California University
VOLUME 14, NUMBER 15 MAY 7, 2012 READ THE JOURNAL ONLINE: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal
Alumni to Address Graduates wo distinguished alumni will address graduating students when Cal U holds Commencement ceremonies this weekend in the Convocation Center. Degrees will be awarded to nearly 1,000 undergraduates and 300 graduate students in separate ceremonies. Dr. Robert Delamontagne ’66 will address master’s degree candidates at 7 p.m. Friday. The founder and past chairman of EduNeering Inc., the first company to create computer-based training programs for business and industry, he retired from the firm in 2007 after 25 years at the helm and managing more than 7 million computerbased course completions by learners. After his retirement Dr. Delamontagne authored The Retiring Mind: How to Make the Psychological Transition to Retirement, a book dedicated to helping retirees manage the negative psychological effects often encountered after retiring. He also has written Honey, I’m Home: How to Prevent or Resolve Marriage Conflicts Caused by Retirement. This book helps the reader gain a greater understanding of the causes of marital disagreements after retirement, with particular emphasis on resolving personality conflicts. During the ceremony, master’s degree candidates will be vested in their academic hoods. Maj. Gen. Donna Barbisch ’84 will speak to undergraduates at 10 a.m. Saturday. Among the foremost subject matter experts in emergency preparedness and building resiliency for catastrophic disasters, terrorism and unconventional threats, she retired from the Army in 2005 as a major general. Today she is president of Global Deterrence Alternatives, a consulting firm focused on developing creative solutions to emerging threats, and a distinguished fellow at George Mason University’s Center for
T
Dr. Robert Delamontagne ’66
Maj. Gen. Donna Barbisch ’84
Cleanup Includes ‘Ecycling’ “Spring Clean Up” conducted by California Borough Council and County Hauling aims to bring the semester to a tidier and more environmentally friendly close. Students are encouraged to participate in the enhanced cleanup and recycling effort during exam week and the week that follows. The program includes free curbside pickup of household items May 7-10 and May 1417, in addition to regular Friday garbage pickups on May 11 and May 18 in California Borough. Electronic recyclables may be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. May 10 and 11 at Third Street between Green and East Streets. No fee will be charged. John McGarvey, manager of County Hauling Corp. of Belle Vernon, said the program is intended to promote electronic recycling and improve the borough’s appearance during the time when many students are vacating their off-campus residences. — Continued on page 3
A
Muriel Summers
Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security. An honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, honoris causa, will be awarded during the undergraduate ceremony to Muriel Summers, principal of the A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C. Summers turned the once-failing school into a thriving magnet school when she focused on leadership and infused the principles of Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People into every class, creating The Leader in Me model. Summers and her students have been regular presenters at The Leader in Me Global Education Summits held at Cal U. Her school has been featured in Covey’s books The Leader in Me and The 8th Habit, Its success inspired California University of Pennsylvania to become the world’s first FranklinCovey Leadership University. Campus television station CUTV will rebroadcast both ceremonies on Armstrong Cable (Channel 61 ArmstrongConnellsville) and Atlantic Broadband Communications (Channel 17). More information about Commencement, including links to directions and parking, is available at www.calu.edu/events/ commencement . For more information, contact Jodie Rooney, academic events coordinator, at 724-938-1584 or rooney@calu.edu .
Students Stage 2012 Wildlife Conclave rom the first planning session to the closing awards ceremony, students in Cal U’s chapter of The Wildlife Society took the lead as hosts of the 2012 Northeast Student Wildlife Conclave. A lineup of 13 workshops, plus a variety of competitions, drew a total of 135 students from 13 colleges and universities to the Laurelville Conference Center April 13-15. Dr. Carol Bocetti, associate professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, said it was the largest conclave in the Northeast since the event was resurrected seven years ago. “It was an honor and a challenge to host this,” she said. “Our students put in untold hours planning and running this. We had such positive feedback from visiting faculty advisers and students saying what a great job we had done.” In particular, Bocetti praised the efforts of Frank Christopher, a junior fisheries and wildlife biology major and vice president of The Wildlife Society’s student chapter at Cal U. Christopher visited several venues last spring, took photographs and presented options to the chapter, which voted to hold the conclave at the conference center near Mt. Pleasant, Pa. He and Bocetti devised a list of potential workshop programs, and he contacted most of the experts who served as instructors. “Frank and I worked very closely, and he really put this thing together,” said Bocetti. “We had 30 or so of our students setting everything up and helping the presenters. “For the Quiz Bowl alone, our students came up with
F
Dr. Carol Bocetti (right front) and students in Cal U’s chapter of The Wildlife Society worked as a team to organize and host the 2012 Northeast Student Wildlife Conclave, which drew a total of 135 students from 13 colleges and universities.
more than 330 different questions. We had a great team effort.” Christopher will be the student chapter president in 2012-2013. He said the year of planning brought the chapter’s members together. “This event gave our chapter a chance to reach the next level, and further introduce our name and work ethic to others,” he said. “Some new student leaders stepped forward throughout the past nine months. We had to work together and organize everything about this event. I now
have a new appreciation for any conference I have attended or ever will attend.” Bocetti and her department colleague Dr. Mark Tebbitt took part in a workshop panel about writing résumés and cover letters and interviewing for a job. Bocetti also led a workshop on using lightweight “mist nets” in wildlife research, and Tebbitt conducted a session on entomological (insect) sampling. Greg Sofranko, creative services director in the Office of Marketing and University Relations, led a — Continued on page 4