2006-07 on India.   In each academic year faculty developed course lectures, supported student research projects, developed service learning components to their courses, produced theater productions, hosted films and scheduled guest lecturers as components of the chosen academic focus.

The overall objective of the Teaching International initiative is to increase the student's global perspective and to broaden their understanding of intercultural and international issues.   The initiative also supports the overall University goal of fostering diversity throughout the Penn State system.

Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter conferred degrees on 43 students at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s spring commencement on Saturday, May 17, in the Wunderley Gymnasium. Diplomas were awarded in a number of areas, including business, communications, applied psychology, and information sciences and technology (IST). Click here to see photos of commencement.

Cynthia A. Baldwin delivered the keynote address. Baldwin is a Penn State alumna and partner in the law firm Duane Morris LLP were she serves in the trial practice group. She was a Justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from 2006 to January 2008. Prior to her appointment as judge she served on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for over 16 years in the Civil, Family and Juvenile Divisions.

Baldwin served as the president of Penn State University international alumni association from 1989 to 1991. She was a gubernatorial appointee to the Penn State University Board of Trustees chair from 2004 through 2006. In addition, she is a member of the Penn State Greater Allegheny Advisory Board.

The installation art will be part of an exhibit called Contained, in which art will be composed in discarded shipping containers. Hepner's piece is an interactive print that explores binary code and the ways in which language breaks down.

Contained will run from June 6 to June 22 on Forbes Avenue between Market Square and Stanwix Street.

Senator Barack Obama ended his long campaign tour in Pennsylvania with a stop at Penn State Greater Allegheny on the eve of the primary election. Speaking to a crowd of nearly 2,500 people, Obama held the attention of supporters in the Wunderley Gymnasium as he spoke about the future and change. (slide show)

Michelle Obama introduced her husband and apologized to the crowd for their delay and jokingly blamed the lateness on her husband. Obama spoke for 22 minutes and held an additional 22 minute question and answer forum to the cheering crowd.

Dr. Michelle Hough, assistant professor of business administration from Penn State Greater Allegheny asked the senator about his policy on public mass transportation. Obama responded by saying that one of his changes was to develop an infrastructure to support transportation.

At the end of his speech, Obama and his wife signed autographs for a crowd that stayed long after he finished his speech.

Senator Obama’s visit was part of Penn State's effort to expose students to the 2008 presidential campaign, part of the University's open-door policy to host campaign stops during this primary season.

Newport News, VA – For the first time in the history of the USCAA, all three basketball National Championship tournaments will be held concurrently.  It was announced on Wednesday by the USCAA Board of Directors that Penn State Fayette, in affiliation with the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) western division will be the host of the 2009 and 2010 National Championship Tournaments. 

It was a surprise to many USCAA representatives when a bid for all three basketball championships came in.  However, after careful deliberation, it was decided that this would be a very exciting move for the association.  USCAA Commissioner, Bill Casto states, “The concept of having all three tournaments concurrently in the same area is an idea that has been in the works for some time, however, we haven’t been able to work it out logistically.  After careful thought and due diligence, it was apparent that Penn State Fayette and the PSUAC had both the resources and the cooperation necessary to pull off an event of this magnitude.”

The tournament will kick off on March 3, 2009, with an impressive dinner cruise for all participants.  The opening banquet/awards night will be hosted on the “Gateway Clipper,” (pictured right) which tours the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers, past Pittsburgh’s historic steel mills as well as Heinz Field (home of the Pittsburgh Steelers – NFL) and PNC Park (home of the Pittsburgh Pirates – MLB).  Penn State Fayette athletic director and tournament director, Vince Capozzi, states, “Because we know that the basketball championships are such a premier event, we wanted to add a "wow" factor to them. We want the participants to walk away saying quite simply that this was the best athletic experience they ever had.”  Along with this new experience for our athletes, the host will also put on a “Salute to the Champions” celebration following the conclusion of our Championship games.

The 2009 Championship games will come at a time of great excitement and celebration in the western Pennsylvania region, as Pittsburgh celebrates its 250^th anniversary.  Host sites for the tournament will be Penn State Fayette and Penn State Greater Allegheny, which are located approximately 30 miles from the steel city.  Vince Capozzi states, “Take the highest level of excitement that you can think of and multiply it by 100 and you begin to understand how we feel about hosting this tournament. With that excitement comes a great deal of humility as well.  We are humbled that the USCAA has provided us with this opportunity.  I know that it has been a dream for the organization to find an opportunity to host all three events at the same location, and we are humbled by the USCAA's confidence in us.” 

In a time of significant growth in the USCAA, we are excited to host this event with our new members of the Penn State University Athletic Conference.  With the collaboration and dedication of involved members like the western schools of the PSUAC, this tournament is sure to be a great experience for all USCAA players, coaches, dignitaries, and fans.  Many thanks go out to the PSUAC for their efforts in putting together this bid. 

*Save the dates of the 2009 and 2010 USCAA Basketball Championships

2009 – March 3-7

2010 – March 2-6

**Next season, log on to http://www.theuscaa.com/ for all up to date information on this event!

Lady Lions finish third in PSUAC tournament

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Lady Lions took third place in the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) Softball Tournament, capping off the most successful season in school history. In the opening round, the team knocked off top-seeded Penn State Beaver, 8-3. The Lady Lions then took on Penn College in the winner's bracket game. Penn College defeated Greater Allegheny, 8-0.

On day two, the Lady Lions faced off against Penn State Hazleton for a chance to play in the championship game. The team jumped out to early 6-1 lead but it would not hold up. Hazleton rallied back to win, 8-6. The Lady Lions finish the season with an overall record of 14-21 and 12-9 in the PSUAC.

Bracket set for USCAA Baseball Tournament

The Penn State Greater Allegheny men's baseball team has received the seven seed in the upcoming USCAA tournament. The Lions will face the No. 2 seed, Briarcliffe College, at 8:30 a.m. May 13 in the opening round. For more information, visit http://www.theuscaa.com/.

When fully funded, the size of the G. C. Murphy Company Foundation Scholarship endowment will be more than doubled, according to Pat Quinn Winter, director of Development. “Thanks to this generous grant, the number of scholarship awards will increase in future. We’re very grateful to the Foundation for recognizing the needs of our students.”

The scholarship is designated for residents of McKeesport and the Mon Valley, with preference given to students whose relatives were employed by the G. C. Murphy Company. Founded in McKeesport, Pa., in 1906, the chain grew to be one of the most popular five-and-dime and Murphy’s Mart operators in the country before being sold in the mid 1980s.

The increased funding from the G.C. Murphy foundation will provide many more students with the ability to receive a college education. “Scholarship support is a critical component of our student aid program, it helps take away some of the financial burden of attending college and allows students to concentrate on their studies and co-curricular experiences.” said Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D.

This grant supports the University's new fundraising drive, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. The campaign gives its highest priorities to ensuring that a Penn State education remains accessible to students regardless of their financial means and to strengthening the qualities that make Penn State a student-centered university. The University has not yet determined a dollar goal for the campaign, which is still in its leadership gifts phase.

Most recently, a $10,000 grant was given to redesign the G.C. Murphy Company Foundation Lab in the E. R. Crawford Building. The information technology video suite provides students and faculty access to leading-edge video capture and manipulation equipment. The lab offers dynamic spaces to complete class assignments and community service projects. Past Foundation grants include support for the Student Community Center building fund and computer labs.

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Women's Softball team has qualified for the PSUAC playoffs. It is the first time in school history that the team has made the postseason tournament. The Lady Lions finished fourth in the conference with a record of 11-7 and an overall record of 13-19. The team only had two wins all of last season. "We are very excited that we have the chance to play for a conference championship," said Head Coach Ryan Astor. "We have won seven of our last eight games and we feel that we have a great shot at winning the whole thing."

The double-elimination tournament will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, in Williamsport. Penn State Greater Allegheny will take on the No. 1 seed Penn State Beaver. Beaver swept the season series from Greater Allegheny.

Baseball team qualifies for USCAA playoffs

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Men's Baseball team has accepted a bid to participate in the USCAA National Tournament. It is the first time in school history that a Penn State Greater Allegheny athletic team has received a national invite. "Our baseball program is thrilled to be recognized on a national level in such a short period of time since our staff took over in late July," said Head Coach Jim Chester. "Going from 0-9 in 2007 to playing for a national championship in 2008, is a direct reflection of the support of the administration and the overall hard work of the players of the program."

PSUGA finished with an overall record of 23-21. The team was 0-9 last year. The double-elimination tournament will start on Tuesday, May 13, in Hampton, Va.

Greater Allegheny splits with Abington, clinches playoff berth

Penn State Greater Allegheny split its double-header with Penn State Abington on Saturday, losing 12-8 in eight innings and winning 17-9. With the win, the Lady Lions clinched its first-ever PSUAC playoff berth.

 In game one, Greater Allegheny seemed to be in control after running out to a 6-1 lead. Abington would answer back and take the lead with three runs in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth. The team tied the game in the bottom of seventh when sophomore Cristina Acevez (Santa Ana, Calif./Los Amigos) drove home senior Sasha Kaclik (McKeesport/ Woodland Hills). Abington answered back in the top of the eighth inning with four runs to put the game away.

 In game two, the Lady Lions came out swinging, scoring 13 runs in the first three innings. Sophomore Courtney Johnson (McKeesport/McKeesport) led the offensive attack, going four for five with seven RBIs. Sasha Kaclik picked up her fifth win in a row, pitching four innings and allowing five earned runs. 

Wysni named USCAA Player of the Week

For the second week in a row, a Penn State Greater Allegheny softball player has been named USCAA Player of the Week. Sophomore Danielle Wysni (McKeesport/McKeesport) received the honor for efforts during the week of April 21. In four games played, Wysni posted a .677 batting average (10 for 15), hitting two triples and one homerun. She had seven RBIs, two stolen bases and scored 10 runs.

Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter will confer degrees on 43 students at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s spring commencement beginning at 11a.m. Saturday, May 17, in the Wunderley Gymnasium. Diplomas will be awarded in a number of areas, including business, communications, applied psychology, and information sciences and technology (IST).

Cynthia A. Baldwin will deliver the keynote address. Baldwin is a Penn State alumna and partner in the law firm Duane Morris LLP were she serves in the trial practice group. She was a Justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from 2006 to January 2008. Prior to her appointment as judge she served on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for over 16 years in the Civil, Family and Juvenile Divisions.

Baldwin received her J.D. from Duquesne University where she was a member of its Law Review. She was both a visiting and an adjunct professor at Duquesne University School of Law and also taught at Widener University Law School in the Trial Advocacy Program. Prior to attending law school, she taught English and was an assistant dean of student affairs at the Penn State Greater Allegheny campus. In addition, Baldwin received her B.A. and M.A. from the Pennsylvania State University in English and American Literature, respectively. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Allegheny County Bar Association, Homer S. Brown Law Association and the Women’s Bar Association. Baldwin is extremely active in the community, serving on several non-profit boards. In February 2008 she was elected to the board of Koppers Holdings Inc. Baldwin is a past gubernatorial appointee to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, serving for 12 years and is a past member of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing.

Baldwin served as the president of Penn State University international alumni association from 1989 to 1991. She was a gubernatorial appointee to the Penn State University Board of Trustees chair from 2004 through 2006. In addition, she is a member of the Penn State Greater Allegheny Advisory Board.

Over the past six weeks, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Ron Paul all have made stops to Penn State campuses including University Park, Brandywine, Fayette, Erie and Greater Allegheny. The visits are part of Penn State's effort to expose students to the 2008 presidential campaign, part of the University's open-door policy to host campaign stops during this primary season.

Students, faculty and staff from Penn State Greater Allegheny recently volunteered at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank located in Duquesne.   Twenty-eight students from IST 111S (Freshman Seminar in IST) and ENVST 100 (Visions of Nature) classes helped in the agency's repack center, sorting through large donations of food, beverages and other grocery items and repackaging them into smaller packages for pickup and distribution at the hundreds of smaller food pantries, soup kitchens, and distribution agencies in the Food Bank's eleven-county service area.  

As part of the day's activities, the PSUGA volunteers toured the Food Bank's warehouse and facilities.   The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is a LEED certified green building.   Participants of the tour learned first hand how technology is used to help the Food Bank conserve resources and energy in its attempt to divert as much of its resources as possible  to feed the hungry.  

Currently the students in ENVST 100 are engaged in a larger class project, coordinating a food drive at the campus to benefit the Food Bank.   The food drive and volunteer hours at the community agency are two of many service projects in which students at Penn State Greater Allegheny engage.   Courses at PSUGA can utilize service learning into the class curriculum to count toward the intercollege minor in Civic and Community Engagement.  Sara Ahrens, Community Engagement Coordinator , oversees the service learning component of the minor.   The campus strives to actively engage our students in issues relevant to the local, national and global communities to prepare them as informed and active citizens.   The campus currently has over 20 partnerships with community agencies. 

Seven Corporate Communications students from Penn State Greater Allegheny won first place in the Course-Based Project (all disciplines) category at the annual Undergraduate Research Exhibition sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Schreyer Honors College, and the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at University Park on April 9.

Students Vincent Gibbons, Dion Harris, Ada Jamison, Ashley Kowalski, Amanda Mospan, Crystal Outlaw, and Scott Varner presented and defended their research before an audience in the HUB-Robinson Center. The student group was under the tutelage of Dr. Kathleen Taylor Brown, Assistant Professor of Communications.

The students conducted qualitative research regarding senior citizens and technology. Their findings showed that empowering active citizenship results in successful aging, as defined by the Rowe and Kahn model which believes extrinsic factors like diet, psychological factors, personal habits, and exercise can affect the aging process in a positive manner. The students’ research supported the fact that quality of life is improved through technological education and its implementation into one's life.

The students' research was displayed via a poster presented at the HUB.

The poster is now on display in Old Main, outside of the Office of Undergraduate Education. There were 70 total poster entries approved to be in the exhibition from across the University. The Penn State Greater Allegheny students competed against nine other entries in their category, including presentations displayed by University Park, Altoona and Schreyer Honors College students.

The Greater Allegheny students shared a monetary prize awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Education. The annual exhibition communicates and celebrates the participation of the University's undergraduate students in research and creative endeavors. Students from all Penn State locations are invited to enter poster or performance presentations to showcase their work to a general audience. The annual exhibition is open to the public.

This marks the third year that Dr. Brown's students have placed and participated in the research exhibition.

ABSENCE: Penn State Greater Allegheny's Literary and Art Magazine announces its spring Celebration of the Arts, featuring the work of each year's authors and artists at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, in the Ostermayer Room in the Student Community Center. The event will features performances that include live jazz, excerpts from the spring play, acoustic guitar, a stand-up comedian and screening of short films. The event is free to the public. The magazine, in its 10th year of publication by the Penn State Greater Allegheny Department of English, is an annual publication which showcases campus talent. Copies of volume 10 will be available for the first time.

Clifford Manlove, associate professor of English and Lori Hepner, assistant professor of integrative arts,  ABSENCE faculty advisors, invited faculty, staff and students to submit their poetry, short fiction, essays, photography, visual art, etc. A blind submission policy was used by the student editorial committee to evaluate each work. Some 200 submissions were received; less than 40 percent of submitted work can be accepted for publication.

All ABSENCE submissions are eligible for consideration for the Third Annual Chancellor's Awards. Two student winners for the Best Literary and the Best Visual Arts submissions will be awarded $200 each. Two second-place award winners will each receive $75. The Chancellor's Award was instituted in 2006 to promote the growth of an active creative community in and around Penn State Greater Allegheny.

The student editorial staff and faculty advisers reviewed submissions; final decisions about publication rested with the student editor-in-chief. ABSENCE is published in April of each academic year, and is unveiled at its annual Reading and Reception, which features the work of each year's authors and artists. The publication is supported by: the Chancellor's office, Academic Affairs, Institutional Advancement, Admissions, Continuing Education, the Student Activity Fee and Student Affairs.

Baseball defeats Thiel, falls to Rochester
Penn State Greater Allegheny won its 20th game on Thursday, defeating Thiel College, 6-2. It was the team's second straight win against an NCAA Division III opponent. Junior Brendan Smith (Baltimore/CCBC-Essex) picked up the win for the Lions. Smith also was one-for-three at the plate with two RBIs. Freshman Craig Price (South Park/South Park) continued his hot hitting, collecting a hit and an RBI. On Sunday, the team traveled to Penn State Beaver to play Rochester College. They were defeated by a score of 12-6. Despite the loss, the team has won six of its last eight games and remain tied for first-place in the PSUAC. They will play host to CCAC-South at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at Clairton Park.

Lady Lions washed out
The Penn State Greater Allegheny Women's Softball team's game against Penn State Schuylkill was canceled Saturday due to weather. The Lady Lions are currently 5-13 overall and 5-3 in the PSUAC. They will travel to play Grove City College on Thursday and play host to Penn State Beaver on Sunday.

Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and seniors, and free to Penn State Greater Allegheny students.

The production is being prepared in classes taught by Dr. Jay Breckenridge, professor of theatre arts, and Constance Koepfinger, instructor in theatre arts. The script evolved in class meetings, with the students improvising scenes and drafting dialogue based on the story narrative. The Tibetan story is a complex tale of intolerance, blackmail, love and reconciliation. Set in what was then northern India in 500 B.C., the events take place around the time Buddha was teaching and Sanskrit theatre was developing.

The production is part of the campus international program focusing this year on South Asia.

Dr. Margaret Signorella, professor of psychology and women's studies at Penn State Greater Allegheny, was recently awarded an associate editorship with the research journal, Sex Roles. Sex Roles is an interdisciplinary behavioral science publication offering a feminist perspective.  As associate editor, Dr. Signorella will work to review developmental research submissions to the journal.  Gender schemas and development has been a focus of Dr. Signorella's research since the early 1980's.

Editor-in-Chief of Sex Roles Irene Hanson Frieze, recruited Dr. Signorella for the associate editor's position.  Dr. Frieze and Dr. Signorella have coauthored articles on gender schemas in college students and the interrelations of gender schemas in children and adolescents.  Dr. Signorella has previously served as a reviewer for Sex Roles.  Her articles, "Remembering gender-related information" (1992), “Cognitive consequences of personal involvement in gender identity" (1984), and "Sex-typing and spatial ability:  The association between masculinity and success on Piaget's water-level task" (co-authored with W. Jamison - 1980) have appeared in the publication.

Dr. Signorella previously served as a consulting editor for Child Development, and as a reviewer for Developmental Psychology, two journals which are considered premier developmental research outlets.  

As associate editor, Dr. Signorella will review all areas of study in developmental research submitted for publication to Sex Roles.  It will be Dr. Signorella's responsibility to recruit reviewers for the submissions, review the criticisms from those reviewers, and serve as the intermediary between the reviewers and the editor of the journal as the article is prepared and possibly changed for publication.  

Dr. Signorella's doctoral dissertation focused on the association of gender schemas with cognitive performance in college students. Her thesis adviser was Dr. Carolyn Wood Sherif, a pioneering social psychologist whose multidisciplinary approach to psychology significantly affected the field.  It was while obtaining her doctorate that Dr. Signorella also began studies on applying gender to memory, many of which were co-authored with Dr. Lynn S. Liben, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Penn State and former department head. 

Dr. Signorella served for seven years in the position of director of Academic Affairs at Penn State Greater Allegheny.  In January, 2008, Dr. Signorella made the decision to return full time to the classroom and her research.  She currently teaches psychology courses both online and at the campus, and heads the Applied Psychology Degree program for the University College.  Dr. Signorella earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in psychology from Penn State. She joined the University faculty in 1982. 

Two Penn State Greater Allegheny honors students -- Erick Froede Jr., an engineering major from Budd Lake, N.J., and Anthony Palocaren Sr., engineering major from West Mifflin -- are working with engineering instructor Dr. Eric Lipsky on a class project to determine the loss of energy through the existing windows of the Frable building.

The investigative analysis will be done using a thermal imaging camera provided by the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP). This program is an outreach extension service of Penn State University providing technical assistance and performing energy efficiency assessments for Pennsylvania manufacturers. In addition, PennTAP is committed to helping Penn State faculty promote an energy conservation ethic among Penn State students through the use of energy efficiency assessment equipment in the classroom, special projects, and other "real world" experiences. Roger Price, senior technical specialist for PennTAP based at Penn State Greater Allegheny will show students how to use the thermal imaging camera as a tool to help perform the analysis.

The heat loss will be determined by taking temperature measurements using both a thermocouple and a thermal imaging camera. The camera takes both a digital image and a thermal image which can then be used to find the average surface temperature of an area. The insulation values of the windows are then calculated using the temperature information. This will then be compared with the insulation values of 
newer windows to calculate the energy savings that can be expected with new windows. Then the cost analysis will then be performed to estimate the payback time for replacing all of the windows of the 
Frable building.

Prospective students can explore Penn State Greater Allegheny at the admissions spring open house on Saturday, April 12, at 9 a.m. in the Student Community Center on campus. High school juniors and seniors, transfer students and adult learners can meet faculty, tour the facilities and talk with current students. Special sessions are set aside for students and families to learn about the admissions process, financial aid, degree options and student life. Reservations are recommended. To register for the event, call 412-675-9010, e-mail psuga@psu.edu, or use our visitation site

Qualified students planning to return to Penn State Greater Allegheny next fall are encouraged to apply for the following scholarship opportunities recognizing leadership and scholarship.

The JoAnne E. Burley Leadership Scholarship

To be eligible for this scholarship, the student shall be a full-time or part-time undergraduate enrolled or planning to enroll at Penn State Greater Allegheny who has demonstrated good character and fine leadership qualities in the classroom and through their participation in campus activities.  The qualified student must have at least a 2.75 GPA and should have demonstrated outstanding leadership on campus within the previous twelve (12) months.  Financial need may be a consideration for this award. Students must also submit recommendations from a Penn State Greater Allegheny faculty and staff member to be considered for this scholarship.

Details on this scholarship and the Alumni Society Scholarship (described below) and a single application can be dowloaded or printed. Students have the option for applying for one or both scholarships.
 

The deadline for applications is Thursday, March 20, 2008, at 5:00 p.m.  Applications should be directed to 210 Student Community Center. For more information, contact Arlene Fath at 412-675-9048 or arf4@psu.edu.

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society Scholarships

Students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who are planning to attend Greater Allegheny next year may be eligible for one of the Alumni Society awards.  Use the combined application for Burley and Alumni Society scholarships above.

The deadline for applications is Thursday, March 20, 2008, at 5:00 p.m.  Applications should be directed to 210 Student Community Center. For more information, call Arlene Fath at 412-675-9048.

The G.C. Murphy Foundation Scholarship
The Junior Order United American Mechanics McKeesport Council 109 Scholarship

If any member of your family was employed by the G.C. Murphy Company or was a member of the Junior Order United American Mechanics McKeesport Council 109 you may be eligible for a campus scholarship. To be considered for either or both of these scholarships the student must submit a letter with the following information:

• In which scholarship you are interested;
• The name of the family member affiliated with either of the above organizations and the relationship to you;
• When the relative was employed by or a member of the organization;
• In the case of the Murphy Foundation scholarship, identify the store or location where the relative worked in addition to the period of employment.

 Additional eligibility requirements for both scholarships are as follows.  The student must:
• be a full time undergraduate enrolled or planning to enroll at Penn State Greater Allegheny;
• have attained or demonstrate superior academic success
• have a demonstrated financial need (have a FAFSA on file for academic year 2008-09).

The deadline for submission of the The G.C. Murphy Foundation Scholarship and The Junior Order United American Mechanics McKeesport Council 109 Scholarship is Wednesday April 30, 2008. The letter for either is to be sent to:

Mr. Glenn J. Beech
c/o the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship Committee
109 Frable Building
Penn State Greater Allegheny
McKeesport, PA 15132

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society is bringing back the Penn State Creamery Ice Cream and Ye Old College Diner Stickie Sale.

The deadline for orders is Wednesday, April 9, 2008.   Please download and complete the order form and mail the form with payment to Penn State Ice Cream Sale, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport, PA 15132. Checks should be made out to "Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society."

Ice cream may be picked up on Saturday, May 10, 2008, from 9:00 – 11:00 on the loading dock of the Student Community Center. Purchasers should bring along a cooler for easier pick-up.

This year's sale features eleven flavors of ice cream including Peachy Paterno, Death by Chocolate and Black Raspberry Yogurt.  The cost is $6.00 per half gallon of ice cream and $3.00 per package of Stickies.

Proceeds benefit the Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society. For more information, contact Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society at 412-675-9048.

Communications students had the opportunity to interview Rep. Doyle after he spoke to business strategy students about his upcoming role as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Rep. Doyle was questioned by senior commmunications major Vince Gibbons and junior communications major Sasha Kaclik, shown at the right with Dr. Kathleen Taylor Brown, assistant professor of communications.

On Tuesday, March 25th Teaching South Asia Speaker Series presents Aziza Shad, MD, chief, Georgetown University Hospital's Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Shad's world-renowned work in pediatric cancer research and clinical treatment has spanned more than 25 years and several continents. She currently serves as director of Georgetown University Hospital's Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Shad has received a prestigious award from her alma mater, the Pennsylvania State School of Medicine. Dr. Shad, the recipient of the 2007 Alumni Fellow Award, is a 1989 graduate of the Penn State College of Medicine's pediatric residency program and is the first resident alumna to receive this award.

In addition to her work at Georgetown, Dr. Shad dedicates significant time to improving the survival rates in children with cancer in developing countries. As the director of International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research USA, she works with physicians from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. She travels to oncology centers in developing countries to educate oncologists and nurses, guide patient treatments, organize workshops, and teach palliative care. Dr. Shad runs a cancer survivorship program at Georgetown University Hospital and has been instrumental in establishing similar programs in several Middle Eastern and Asian countries.

Grateful for the care Dr. Shad gave their daughter Kara, the Amey family of Great Falls, Virginia established The Amey Distinguished Professorship in Neuro-Oncology and Childhood Cancer at Georgetown. Dr. Shad was named the first Amey Distinguished Professor in April 2006.

Her exceptional and compassionate care has saved the lives of countless children. "My patients here taught me everything I have learned. Whether you're working in the depths of Africa or at a renowned medical institute, the care for patients will never change," said Dr. Shad. 


The presentation will take place at 12:15 p.m. in Frable 117.

Under the joint direction of Michael Manojlovich, Instructor in Information Sciences and Technology, and Sara Ahrens, Community Engagement Coordinator at Penn State Greater Allegheny, students in the IST 421: Advanced Enterprise Integration: Technologies and Applications and IST 440W: Information Sciences and Technology Integration and Problem Solving classes have entered into partnerships with two community service organizations.

Joining with The Future is Mine (TFIM), a career awareness initiative of the Consortium for Public Education, Penn State Greater Allegheny IST students will be sponsoring an Information Sciences and Technology Workshop for high school students from the 25 school districts participating in the Consortium's TFIM initiative. As part of the campus's Open House on April 12, IST students will conduct workshp sessions in the following areas:

Careers in technology
New technologies for teachers and students in social networking -- podcasting, blogging, use of Facebook, etc.
Globalization - how technology fits into the global society and the technology of other cultures.
Web design - setting up and maintaining sites

Students attending the workshops are also invited to attend the campus's open house events. www.ga.psu.edu/Admissions/admevents.htm

IST 421 students are partnering with the Good Grief Center for Bereavement Support in an attempt to better organize and index their reference materials. The Center is a non-profit organization which serves the community through grief awareness, education, support and hope.  IST students have joined with the Center's staff in brainstorming to better develop the Center's future technological needs, as well as organizing their reference materials.  Students will also help in the organization's move from Homestead to Squirrel Hill, scheduled for later this spring.

This partnership is one of many the campus faculty and students have undertaken as part of the Civic and Community Engagement Minor currently offered at Penn State Greater Allegheny.  Over 20 classes have been approved as credit towards the minor as students participate in service projects with various non-profit and government agencies throughout the Greater Allegheny service area.

Penn State Greater Allegheny is hosting an Engineering Speaker Series for students in the Introduction to Engineering Design Class (EDSGN 100) during the 2007-2008 Fall and Spring semesters. Initiated by Dr. George Crawford, senior instructor in engineering, and Dr. Eric Lipsky, instructor in engineering, the series is meant to acquaint PSUGA students with professional engineers employed by local companies. Guest lecturers address the daily responsibilities of an engineer and how those responsibilities fit into their company's organizational structure.

The Engineering Design class has a community engagement component as part of the campus's new civic and community engagement minor. As part of their message to the students, the guest engineers describe how their employers impact the community as well as the type of community outreach in which their employers participate. The speaker series also addresses career opportunities for PSUGA students, identifying local engineering firms and obtaining information, from the speakers, on various career paths available to engineering graduates.

Speakers for the class are invited to the campus by our engineering faculty and the Office of Institutional Advancement (IA). The IA office also helps identify campus alumni who are employed as engineers in the local area.

One recent speaker was John Traina, a mechanical engineer and engineering consultant.  Mr. Traina and his wife, Nancy, have been major benefactors to the Greater Allegheny campus and its scholarship fund. Corporate engineering firms who have had representatives address PSUGA students during 2007-2008 include: Allegheny Power, Alion Science and Technology, Crucible Research, Elliott Company,  Industrial Energy Engineering, MAGLEV, Mathews International, National Instruments, Quality in Manufacturing, Respironics, and U.S. Steel.

Government and educational institutions are also represented in the speaker series. An environmental engineer from the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Mining,  addressed the students in the fall and a representative from Penn State's PennTAPP office spoke to the students during the spring term.  

The series will continue in the 2008-2009 academic year as Drs. Crawford and Lipsky hope to make the series a permanent part of the EDSGN curriculum. Plans also call for the opening of the lectures to other engineering classes and PSUGA students, faculty, and staff interested in attending.

Senator Obama received 47 votes, followed by Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain, tied at 21. The remaining votes went to Governor Mike Huckabee (8) and Ralph Nader (6), plus 4 for a local student.

The mock ballot required students to choose among Clinton, Huckabee, McCain, and Obama, and thus was not conducted as the Pennsylvania primary will be in April, with voters only able to vote for candidates from the party in which they are registered.

This event occurred the same week in which Representative Mike Doyle spoke on the campus about the role of the superdelegates at the Democratic convention.

Penn State Greater Allegheny awarded two Research Development Grants (RDG) for the 2007-08 academic year.

Assistant Professor of Integrative Arts, Lori Hepner, was awarded an RDG for her proposal, Code Words Project.

Ms. Hepner's proposal will be used to create new work for her photographic print installation project currently in-progress, and to expand it to include time-based video work.  The expansion will also allow for submission to artist-in residency programs and other exhibition opportunities which will advance her movement towards University tenure. 

Hepner joined Penn State Greater Allegheny in August, 2007 after teaching at the State University of New York at Cortland.  Hepner earned her B.F.A. at the Rochester Institute of Technology and her M.F.A. at the Rhode Island School of Design, and has exhibited her work worldwide.

Hepner's Code Words  piece, "Nebulous:Spasm:1" was awarded the Leon A. Arkus Memorial Award at the recent Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 97th Annual Exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art. 

Pieces of her Code Words Project have also been exhibited at the CEPA Gallery Members Exhibition in Buffalo, NY and at the Reflections Exhibition, the PTI Gallery, and the Sweetwater Center for the Arts (all local exhibits).  A Code Words Projects piece, "Impart: Dissipate:16," is part of the permanent collection of the  Dowd Fine Arts Gallery in Cortland, NY.  

Hepner's  Code Words Project is part of a two-person exhibition at the Haggery Gallery at the University of Dallas scheduled for March, 2008.

Guangfeng Song, Assistant Professor of Information Sciences and Technology,  was also awarded a Research and Development Grant for his proposal entitled, "Information Grouping and Perception of Complexity in Computer Interfaces, An Experimental Study."

The proposal funds experimental research for Song.   Funds will primarily be used to pay human participants and to cover the cost of materials necessary in the preparation of  the experimental environments.   The study will include 35 participants and hopes to answer the following questions for Dr. Song's ongoing research:

• Does information grouping increase or decrease the perceived complexity of computer interfaces?
  

• Does the type of information make a difference in answering the above question?  
  

• Does the method of grouping affect perceived complexity?  Two grouping methods will be considered: grouping by blank space and grouping by lines. 
  

Song joined Penn State Greater Allegheny in 2003 after completing his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University.  Song has previously been  awarded RDG grants for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 academic years. 

Hope Finds A Way: THON 2008

THON 2008 was a huge success! Penn State Greater Allegheny recently took part in a 46 hour no sleeping-no sitting dance marathon to help raise money for kids with pediatric cancer. The Penn State Greater Allegheny campus collected $11, 233.15 of the total $6.6 million raised. We would like to thank the surrounding community of Penn State Greater Allegheny for all donations and support.

Four dancers represented Penn State Greater Allegheny along with 700 other dancers at the annual Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) that was held on Friday, Feb. 22, through Sunday, Feb. 24, at the University Park campus' Bryce Jordan Center.

This year Ashley Kowalski, corporate communications major, was chair of the drive, along with Dion Harris, corporate communications major . Kowalski has been a member of THON since her freshman year. She danced along with Michael Wancheck, senior IST major; India Gaston, junior psychology major; and Erica Sanchez, kinesiology major. A group of 35 other Greater Allegheny students called Moralers  helped cheer on the dancers.

The goal was to surpass Greater Allegheny's last year's total of $10,600 by canning throughout the campus and local community. Funds were raised to support pediatric cancer patients at the Penn State Children's Hospital, Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Sophomore Ashlee Wygonik (Agriculture major; Port Vue, PA/ South Allegheny) has received national recognition for her efforts on and off the basketball court. Wygonik, who led the Lady Lions Basketball team in scoring and rebounds, was named to the USCAA’s All-American and National All-Academic teams. Wygonik is the first Penn State Greater Allegheny student-athlete to receive these awards. For more information, visit http://www.theuscaa.com/.

Dean Henry Foley, Dean of the College of Information Systems and Technology (IST), visited Penn State Greater Allegheny on February 21.    Accompanied by the College's Associate Dean, John Yen, and Associate Professor of  IST, Gerald Santoro, Dean Foley met with campus administration, IST students and faculty during his 3 1/2 hr. visit to the campus. 

The purpose of the Dean's visit was to address any questions, concerns or issues that students, faculty or campus administration had about the IST  program, established in 1999,  and to generate discussion among all parties as the College begins its five- year strategic planning process.  

Meeting with Greater Allegheny students in the Student Community Center,  Dean Foley talked about the strength of the IST degree, career opportunities for students and various innovations the College will be instituting to improve the degree in the future.   Discussion also centered on the IST Security and Risk Analysis major currently available, noting that the degree has three difference tracks, one in intelligence analysis, a second in information security and a third in  security and how that security affects society (policies, procedures and rules).

Currently Penn State has 1400 students enrolled in the program statewide, with 49 currently enrolled in the major at Greater Allegheny.   The IST major, according to the Dean, is growing by "leaps and bounds" with the college's biggest challenges being to unify the program at the 19 Penn State locations that offer the degree and to stay on the cutting edge of technology.  The IST curriculum is continuously being changed and upgraded to meet the needs of the corporations and the governmental organizations which employ Penn State graduates, according to Associate Professor Santoro.   In this regard Penn State is instituting a program of Professors of Practice, a network of individuals who stay in touch with the corporate world and bring real time issues in Information Technology to upper level PSU IST majors.   These issues generate classroom discussion so that students can propose and develop solutions for further study.  

Associate Dean Yen described the IST major as different from other information science  majors.  Dean Yen stated that the PSU degree addresses the needs of organizational cultures, providing innovative and simple solutions to problems faced by the people who use the systems daily.     Penn State's aim, according to Dean Foley, is to emphasize the "people" angle rather than the "system" as a whole.

It was noted during the student meeting that the placement rate within IST is 95% during the five month period immediately following graduation.  Students can expect a starting salary in the $45,000 - $55,000 per annum range.  Dean Foley pointed out to the students that a University degree does not "train" but rather "teaches" the individual to think, develop solutions and ultimately manage those solutions.  This, he noted, was  the difference between certifications and a University degree.    Foley, Yen, and Santoro all emphasized the need for Penn State students to continue to stay abreast of what is current in the field and to provide the IST program with a network of graduates in the corporate and government sectors who consistently communicate with the University  in an effort to keep the  degree current and valuable.  When asked by a student "What makes a degree valuable?" Foley stated that a degree is only as valuable as the accomplishments of its graduates.  

The IST contingent ended its visit to the McKeesport area with  a visit to Blue Roof Technologies, a community partner of Penn State Greater Allegheny.  Blue Roof partners with Penn State faculty and students in the development of a "smart house" for seniors.   The house is equipped with devices that allows aging individuals to stay in their own home while monitoring their safety and health.

Verónica Montecinos, professor of sociology, will be honored by International Programs in March with a Spirit of Internationalization Award. Dr. Montecinos is one of six women who will be presented with this award in honor of International Women's Day.  The award was established to "honor women with international interests who have shown extraordinary strength of character and commitment to the cause of internationalization." (http://www.international.psu.edu/index.html).

Dr. Montecinos was recognized for her leadership on the Greater Allegheny campus and beyond to move the curriculum to reflect a global perspective. She is also an internationally recognized researcher whose work encompasses technocracy, public policies, social patterns, and economics of both North and South America.

The highly successful curriculum project she instituted and leads began with Teaching Haiti 2004. This year-long focus included participation by full-time and adjunct faculty alike in weaving some aspect of Haitian history, culture, art, literature, or social science into one or more courses. The Haiti project led to a lasting scheme for internationalizing the curriculum called Teaching International, in which faculty identify an area of the world on which to focus. For the 2005-06 academic year, the theme was Africa, for 2006-07 India, and for 2007-08 is South Asia, with Latin America and East Asia planned for the next two years, respectively.

As part of Teaching International, Dr. Montecinos has led faculty, staff, and students in initiatives including campus poster sessions, photo essays, and invited international speakers. In just this past year, Dr. Montecinos invited guest speakers to the campus to discuss issues of global citizenship.  She organized Penn State Greater Allegheny students speaking on South Asia to local area high schools and took students and faculty to visit the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center.  Dr. Montecinos organized the campus co-sponsorship of the Silk Screen Asian Film Festival in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Montecinos has worked with Penn State faculty across campuses and with faculty from other institutions.  She traveled to Tanzania during Spring Break 2007 (see http://live.psu.edu/index.php?sec=vs_highlight&story=23377&highlight=1) and participated in two follow-up retreats with a delegation of Penn State faculty. She is a member of the Regional Advisory Board for the West European Studies/European Union Center at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the advisory board for the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Dr. Montecinos has explored international issues in a variety of papers, book chapters, and books, including the forthcoming book with John Markoff, Economists in the Americas, to be published by Edward Elgar. Dr. Montecinos co-authored four chapters of this volume. Her work has gained significant international attention. Dr. Montecinos traveled to Chile to present “Pension Reform, Gender, and the Coming Legislative Debate”.  She is also a member of the board of the Penn State University Press, evaluating manuscripts dealing with Sociology and Latin American Studies.

Do you love Penn State Greater Allegheny?  Then show us!
 
In fact, if you 'Show Us Your Penn State Greater Allegheny'
by creating a 2 minute video,  you can enter to win a $1,000 Scholarship Award.   

Your entry should be something you’d watch and share with your friends that allows you to express yourself and to Show Us Your Penn State Greater Allegheny.....as creatively as possible.     

To enter, you must read and sign the Official Contest Rules/Entry Form and Release. You must also submit your contact information. All entries must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 for consideration.

If you have questions or experience difficulty downloading the Official Contest Rules/Entry Form and Release, please contact Linda Curinga at lmc16@psu.edu or 412-675-9180.

View our 'Show Us Your Penn State Greater Allegheny' flyer

 
Jay Breckenridge, professor of theatre arts at Penn State Greater Allegheny will be appearing as Doc Marlowe, a pitch man for a miracle medicine, in the upcoming Heritage Players' (Bethel Park Community Theatre) production of "Jabberwock. " As tech director, Breckenridge also designed and built the set.

Directed by Lance Eric Skapura, the play, for which the full title is "Improbabilities lived and imagined by James Thurber in the fictional city of Columbus, Ohio, made into a play," by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, is high-octane, door-slamming family fun. It features the wacky, slightly dysfunctional Thurber family in the years leading up to World War I.

The show runs for two weekends -- Feb. 15 to 17 and 22 to 24 -- at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays at the Bethel Park Community Center, 5151 Park Ave. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors.

All summer scheduling across the University begins Monday, February 11, 2008.

Students from any Penn State campus can schedule a summer course at Penn State Greater Allegheny using eLion. 

Penn State Greater Allegheny's summer schedule is posted online, and is updated nightly (http://soc.our.psu.edu/soc/summer/mk/index.html). 

Non-Penn State students with a high school diploma can also schedule after completing a nondegree student application and submitting to the Campus Registrar's Office, 102 Frable Building, Penn State Greater Allegheny, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport, PA, 15132 (412-675-9170; PSUGA-Registrar@psu.edu).

High school students interested in taking a summer class should follow the instructions at http://www.ga.psu.edu/Admissions/dualenrollment.htm .

The course schedule has been designed to offer the most sought after courses by our students during the summer break. Highlights of the summer schedule include:

• Several accelerated sessions allowing students to earn credits in an expedited manner. 
• English, IST, psychology, kinesiology and other courses offered via the web, allowing students to work at home for added convenience. 
• Biology and chemistry offerings that include general education courses as well as those that satisfy requirements for a variety of majors, includng pre-med. 
• IST support of option courses: PSYCH 100 and PSYCH 221 (web based). 
• Courses available to foster multicultural understanding and satisfy the University and B.A. diversity requirements. 
• Selection of general education courses to appeal to a variety of student interests. 
• An assortment of courses to fulfill requirements for Business, Communications, IST, OLEAD, and Psychology majors.
• Math offerings with small class sizes for more individualized attention.

For more information, contact:
Academic Affairs Office
104 Frable Building
412-675-9140
PSUGA-academics@psu.edu

Theme for week three: "The Fight for Equality"

-- Feb 18: Monday Night Movie -- "Remember the Titans," 9 p.m. Ostermayer Room in the Student Community Center.

-- Feb 20: Campus debate topic: "Does Equality Exist Today?," 9:15 p.m., Ostermayer Room in the Student Community Center.

Theme for week four: "How Far We Have Come?"

-- Feb 25: Monday Night Movie -- "Rent," 9 p.m., Ostermayer Room, Student Community Center.

-- Feb 26: Performance by the Robeson Center Troupe, 9 p.m., Residence Hall Lobby.

-- Feb 28: "The Evolution of Dance," presented by the campus Dance Pride Club, 9 to 10:30 p.m., Ostermayer Room in the Student Community Center.
 

One of the six great Celtic nations, land of saints and poets and craggy coasts, Ireland is the destination for the 2008 Penn State Greater Allegheny educational travel experience. This educational trip will be led by Ellie Higgins, associate professor of English and Cliff Manlove, associate professor of English, faculty members from Penn State Greater Allegheny and a full-time EF Educational Tours director.

This 11-day tour, May 19 through 30, will visit five locations -- Dublin, Cork, Galway, Derry and Belfast -- and will pass through New Ross, Donegal and Armagh. Walking and guided tours will take place at each location. Additionally, the tour features lectures on Irish-Anglo history and Irish immigration.

The study-tour is open to all Penn State students, faculty, staff, retirees and alumni. Family and friends of Penn Staters are welcome to join the tour.

The tour will be of special interest for students still considering what to do for summer school. Consider that for about the price of what students would spend for six credit hours of summer school at Penn State, they could travel to Ireland and add one to two courses to their spring 2008 schedule at no additional cost.

Penn State students may take the opportunity to earn academic credit for this travel experience by enrolling in one of the following classes: "International Cultures through Literature and Film" and "Modern Irish Literature." The Ireland travel experience takes the place of regular class meetings for the spring semester of 2008. All courses require attendance at mandatory meetings before departure.

For information on the tour and to sign up, contact EF Educational Tours either by phone at (800) 457-9023 or (800) 665-5364, or at their Web site (http://www.eftours.com/), using the "tour code" 976564. To see a detailed itinerary, important dates, payment options and travel tips, click on the orange link "for students and parents," then select "check out your teacher's tour" and enter the tour code number.

Games will be played in Wunderley Gymnasium, located on the upper part of the campus. Parking is available behind the gym in the White Lot. Handicapped parking is available in front in the gym. For more information, please call Ryan Astor at (412) 675-9460.

Directions to Campus

Route 30 West. Take US Route 30 West to intersection of Routes 48 and 30. Turn left on Route 48 South and go approximately 5 miles. At next traffic signal, turn right onto Lincoln Way. Go 1.5 miles to O'Neil Boulevard and turn left. The Greater Allegheny campus is about .5 miles from Lincoln Way. Turn left at the Penn State sign and go to the fork in the campus road. Bear left and go up the hill. Turn right at Wunderley Gym, follow road to White Lot.

From the South via Route 51 North:
Follow Route 51 North to Route 48 North. Turn right on Route 48 and continue through Elizabeth Township over the Boston Bridge through Versailles Borough. Just past the Olympia Shopping Center, Route 48 turns right—do not turn right. Continue straight. You are on Route 148 or Walnut Street. At the next traffic signal turn right onto Eden Park Boulevard and continue to the next traffic signal. At this intersection, Renzie Park will be on the right and left. Continue 2 blocks to an intersection and turn right onto University Drive. Follow signs to the White Lot.

From Pittsburgh via Route 51 South:
Follow Lebanon Church Road past Century III Shopping Mall and the Allegheny County Airport. Stay on Lebanon Church Road. Proceed down Dravosburg Hill and cross the Mansfield Bridge. Turn left at the end of the bridge and proceed through downtown McKeesport on Lysle Boulevard. Continue through and out of the downtown McKeesport area following Lysle Boulevard. You will pass under the Duquesne-McKeesport Bridge overpass and proceed past the McKeesport Area School District Administration Building on the left. At the third traffic signal, turn right onto Hartman Street. Proceed to the top of the hill and at the next traffic signal, turn left onto O'Neil Boulevard. Turn right at the Penn State sign and go to the fork in the campus road. Bear left and go up the hill. Turn right at Wunderley Gym, follow road to White Lot.

From Pittsburgh via Parkway:
Take I-376 East (Parkway East) to Exit #8A (Formerly Exit #10). Exit sign reads 30 East Forest Hills/ McKeesport. Take Route 30 East (Ardmore Boulevard) for approximately 5 miles. Turn right at Route 148 South. Travel approximately 3 miles. Turn left on to Hartman Street. At the next traffic signal, turn left onto O'Neil Boulevard. Campus entrance is 1/4 mile Turn right into the campus. At the fork in the road, bear left and go up the hill. Turn right at Wunderley Gym, follow road to White Lot.

From Monroeville via Route 48:
Proceed on Route 48 South crossing the Route 30 intersection and go approximately 5 miles. At next traffic signal, turn right onto Lincoln Way. Go 1.5 miles and three traffic signals to O'Neil Boulevard and turn left. Mann's Drug Store will be on one corner and Striffer's Funeral Home will be on the other corner. Penn State Greater Allegheny is about 0.5 miles from Lincoln Way. Turn left at the Penn State sign and go to the fork in the campus road. Bear left and go up the hill. Turn right at Wunderley Gym, follow road to White Lot.

From the Pittsburgh East End via Homestead:
Proceed to the Pittsburgh Homestead High Level Bridge. Turn left onto PA-837/E 8th Avenue. Follow 837 South (Kennywood Boulevard) to the McKeesport Duquesne Bridge. Proceed across the bridge and take the PA-148 North ramp. Merge onto 5th Avenue/PA-148 North. At traffic signal, turn Right onto Hartman Street. At first traffic signal, Turn left onto ONeil Boulevard. The Penn State Greater Allegheny sign is approximately 300 yards from the intersection. Turn right at the sign and go to the fork in the campus road. Bear left and go up the hill. Turn right at Wunderley Gym, follow road to White Lot.

The workshop highlights the benefits of fan system optimization and will be an introduction of DOE's Fan System Assessment Tool (FSAT). This powerful analysis software helps quantify the potential benefits of optimizing fan system configurations that serve industrial processes.  FSAT is simple and quick, and requires only basic information about fans and the motors that drive them. With FSAT, you can calculate the amount of energy used by your fan system; determine system efficiency; and quantify the savings potential of an upgraded system.

The instructor is Bill Hunter, PE, President of AirClean Technologies, Inc. located in Seattle, WA. His engineering and equipment supply business helps industrial plants increase profitability by making more effective use of their fan and plant systems. Hunter has over 12 years experience in designing, analyzing, specializing industrial energy systems.

The fee for the workshop is $50 which includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Early registration is encouraged space is limited. Checks and purchase orders should be made payable to Penn State Greater Allegheny or register on line at ga.psu.edu Continuing Education.  For questions or additional information, contact Melanie Brletic at 412 675-9040 or via e-mail at mcb12@psu.edu.

All ABSENCE submissions are eligible for consideration for the Third Annual Chancellor's Awards. Two student winners for the Best Literary and the Best Visual Arts submissions will be awarded $200 each. Two second-place award winners will each receive $75. The Chancellor's Award was instituted in 2006 to promote the growth of an active creative community in and around Penn State Greater Allegheny.

The student editorial staff and faculty advisers review submissions; final decisions about publication rest with the student editor-in-chief. ABSENCE is published in April of each academic year, and is unveiled at its annual Reading and Reception, which features the work of each year's authors and artists. The publication is supported by: the Chancellor's office, Academic Affairs, ACE, Institutional Advancement, Admissions, the Student Government Association and Student Affairs.

Wygonik Named Player of the Week

Ashlee Wygonik (Port Vue/South Allegheny) has been named the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association's Women's Basketball Player of the Week. This is the second time Wygonik has received the honor. Wygonik averaged 19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and four steals. She also recorded two double-doubles during last weeks games. 

Men's team falls  

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Men's Basketball team lost both its games over the weekend. They were defeated by Penn State Brandywine on Friday night, 79-57. On Saturday, the Lions lost to Penn State Schuylkill, 78-76.  First-year student Charles Dawson (Greensburg/Greensburg Salem) was the team's leading scorer with 24 points. The team has now lost 12 games in a row. They are 2-14 overall and 2-7 in the PSUAC. They will travel to play Penn State New Kensington on Wednesday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Nancy Traina of Fox Chapel has accepted the appointment of chair of Penn State Greater Allegheny's new capital campaign committee.

For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students gives its highest priorities to ensuring that a Penn State education remains accessible to students regardless of their financial means and to strengthening the qualities that make Penn State a student-centered university. The University has not yet determined a dollar goal for the campaign, which is still in its leadership gifts phase.

Traina, an active community volunteer, joined the campus' Advisory Board in 2000. Since 2002, she has served on the Advisory Board's Executive Committee and as chair of the campus' fundraising effort. She and her husband John have established several scholarship endowments in memory of their son Andrew. The Trainas were lead supporters of the recent Student Community Center building campaign. In recognition of their outstanding support to the University, the couple were named Honorary Penn State Alumni in 2004.

She is joined on the committee by alumni and friends who have strong ties with the campus and the University. The Penn State Greater Allegheny Capital Campaign Committee includes Arthur L. Baldwin, Mary Del Brady, Victor J. Orler Jr. and James M. "Jay" Weitzel Jr.

"Nancy has done an outstanding job as our fundraising chair for the last five years and she is joined by an exemplary group of volunteers on this new venture," said Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter. "I'm delighted to be working with these dedicated individuals who are committed to helping our students and communities succeed."

Baldwin of White Oak graduated from Penn State in 1969 with a degree in microbiology and chemistry. With more than 30 years scientific, engineering and management experience within academia, government and industry, he is a senior international adviser at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh and president of Baldwin Investment Management Group LLC. Baldwin is involved with and supports numerous Penn State activities and is an active community volunteer. He currently is a member of the board of directors of Penn State's Eberly College of Science Alumni Society. During the recent Grand Destiny capital campaign, he and his wife Cynthia established the Cynthia A. and Arthur L. Baldwin Scholarship at the campus.

Del Brady of Pittsburgh is president and chief executive officer of RedPath Integrated Pathology Inc., a biotechnology company that provides specialized cancer diagnostic testing. A native of McKeesport, she serves on the Penn State Greater Allegheny Advisory Board Executive Committee, has been co-chair of the Marketing and Recruitment Committee since 2005 and is a supporter of the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship Fund. She has received numerous professional awards and is active with local nonprofit organizations.

Orler Jr. of Hinsdale, Ill., attended the campus from 1975-77. He was president of the Student Government Association and president of Delta Kappa Phi, a campus fraternity. Orler earned a degree in marketing from Penn State in 1979 and is a retired partner in Accenture's Strategic Services practice in Chicago. He and his wife Patricia established the Victor J. and Joan M. Orler Trustee Scholarship at Penn State Greater Allegheny in honor of Victor's parents and were instrumental in establishing the John W. Beatty Memorial Fund. Orler serves on the campus' Advisory Board.

Weitzel Jr. of Springfield, Va., has also been an active supporter of campus initiatives. Weitzel, who attended the campus from 1970-72, received a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts from Penn State in 1974. Weitzel is employed as senior counsel at Northrop Grumman Corp. in Falls Church, Va. He and his wife Kim have recently established the Jay and Kim Weitzel Scholarship at Penn State Greater Allegheny. His gift during the Grand Destiny campaign allowed the campus to name the radio station booth in the Student Community Center in his honor.

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Lady Lions will celebrate "Think Pink" Week on Feb. 21 when they play host to Penn State Fayette. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. As part of the celebration, the team will wear pink T-shirts during warm-ups.  Fans are also encouraged to wear pink to the game. The "Think Pink" initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.

Penn State Greater Allegheny is hosting its annual Volleyball Marathon that helps raise money for THON.  This year, the Volleyball Marathon will be held on Sunday, January 27, 2008 at 10 a.m. and will be held in the Wunderly Gymnasium.  The teams must consist of 6-8 players and is open to all alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of Penn State.  The cost is $15 per person with all the proceeds going to THON.  Each team is encouraged to create their own team shirts and the players of the winning team will receive a champion t-shirt.  The deadline to sign up is January 24, 2008.

THON is an annual dance marathon scheduled for Feb. 20-22, at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University Park. Hundreds of students, from all Penn State campuses will dance for 48 hours, no sitting, or sleeping all to raise money for children with cancer.  The proceeds will benefit The Four Diamonds Fund and Hershey Medical Center.  THON is the largest student run philanthropy in the world.  Over the past 35 years, THON has raised over $46 million.  Last year, THON raised $5.2 million dollars to help the families of kids with cancer.

For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Ashley Kowalski, THON Chair, please call Erin O’Malley at (412) 675-9493 or e-mail Erin O’Malley at eio1@psu.edu or Ashley Kowalski at ajk5025@psu.edu.

Penn State Greater Allegheny announces two interim appointments to the Academic Affairs Department. Delia Conti, associate professor of communications arts and sciences has been named interim director of Academic Affairs, and James Jaap, senior instructor of English has been named interim director of Academic Administration. The two will be responsible for all academic programs, faculty, academic support programs and academic staff respective for an approximate six-month period. During this time, the campus will search for a permanent department head for academic affairs.

Dr. Conti joined the campus in the fall of 1988 and was tenured in 1998 as an associate professor of communication arts and sciences. In addition to holding a doctoral degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Conti earned a juris doctorate from Duquesne University. As interim director of Academic Affairs she is responsible for all full-time faculty matters to include faculty evaluations, promotion and professional development, and will supervise the operations of all academic programs. Conti will continue to head the corporate communications degree program. She serves on the University Faculty Senate and is the chair of the University Planning Committee of the Senate.

Dr. Jaap earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Dayton and a master's and a doctorate both in English from Duquesne University. He began his career at Penn State in 1997 as an instructor of English and served as tech prep coordinator. He became assistant director of Academic Affairs in 2003 and was promoted to senior instructor in English in 2006. In the new interim director of Academic Administration position, Jaap is responsible for hiring and supervision of adjunct faculty, academic staff and all academic support programs.

Conti and Jaap are replacing the former director of Academic Affairs, Dr. Margaret Signorella, who returned to the faculty full time after serving in the position for seven years.

The talk will be on Thursday January 24 from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center.

The event is free and open to the public. For additional information contact Nancy Egan, faculty secretary, at 412-675-9143 or nle10@psu.edu.

The campus will commemorate the life, legacy and accomplishments of Dr. King through song and dramatic performance. The program will feature “The Dream Still Lives: The Ongoing Legacy of Dr. King,” presented by The Kuntu Repertory Theater under the direction of Dr. Vernell A. Lillie. The evening's keynote speaker, Esther L. Bush, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, will deliver a discourse on the "The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."

The event is free to the public. For additional information contact the Office of Student and Enrollment Services at 412 675-9160.

Dr. Kathleen Taylor Brown, assistant professor of communications, will introduce Lippincott to her class in an effort to expand their writing experiences. Her presentation followed by a book signing will focus on creative nonfiction and her current specialty writing lifestories.

Lippincott offers interactive writing workshops based on her credos that anything you write is better than writing nothing and that there is no single right way to approach writing: “The way you write is as personal as your fingerprint. Explore your unique style and respect it.” She helps students identify their personal writing preferences and voice. The book offers step by step instructions on how to begin writing about your own life story.

The Penn State communications class will apply the training from Lippincott to provide outreach for seniors in the local community through Blueroof Technologies Research Associates. The goal of the collaboration is to teach seniors to use computers by writing their own lifestories. The students will mentor seniors through the “Follow me Home Initiative” while using lifestories as the catalyst for learning.

Lippincott is a native of western Pennsylvania, a sought after speaker and has been a published author for over 25 years on business, professional and general interest topics. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information please contact 412-675-9180.

Penn State Greater Allegheny is offering 10-week Real Estate Pre-licensure classes on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, beginning February 13, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the campus’ Frable Conference Center.

The Penn State Real Estate Certification Program is designed to help students prepare for a career in real estate.  The training is designed for anyone who is interested in real estate as a profession or in learning more about specific areas of the field. The courses are approved by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission and can be applied toward the educational requirements for taking the salesperson’s and broker’s license examinations.

The Continuing Education department currently offers two real estate courses, Real Estate Fundamentals on Wednesday evenings and Real Estate Practice on Thursday evenings. The goal is to provide a foundation in real estate training and education that suits the needs, schedule, and budget of the adult student.

For further information or to register online, download the pdf file or email us at gace@psu.edu or call 412.675.9051.

The Spring 2008 schedule of classes is available in two formats:

• As a pdf file (updated weekly) that contains all campus course offerings for spring.
• From a menu by course name on the University Registrar's web page (updated nightly).

Former Penn State students wishing to re-enroll should contact the Campus Registrar's Office at 412-675-9170 or PSUGA-Registrar@psu.edu.

New to Penn State and interested in becomg a student? Contact the Admissions Office at 412-675-9010 or psuga@psu.edu.

Dr. Margaret Signorella, former Director of Academic Affairs at Penn State Greater Allegheny, has rejoined the ranks of full-time faculty effective January 1, 2008.

Signorella made the decision to devote her time exclusively to teaching and research after realizing that years of work she had done on a developmental research project might not be published in a timely manner.   Lacking time to work on this project as the campus's Chief Academic Officer, the decision was made to return to her students and her research, two areas she sorely missed in her seven-year stint in campus administration.  

Dr. Signorella, Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies, is a product of Penn State's graduate program, earning her M.S. and Ph.D. at the University.   She joined Penn State as a faculty member in 1982, after teaching at Eastern Michigan University and SUNY College at Brockport.

Signorella's research has focused on gender schemata and the development of the child and adolescent.  A current research project is focused on the National Geographic Society's Geography Bee and the reason why finalists are rarely female.  She is joined in this research by two Penn State Colleagues: Dr. Lynn Liben, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and former Department Head and Director of the Child Study Center and Dr. Roger Downs, Professor of Geography and former Department Head in Geography.

While serving as the campus's chief academic officer, Dr. Signorella's accomplishments included:  development of the campus's website, establishment of the campus's International status and teaching international program, the expansion of the campus's eLearning class options, and the introduction of new academic programs, including the four-year Applied Psychology program that she presently heads for the University College.  

Fall 2007 commencement was celebrated at Penn State Greater Allegheny on Thursday, December 20 in Wunderely Gymnasium. Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter presided. Baccalaureate and associate degrees were conferred upon 40 students. (View commencement photo slide show.)

Student marshals for the campus baccalaureate degrees were Mark Ament (Business), Amanda Shaw (Communication), Keith Doggrell (Information Sciences & Technology), and Tiffany Ball (Applied Psychology). Student marshals carry the highest GPA of all attending graduates within that degree program.

Several students also were honored with Academic Excellence Awards: Mark J. Ament, Lauren E. Carpenter, Steven J. Horhut, and Katherine A. McFarland. These awards are given to students achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.60 or higher who have attended Penn State Greater Allegheny for four or more semesters and who attend the graduation ceremony.

Dr. Jay Breckenridge, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, served as campus marshal.  Dr. Breckenridge has 36 years of service to the University.  Program Marshals included Dr. Michelle Hough, Assistant Professor of Business Administration; Dr. Delia Conti, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences; Galen Grimes, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), and Dr. Margaret L. Signorella, Director of Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies.

The keynote speaker was Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce president, Barbara A. McNees, who has served the organization, an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference of Community Development, since 1997. The Chamber represents more than 500 businesses with more than one million employees across a 10-county area. Under her leadership, the Chamber has sharpened its focus on the innovation behind the Pittsburgh economy and broadened the voice of the Chamber membership in Harrisburg and Washington, DC.

At the close of the ceremony, Dr. Signorella, who is returning to the faculty full-time in Spring 2008, was honored for her seven years service as Director of Academic Affairs. She was presented with a painting by a Haitian artist, in recognition of her contributions to the campus international initiatives.