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California University
Volume 15, Number 17 July 22, 2013 Read the JouRnal online: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal
Trustees Tap Two as New Officers N
During next month’s STEAM Creator Camp, at Cal U students in grades 6-8 will work with aquatic robotics using SeaPerch technology.
Camp Adds Art to STEM Mix
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TEAM — that’s STEM with a dash of the arts — will power a free, weeklong camp this summer at Cal U. In collaboration with ANSYS Inc., a leader in engineering software development, Cal U will offer students in grades 6-8 a summer camp focusing on science, technology, engineering, mathematics and the arts. “ANSYS is very excited to team up with Cal U to help spark kids’ interest in science and math — and to inspire the next generation of engineers,” said Josh Fredberg, vice president of marketing. “(Author) Isaac Asimov used to say that engineering changes the world. Who knows what changes these young students will bring about in their lifetime, thanks to the lessons they learn at STEAM Creator Camp.” The five-day camp will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 12-16 at Cal U. Students will participate in hands-on activities to encourage their interest in STEAM and introduce them to potential careers. Activities will focus on app development using Gamesalad software, aquatic robotics using SeaPerch technology, building design using Minecraft gaming software, and comic book design, printing and manufacturing. “Our camp adds an arts element to the usual STEM subjects,” explains organizer Dr. Stephen Whitehead, interim associate provost at Cal U. “Another important component is that local industries will be sending professionals to participate throughout the week. We want the students to meet real people who use STEAM skills in their careers, and we hope the professionals will go back to their companies and talk about the students’ experience.” All seats for the STEAM Creator Camp’s summer 2013 session are filled. To add your name to a waiting list or receive news about future events, look for the camp announcement on Cal U’s homepage, www.calu.edu.
about $1 million. ew leaders were elected “We are working hard for and a University body was financial transparency among all of disbanded when Cal U’s our constituencies,” she said. Council of Trustees held its The President also quarterly meeting June 5 in Old recommended that the Trustees Main. disband the University Forum, one At a brief reorganization of several “shared-governance session, the Trustees elected structures” at Cal U. Lawrence “Larry” Maggi ’79 to Created 13 years ago to enhance serve as chair and Annette Ganassi Lawrence ‘Larry’ Maggi ’79 communication among as vice chair through June 2015. administrators, faculty, staff and students, Both have served as Trustees since 2009. and between the University and the general Ganassi, a Somerset county businesswoman, also held a seat on the panel public, the body has suffered from declining participation in recent years. It was rarely from 1997-2003. able to attract a quorum during the 2012Maggi, chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, has been a member 2013 academic year. The motion to abolish the Forum was of the Cal U Alumni Association’s board of made by Trustee Aaron Walton. It passed on directors since 2002. a 6-3 vote, with Trustees Spangler, Michele “I am honored to be a Trustee and to be Mandell and new member Thomas Uram elected chairman,” he said. “As a former voting against the measure. student, I enjoy being here. This is kind of In other business: exciting for me.” • Dr. Bruce Barnhart, interim provost and The panel’s regular meeting opened with vice president for Academic Affairs, reported public comments by Trustee Jerry Spangler that during the past quarter, 11 Cal U faculty ’74, who is concluding his service after 14 and staff members received notification of years. new grant awards totaling nearly $526,000. “We live in dynamic, challenging times Although enrollment figures are far from punctuated with periods of rapid change,” complete, he said he anticipates a rise in said Spangler, who chaired the panel from 2003-2007. “We have always been focused on freshman and transfer deposits compared to this time last year. our students, which has positioned us well in • Robert Thorn, vice president for a very competitive environment. Administration and Finance, presented the “We are an institution of learning, but annual inspection of facilities report to the also a learning institution.” Trustees. Despite Cal U’s growth, 14 In her report to the Trustees, Interim buildings on campus have not been renovated University President Geraldine M. Jones during the last 35 years or more, noted that over the past year, the University’s — Continued on page 3 deficit has decreased from $11.9 million to
Fulbright Specialist Returns from Russia
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added. “The young faculty at this r. Sean Madden, a research university are competent professor in the and bright, and they expected me to Department of History and be very prepared, as a Fulbright Political Science, recently returned Specialist. from Russia, where he traveled as “On the third day, they said, part of the Fulbright Specialists ‘You seem to be really be good at program. this,’ and I said, ‘I have the same In May, Madden conducted a butterflies doing this as I do after 25 10-day faculty development seminar years at Cal U. If you don’t have on learning and teaching issues in that, evaluate your teaching, higher education at the National Dr. Sean Madden because you may be cruising.’” Research University-Higher School Madden is one of more than 400 of Economics in Moscow. Americans who will travel abroad this year He provided information about ways to combine research and teaching, and discussed through the Fulbright Specialists Program, created in 2000. The program “provides shortissues of interest to younger faculty members. term academic opportunities for prominent “We looked at a lot of best practices,” U.S. faculty and professionals to support Madden said. “They were interested in curricular and faculty development and learning more about how to get to know your institutional planning at post-secondary students and what first-time teachers should academic institutions around the world.” do. Most of them had recently earned their He joins Dr. Aref Al-Khattar, Dr. J. Kevin Ph.D.s or were still finishing them and were Lordon and Dr. Joseph Schwerha as Cal U interested in topics such as good curriculum faculty members who have participated in the writing objectives and goals. Fulbright Specialist program. “It was intimidating at first,” Madden
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July 22, 2013
Students, Alumnus Unearth Historic Foundry
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rchaeology students at Cal U typically spend their field experience searching for prehistoric items such as arrowheads and other small tools. But a Cal U alumnus is helping them explore a different realm of artifacts this summer. Under the direction of Marc Henshaw ’98, owner of Nemacolin Archaeological Services and an adjunct professor at Cal U, recent Cal U graduates and current students are volunteering to unearth the remains of a 19th-century foundry that helped to shape the nation’s first cast iron bridge. “This is a really historically significant site, not only locally, but nationally, as well,” Henshaw said. John Snowdon and Sons Vulcan Iron & Machine Works, in Brownsville, Pa., was a booming foundry throughout the 1800s. In 1836 the company helped to build the nation’s first cast iron bridge, which spanned nearby Dunlap’s Creek. The foundry also produced steamboats during the Civil War and half of the mile markers on the National Road. The land surrounding the foundry eventually was built up for railroads, but Henshaw believed that pieces of the building were preserved underneath. Through the Mon Valley Chapter of the Society of Pennsylvania Archaeology, he obtained approval from Brownsville Borough to start digging. And he turned to local volunteers and students for help. “Cal U has the best anthropology program in the area,” Henshaw said. “Having graduated from the program, I know the skills that Cal U students possess, and I always try to get them involved in projects.” Among those participating in the dig are recent graduates Jonathan Crise ’12 and Shawn Rothhaar ’12, along with seniors Kyle Norman and Liz Atkin. “The experiences that Marc and the University have provided us really helped me land a job in archaeology,” says Crise. “I have been working steadily since I graduated, and a major reason for that is because of
Shown working at this year’s site in Brownsville, Pa., Dr. John Nass has been overseeing Cal U students since 1991 in a hands-on archaeology summer field school that sends students outdoors in search of clues to the past.
opportunities like this project.” So far this summer, the group has helped Henshaw to expose a forge — a blacksmith’s oven, used to heat metal — from the shop site. “We usually find a lot of prehistoric tools, and we have to speculate about who used the item and how it was used,” said Norman. “Here we have documentation that the building existed, and we now have to find the buried pieces. “We are really getting multiple courses worth of knowledge on industrial archaeology just from this site.” Norman has presented his findings at the Snowdon site during three archaeological conferences, in Toledo, Ohio; Virginia Beach, Va.; and Uniontown, Pa. These experiences all play an important part in a student’s overall education at Cal U, says Dr. John Nass, a professor in the Department of Justice, Law & Society. “In archaeology, nothing is better
Liz Atkin, a senior archaeology major, sifts through debris looking for artifacts in Brownsville.
than getting hands-on experience in the field,” he said. “I can show students pictures all day, but you don’t really get to see and feel the textures and compactness of soil.
“We are very fortunate to have people like Marc who realize the important role that experience plays in our field and incorporate our students when possible.”
Educators Run on High-Tech ‘Fuel’
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aptops, iPads and mobile computing are transforming education from kindergarten to the college level, and Cal U is embracing high-tech teaching and learning. Last month, educators from Cal U and executives from Apple Inc. presented “Fueling the Learning Experience,” a free conference exploring the use of mobile technology in the classroom. Nearly 60 educators attended conference sessions in Steele Hall’s Blaney Theatre and “smart” classrooms across campus. The two-day conference had separate paths for educators and IT staff/instructional design specialists. Dr. Stephen Whitehead, conference coordinator and interim associate provost, asked the attendees to think about how they can change the classroom by making effective use of mobile technology. “Teaching isn’t about me being the expert and giving you the information,” said Whitehead, who previously taught in Cal U’s Department of Applied Engineering and Technology. “Teaching is about relationships, and this new technology allows us to do
Sharon Baillie, a Burgettstown Middle and High School instructor, reviews information with Dr. Stephen Whitehead, conference coordinator, outside of the Blaney Theatre.
almost one-to one-teaching with our students. Technology can be the way to engage the students, because they are getting much of their information from mobile devices.”
Dr. Jon Landis, a national development executive with Apple Inc., discussed the risks and opportunities associated with mobile technologies. “Mobile devices are not a massive
investment, and the payoffs are dramatic,” said Landis, a former chemistry teacher. “Technology … is raising the bar of what we expect from students and their accountability, because technology enhances accessibility.” Yolanda Pato, who teaches gifted and talented students in the Frazier School District, returned to Cal U for the conference after attending Techapalooza summer sessions on campus in 2010 and 2011. Pato said she tries to attend various conferences and workshops every summer to get some background in using the latest technology. Last year Whitehead loaned her robots that she used in class to make cure cards for book reviews. “I grew up during the age where we (students and teachers) were in a room, had a chalkboard and that was basically it,” she said. “These students thrive on all this knowledge out there. It’s nice to go to a conference like this in the summer and get some ideas to use for the new school year.”
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July 22, 2013
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Trustees Tap Officers — Continued from page 1
J.C. Patton and Natalie Hesse, seniors this fall at South Fayette and Upper St. Clair High Schools, respectively, believe that attending the Leadership Challenge summer camp will help them become more effective leaders.
Campers Challenged to Lead
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early two dozen students from 12 different high schools visited Cal U last month for the fourth annual Leadership Challenge summer camp. Sponsored by the Linda and Harry Serene Leadership Institute, the Leadership Challenge is a weeklong summer adventure for high school students entering their senior year. Participants take part in leadership education and activities to help them reach their full potential. Students are selected to participate by school counselors throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. “One of the most significant skills that employers are looking for in our young people, and that society is requiring out of young people today, is leadership,” said Dr. Michael Hummel, director of the Leadership Institute. “That’s what students learn at this leadership challenge. They learn leadership on a professional and a personal basis, which enhances the probability of them being successful in life.” The Serenes welcomed the campers, then returned for “graduation” exercises. “Leadership can be taught,” said Linda Serene, who served as Cal U’s dean of women in the 1960s. “We want you to have a wonderful week, to have fun and make friends … while learning to be effective leaders who can change society.” In the classroom, campers learned about leadership theories, characteristics and styles. Hummel taught many of the classes, with assistance from volunteers Kelly Hunt, executive director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Center and Student Incubator at Cal U; Dr. William Rullo, director of counseling services at Upper St. Clair High School; Michael Kurilla, a program specialist in West Virginia University’s Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy; and attorney
Bart Gabler, of McKinsey Co. and Associates. J.C. Patton, a rising senior at South Fayette High School, was impressed with the quality of the instructors. “Just to have industry leaders, recognized professionals come and speak with us was really eyeopening. It’s a great opportunity you won’t usually find,” he said. “This camp gives us a chance to lay the foundations for leadership. We look at leaders and think, ‘How do we become one of them?’ This (camp) answers that. I have absolutely loved it.” Natalie Hesse, a rising senior at Upper St. Clair High School, said the camp exceeded her expectations. She described the instructors as engaging and entertaining. “I do look at myself as a leader, but I didn’t realize how much of a leader I was until I came here,” she said. “I am learning so many more skills. … This has been fascinating.” Also assisting with the camp were Cal U graduate assistants Brian Malloy and Nick Granfield, and sophomore Breanna Lincosky. Lincosky, who is majoring in secondary education and biology at Cal U, attended the Leadership Challenge as a California Area High School student. “It was a very good course for developing your character,” she recalled. “I was so excited not only just to come back and help the kids, but also to learn more about leadership through this program.” In addition to classes, on-campus activities included team rock-climbing exercises inside the Herron Recreation and Fitness Center. The campers also practiced leadership and teambuilding skills at Outdoor Odyssey, a 500-acre facility in Boswell, Pa., that features campgrounds, zip-lines, rappelling courses and a variety of outdoor activities. “This was a rigorous and extensive program for these young leaders,” Hummel said.
he said. Coover Hall is the next building scheduled to receive a life-cycle renovation, with work anticipated in 2014 and 2015. Thorn also reviewed budget scenarios and praised the campus-wide effort that trimmed the University’s deficit by more than $10 million during the past year. Were it not for $1.2 million in costs associated with recent contract settlements, the University would have balanced its budget, he said. • Dr. Nancy Pinardi, interim vice president for Student Affairs, reported on the success of the varsity athletic programs. Team highlights included PSAC championships won by the women’s tennis and golf teams. For the Spring 2013 semester, the cumulative grade-point average of all varsity studentathletes was 3.186, she said — the 14th consecutive semester when the teams’ cumulative GPA exceeded 3.0. “We are proud of our student-athletes, as well as all of our students,” President Jones remarked. • Craig Butzine, vice president for Marketing and University Relations, focused his report on the Southwestern Pennsylvania finals of BotsIQ, a robotics competition for high school students. Held in the Convocation Center, the two-day event brought more than 400 prospective students to the University. Through a broadcast agreement with KDKA-TV, a 30-minute television show that aired on April 27 recapped the contest and presented information about the University and the mechatronics engineering technology program slated to debut this fall. • In his role as interim vice president for University Development and Cal U for Life, Butzine reported that gifts and commitments for the Campaign to Build Character and Careers now total $33 million, or 94.5 percent of the $35 million goal. He described several fundraising and appreciation events, including a luncheon recognizing scholars assisted by Tom ’77 and Nancy Rutledge, who have committed $1.3 million for student scholarships. • Dr. Charles Mance, vice president for University Technology Services, reported that his area continues to improve service and maintain a secure technology environment. A more stringent password policy has been implemented, he said, and software lending is being coordinated through Manderino Library. “We remain diligent in our efforts to provide the highest level of service at the lowest possible cost, while implementing changes that will help the University find the right opportunities for future services,” he said. The Trustees are scheduled to meet again on Sept. 4.
Another Cal U Brother is Fraternity Award Finalist
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A first sergeant in the Army ROTC program at Cal U, senior Michael ‘Gage’ Crosen is a finalist for Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity’s Ellsworth C. Dent Man of the Year Award.
or the second consecutive year a Cal U student is a finalist for Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity’s Ellsworth C. Dent Man of the Year Award. Michael “Gage” Crosen, who will graduate this December, is one of five national finalists. Established in 1966,the award is named in honor of a charter member of Delta chapter at Emporia State (Kan.) University. It is awarded annually to the most outstanding undergraduate leader of the fraternity. Last year Nate Dixon ’12 was a finalist. “This is quite an honor,” said Joy Helsel, director of fraternity and sorority life for the Student Association Inc. “To have men from our chapter named as finalists two years in a row is significant.” Crosen, president of the Cal U chapter,
expects to graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in history. To date, he maintains a 3.45 cumulative grade-point average. A former student member of the Cal U Council of Trustees, Crosen is a first sergeant in the Army ROTC program at Cal U. He served as an intern with the Three Rivers Regional Conclave earlier this year and has been awarded the Beta Iota Leadership Award and Beta Iota’s 2012 Brother of the Year Award. Other finalists for the award are from Youngstown (Ohio) State University, Michigan Technological University, the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Following interviews by the fraternity’s Society of Seventeen, the award winner will be announced next month at the fraternity’s Strategic Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Mo.
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July 22, 2013
201 Cal U Students on AD Honor Roll
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total of 201 student-athletes, representing all fall, winter and spring sports, were named to the Spring 2013 edition of Cal U’s Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. For the 14th consecutive semester, Cal U athletic programs compiled a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Overall, the Vulcans posted a cumulative GPA of 3.185 last semester, and 33 student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. To be eligible for the academic honor, student-athletes must earn a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the semester. With 14 players on the honor roll, women’s volleyball earned the highest
team GPA at 3.638. The soccer team posted the top GPA (3.446) among the eight men’s sports teams, with 19 players holding a 3.0 GPA or better. Football led in the headcount for all sports with 27 athletes on the honor roll, followed by women’s soccer (24), baseball (20), men’s soccer (19) and women’s track and field (18). “The number of student-athletes who are on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll shows the commitment of our students to their academic programs,” said Dr. Karen Hjerpe, interim athletic director. “We are proud of their academic achievement and grateful for the help they receive from our athletic academic area, the faculty and our coaches.”
Aaron Dinzeo, a Capital One First Team Academic All-American, is one of 201 student-athletes on Cal U’s Spring 2013 Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Cal Finishes 11th in Director’s Cup Race
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al U’s 2012-2013 athletic programs again were among the nation’s elite. After a successful spring sports season highlighted by an NCAA Regional championship in women’s tennis, the Vulcans finished 11th in the final standings of the 2012-2013 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. This was the second highest finish among all PSAC schools and the sixth consecutive year that Cal U has finished among the top 15 teams vying for the national honor. Last year Cal U also placed No. 11 in the standings. Announced through the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Directors’ Cup annually honors institutions maintaining a broadbased program in both men’s and women’s sports. The scoring system is based on the national finishes of seven men’s and seven women’s sports teams. Cal U finished with 532.5 points this year. Collectively, Vulcan sports teams posted their best finish this spring, closing the season with 277.5 points after collecting 114 points in the fall and 141 in the winter.
Led by the women’s tennis team, which reached the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals for the sixth time in seven years, Cal U’s athletic program finished an impressive 11th in the final standings of the 2012-2013 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup.
Women’s tennis led the way with a fifth-place finish. Women’s golf, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball all
placed ninth in the race after reaching the NCAA Regional finals in their respective sports. The women’s soccer and softball
teams both earned 17th-place finishes, followed by men’s golf (20th), women’s swimming (29th), men’s indoor track and field (40th) and men’s outdoor track and field (42nd). Cal U claims one of just two programs from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to rank among the top 25 in the standings. Shippensburg University finished eighth, with 584 points. Grand Canyon (Ariz.) earned top honors for the second consecutive year with 954.75 points, while Grand Valley State (Mich.) was second with 939.25. Rounding out the top five were Ashland (Ohio), at 912.5; Minnesota State Mankato, 763.25; and Adams State (Colo.). 625.5. “Any time the institution ranks in the Top 15, especially for six consecutive years, it’s a tremendous accomplishment,” said interim athletic director Dr. Karen Hjerpe. “This is a direct reflection of the hard work done by our coaches and studentathletes, with the invaluable help of our faculty, administration and academic support staff.”
Cal U Police Officers Take ‘Active-Shooter’ Training
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even officers from the California University Police Department recently participated in a two-day active-shooter training course for law enforcement at the Somerset County Technology Center. The free course, which provided hands-on training using nonlethal weapons in settings designed to represent classrooms, hospitals, day care facilities,
retails stores and parking garages, was coordinated by the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services and provided by Louisiana State University. Funding for the instructors, materials and training equipment was provided by the Department of Homeland Security. In January, Cal U’s police department, in conjunction with the Washington County Chiefs of
Police, hosted two training sessions — one for officers from PASSHE universities and one for other law enforcement officers — in Helsel Hall. Each training session included active shooter response exercises using nonlethal, air-powered replica weapons and model-city scenarios that used tabletop models to visualize the incident command system.
The California Journal is published weekly by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Geraldine M. Jones Interim University President
Robert Thorn Vice President for Administration and Finance
Dr. Nancy Pinardi Interim Vice President for Student Affairs
Dr. Bruce Barnhart Acting Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs
Craig Butzine Vice President for Marketing and University Relations/ Interim Vice President of University Development and Cal U for Life
Christine Kindl Editor
Dr. Charles Mance Vice President for University Technology Services
Office of Communications and Public Relations
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California, PA 15419
Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff Bender Writers 724-938-4195
wald@calu.edu