Aug. 27, 2012 - Cal U Journal

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California University

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 19 AUG. 27, 2012 READ THE JOURNAL ONLINE: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal

Pinardi Named Interim VP; Angelone Retires cting University President Geraldine M. Jones has named Dr. Nancy Pinardi as interim vice president of Student Affairs.

“I have the utmost confidence that Dr. Pinardi will lead the Student Affairs area in a responsible, strategic and efficient manner,” Jones said.

“More importantly, I know that she possesses the same care and concern for our students as her predecessor, Dr. Lenora Angelone, and she realizes there is no more important responsibility than the safety and security of our students. I look forward to working with her in the coming months.”

Pinardi has been a Cal U employee since 1988, when she was hired as a part-time administrative assistant for a grant-funded antidrug and alcohol program.

She held a variety of positions — coordinating special events such as Homecoming and Dr. Nancy Pinardi: Interim VP for Family Day, and Student Affairs organizing the Women’s Center, for example — before being named dean of students in 1998. Most recently, she served as associate vice president for Student Affairs and the University’s liaison to the Student Association Inc. “Dr. Angelone was actually an inspiration to me, seeing that she could work and go to school and be successful,” said Pinardi, who earned an associate degree in business management, a bachelor’s in administration and management, and a master’s in business administration, all at Cal U. In 2006 she completed work on her doctorate in administration and leadership — Continued on page 2

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Upward Bound student Rich Roebuck, from Laurel Highlands High School, swims underwater the Hamer Hall pool next to one of the SeaPerch robots during an innovative summer robotics program held at Cal U earlier this summer.

Upward Bound Students Take Robots Underwater igh school students enrolled in California University’s Upward Bound program took their custom-built robots underwater for their final robotics class, putting them to the test July 12 in the Hamer Hall pool.

Students spent weeks of class time building SeaPerch robots while learning robotics theories and studying the increasingly important role of robotics in the oil and gas industry.

In the final class, students raced their machines and tested their ability to grab small toys off the pool floor.

“I am not a guy who is into tools and building things, but this was fun,” said Jeremy Baker, a senior at Jefferson Morgan High School in Jefferson, Pa. “Being here kind of showed me that learning can be both educational and fun at the same time.”

SeaPerch is an innovative robotics

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program that uses underwater remotely operated vehicles to teach students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics — the subjects collectively known as STEM — in a fun and challenging hands-on environment.

Funding for the program was made possible by a grant from the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, the Office of Naval Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“I personally didn’t know if I would like the SeaPerch program or building robots, but it turned out to be a really great class,” said camp counselor Sarah Newmeyer, a recent Cal U graduate.

“A lot of the girls in the class have never even used a screwdriver before, but they were able to have fun building robots while learning about science and technology.”

Although this is the first year that

Cal U has used the SeaPerch program, the University plans to run this program for Upward Bound students next year and to upgrade University equipment with an eye toward hosting national underwater challenge events, said Mike Amhrein, director for Outreach and Integration of TEAMS (Technology, Education, Art, Mathematics and Science) at Cal U. “We are going to keep all of the robots the kids used today for future Upward Bound classes,” Amhrein said.

“Instead of having some of the younger students go through an identical class next year, they can add headlights and other accessories to improve their robots.”

The Upward Bound program assists eligible students to complete high school prepared to enter college and succeed in post-secondary education. Students are provided with — Continued on page 4

Grant Supports Habitat Restoration, Enhancement he Foundation for California University has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat on agricultural lands in Pennsylvania.

The grant will support a two-year project that is expected to fence 25 miles of stream, restore 500 acres of upland and 200 acres of successional habitat, and 500 acres of wetlands. The conservation work will be executed by

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the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program at Cal U, which is recognized as a state and national leader in developing techniques to restore habitat for wildlife.

Partners for Fish and Wildlife is a cooperative effort among many agencies throughout the state. The program aims to restore habitat for wildlife on agricultural and other lands by constructing streambank fencing, stream crossings, wetlands, grasslands and border-edge cuts.

This grant will provide additional equipment to enhance the program’s abilities to restore young forest habitats.

Wildlife species that use young forest have been declining as our overall forest habitat matures. A portion of this grant will permit the program to shift some priorities to address this situation. Work already is being planned at Forbes State Forest, in Westmoreland County, Pa. During the next two years, Partners for Fish and Wildlife also will work with

landowners to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, to restore degraded wetlands and stream vegetation, and to restore native grassland and wildflower habitat. These practices will benefit the landowners, in turn, by improving livestock health, water quality and forage.

To see photos and learn about previous projects by Partners for Fish and Wildlife and the Foundation for Cal U, visit http://www.calu.edu/businesscommunity/wildlife/ .

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Justice, Law and Society Speaker Series Debuts xperts in the fields of law enforcement, intelligence, terrorism, forensic science and more are participating in a new speaker series sponsored by the Department of Justice, Law and Society.

The series debuts Sept. 4. Presentations will be given at 11 a.m. on most Tuesdays in Eberly Hall, Room 110.

“This series will provide students with excellent opportunities to gain insight into the diverse but interrelated employment fields and disciplines of justice studies, anthropology and sociology,” said Dr. Emily Sweitzer, chair of the Department of Justice, Law and Society.

The first speaker in the series will be Mark Camillo ’76, a law enforcement and security professional with expertise in the area of emergency preparedness operations.

He was a member of the U.S. Secret Service for 21 years and currently is senior vice president for strategic planning at Contemporary Services Corp., a national leader in event security and crowd management.

Mark Camillo “We are especially proud that many of the speakers are accomplished Cal U alumni, enabling students to see just how much they can succeed,” Sweitzer said.

Upcoming speakers are scheduled to discuss cyber crime and child exploitation, canine police, accident reconstruction, state and federal probation, and more. Speakers represent the FBI, the Pennsylvania State Police and other local, state and federal agencies.

Admission to the series is free. The talks are open to the public, and all members of the Cal U community are encouraged to attend.

For more information about upcoming speakers in this series, visit www.calu.edu .

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Cal U Joins Pinterest alifornia University has joined Pinterest, one of the fastest growing social media platforms.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that allows users to express themselves visually, through photos and text. Many users post images of their favorite events, interests and hobbies.

Each photo “pinned” within the Pinterest community can be commented on or shared among any of the community members.

Pinterest has as audience of nearly 12 million people. The University aims to use the social media platform to promote Cal U’s beautiful campus, world-class academic programs and highly talented students.

Boards also will be designed to inspire creativity, provide helpful information for students and engage with Cal U’s growing alumni community.

To view the University’s Pinterest boards, click on the Pinterest app on Cal U’s Facebook page or visit the site directly at http://pinterest.com/caluofpa/ .

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Dr. Lenora Angelone’s distinguished 40­year career at Cal U began as a Clerk Typist I and concluded with her serving as vice president of Student Affairs and the senior administrator in the President’s Cabinet.

Pinardi Named Interim VP for Student Affairs — Continued from page 1 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

“I believe my experience across the board assists me in understanding the needs of our students,” she said. “As a three-time graduate of Cal U, I am committed to the success of our students and the University.

“College is a time for students to learn and grow, and it is exciting for me to continue to assist and support them as they achieve their academic and personal goals.”

Blazing a path Pinardi’s rise through the University ranks follows a path blazed by Angelone, who retired earlier this summer after 40 years at Cal U. Angelone joined the University staff as a Clerk Typist I, and served as an administrative assistant before being named the interim director of housing in 1991, associate dean for student services in 1995 and dean for residence life in 1998, among other roles.

She stepped away from Student Affairs to serve as the special assistant to the President for Equal Employment and Educational Opportunity (EEEO) and the University ombudsperson in the Office of Social Equity from 19992009.

During the final chapter of her

Cal U career, Angelone was vice president of Student Affairs and the senior administrator in the President’s Cabinet.

Along the way she earned an associate degree in administration and science, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and a master’s degree in community and agency counseling, all at Cal U. She earned her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at Duquesne University.

At the start of her career in higher education, few women were working in the area of student affairs, Angelone recalled. But her Cal U colleagues and supervisors saw that she “had the heart of a student affairs professional,” she said, and urged her to follow that path.

“They saw in me things I never saw in myself,” she said, citing in particular Elmo Natali, who also served as vice president of Student Affairs, and emerita professor Dr. Nancy Tait, the former dean of women.

“They were great supporters, mentors and cheerleaders for me.”

Angelone has seen remarkable changes at Cal U over the past four decades.

“Some might say it’s in the physical plant, but for me, the biggest change has been in the people. They take such pride in working at this institution now. It’s become this diamond down here in

the (Mon) Valley,” she said.

“There are many more women in leadership now, too, and with that you see changes. I’ve heard many of our students say that the people at Cal U make them feel special. I will always be proud to call myself a three-time alumna and emeritus staff member of California University.”

Acting President Jones noted that Angelone had been her colleague at Cal U for 38 years.

“While I was personally very sad to see her retire, I am also very pleased and excited for her and her husband, Philip,” she said. “There is no doubt that Lenora deserves this wonderful second phase of her life.”

Her legacy of caring, personal service for students will continue, Pinardi said.

“The goals of Student Affairs remain unchanged. Our central focus is the personalization of the University experience, with concern for the intellectual, personal, social, emotional and physical development of each of our students,” she explained.

“Each department in Student Affairs strives to assist students in making responsible decisions by providing a learning environment that will not only help them better understand their abilities and needs, but also will help them learn about the vast array of opportunities available.

“I look forward to moving into this new position.”

Students ‘Backstage’ at National Conventions s the 2012 presidential election season enters its final months, nine students at Cal U will be part of the action at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions.

Through a partnership with The Washington Center, the students will be placed in volunteer positions either at the Republican National Convention, Aug. 27-30 in Tampa, Fla., or at the Democratic National Convention, Sept. 3-6 in Charlotte, N.C. Students Lucie Fremeau, Mario

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Coppola and Emily Martik are with the GOP in Tampa this week. Next week, students Breanna Blose, Camilla Cionni, Courtney Cochran, Bruce Grover, Bradley Minoski and Fillip Nelson will join the Democrats in Charlotte.

Along with 250 students from schools across the nation, all nine will spend the week before the convention studying the history of political campaigns, convention planning and procedures, and the role of the media.

“The internship will be an

invaluable experience for the students, as many are planning careers in fields such as politics and journalism,” said Dr. Melanie Blumberg, professor of history and political science at Cal U. “The Office of the President and several Cal U supporters have made it possible for the nine students to have the chance of a lifetime.”

Four Cal U students will be reporting back on their experiences, providing a “backstage” look at the national political scene. Look for their reports at www.calu.edu .

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Campus BRIEFS Faculty-Staff Convocation on Tuesday

Cal U head soccer coach Dennis Laskey (fourth from left) enjoys a moment at last year’s event with former Redbirds players (from left) Dom DiBernardi, Cliff ‘Kip’ Harosky, Jeff Harosky, Lew DiBernardi, Jim Laskey, Pete Labrasca and Mark Harosky.

Soccer Team Hosts Redbird Days he men’s soccer team will conduct its annual Dunlevy Redbirds Day on Sunday, hosting West Virginia rival Shepherd University at the Phillipsburg soccer complex.

The Labor Day weekend festivities begin with a cookout at 4 p.m., with the game at 6 p.m.

Redbirds Day recognizes former coaches and players from the Mon Valley Youth Soccer Association, which began in 1978 in the small town of Dunlevy.

Many of those players and coaches also contributed to the Cal U soccer program.

“California University has become an extension of the Mon Valley Youth Soccer Association,” said Dunlevy native Dennis Laskey, the Vulcans’ 27th-year head men’s soccer coach.

“We are inviting anyone who has ever played or coached in Dunlevy to join us on

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Sunday. There are so many former Dunlevy players and coaches who come from various communities in the region, and we encourage all of them to take part in an afternoon of food, fun, fellowship and reminiscing.”

Nearly 100 Redbirds took part in the 2011 event, which was held as part of the official dedication of the new soccer complex. Just three blocks from Cal U’s main campus, the complex on Orchard Street is the site of the former Booster Field and Phillipsburg School.

Many players from Dunlevy youth teams, as well as other programs for Mon Valley boys and girls, matriculated to Cal U. In addition, a number of former Vulcan players joined the Senior Redbirds after their college careers, Laskey said.

“Our program at California has had strong support from Dunlevy fans over the

years,” he said. “Redbirds Day is held to show our appreciation to all former players and coaches who have dedicated their time, experience and expertise to the growth and development of youth soccer in the Mon Valley area.”

Coordinating the event with Laskey is Cal Montgomery, a Dunlevy native and a longtime standout player and coach.

“We’re hoping to have many former players and coaches in attendance,” Montgomery said. “The response has been great, and we’re still looking forward to hearing from others who have been involved for so many years.”

All fans and members of the Cal U community are invited to attend the game and other festivities.

For more information, contact coach Dennis Laskey at 724-938-5793 or Cal Montgomery at 724-565-7030.

PLCB Grant Enlists Parents, Community in Prevention Effort al U will use an Alcohol Education Grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to take a more comprehensive approach to reducing incidents resulting from underage and dangerous drinking.

“Our coalition has worked hard to find gaps in our prevention efforts,” said Donna George, Cal U’s alcohol and other drug prevention specialist.

“Looking at the natural progression of prevention, we believe the time is right to highlight community and parent involvement.”

Programs will fall under three broad categories: increasing participation, providing education and training, and partnering for change, George said.

To enhance its efforts, the Cal AOD Coalition will add four students who live off campus, four non-student residents of California borough, and four parents of Cal U students. Environmental management and parenting sub-committees will conduct meetings outside of the regular monthly coalition meetings.

An invitation to attend an open meeting of the Cal AOD Coalition will be delivered to every establishment that sells liquor in California and surrounding communities.

Some establishments may even choose to host meetings.

“We are not trying to take away anyone’s business, but we want the message about responsible drinking to be conveyed,” George said.

A considerable amount of the $17,500 PCLB grant will be used for implementing MyStudentBody, an online education program that will replace the first-year

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Donna George and several peer educators discuss strategies to reduce incidents resulting from underage and dangerous drinking.

student survey used in the past.

In addition, a consultant will develop an “Our Cal” brochure that will provide helpful information about living in the borough and getting along as neighbors.

Coalition members and peer educators from the Options@CalU program will help to distribute the brochures and other messages on and off campus.

Results of the MyStudentBody campus climate survey will be used to formulate a two-year plan focusing on how all groups can work together to support continued change in the environment both on and off campus.

Ongoing projects will continue, including Project Sticker Shock, which is aimed at discouraging adults from providing beer to minors. Students from

Cal U and local high schools will participate.

The University’s AOD Coalition also will work with the California Borough Police Department and local alcohol/drug commissions to offer training for police.

George, who is beginning her third year at Cal U, said she looks forward to establishing the new programs in what she calls “an important academic year.”

“There’s been good progress, but there’s a lot more to be done,” she said. “With prevention there are so many areas to focus on, and right now it’s all about community and parent involvement. Everybody has to be involved with prevention.”

Those interested in joining the Coalition and helping with any of the projects should e-mail george@calu.edu or call 724-938-5515.

Acting President Geraldine M. Jones will host the 2012 Fall Faculty and Staff Convocation on Tuesday in the Convocation Center.

The combined convocation will be held during the University’s common hour, beginning at 11 a.m.

OSD Registration Meetings Set The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is available to assist Cal U students.

The office is located in Room 105, Azorsky Hall.

Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

To contact OSD, call 724938-5871 or e-mail osdmail@calu.edu .

Interested students are invited to attend OSD semester registration meeting; contact the OSD office for meeting dates and times.

More information can be found on the Cal U website, www.calu.edu ; search for the keyword “disability.”

GACO Receives $100,000 Grant The Sarah Scaife Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to support Cal U’s Government Agency Coordination Office (GACO) through Aug. 31, 2013. With this funding GACO will assist area businesses in all aspects of federal, state, local and corporate contracting and subcontracting.

GACO is a Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) that provides advice, assistance and support to businesses interested in selling their products/services to the government.

According to GACO director Deborah S. Wojcik, the Scaife Foundation’s generosity in supporting GACO’s contracting assistance efforts has helped businesses in western Pennsylvania obtain 36,685 contracts totaling over $2.8 billion since 1985.

“We are deeply appreciative of the tremendous partnership we have with the Sarah Scaife Foundation and their continued support,” she said.

GACO’s main office is located in South Hall, Room 107; satellite offices are in Pittsburgh and at Slippery Rock University. All three offices offer full-service government contracting assistance support to area businesses.

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Scholar-Athletes Earn National Honors he women’s volleyball, swimming, tennis, and track and field teams have received national acclaim for their academic and athletic success, and a member of men’s track and field has earned individual recognition.

“These academic team and individual honors are a testament to the dedication and commitment of our student-athletes, coaches, faculty and academic support staff here at California University,” said Dr. Karen Hjerpe, Cal U’s interim athletic director.

• The volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the first time in recent program history.

The AVCA award honors collegiate and high school teams that display excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.00 scale.

Under the direction of second-year head coach Peter Letourneau, Cal U volleyball won the PSAC championship last fall, finished second in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, and finished with a 33-5 overall record.

• For the 10th consecutive year, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America named Cal U’s swimming team a Scholar All-America Team. The Vulcan swimmers achieved a cumulative 3.36 grade-point average for the Spring 2012 semester.

Swimmers Clarissa Enslin, Jess Machmer and Kelsey Nuhfer, all juniors, were named Scholar All-Americans.

Each student-athlete earned a 3.50 GPA or better last spring and qualified for the NCAA Nationals.

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All­American Clarissa Enslin helped Cal U’s swimming team earn a cumulative 3.36 grade­ point average for the Spring 2012 semester.

Seniors Bruna Carvalho and Megan Schuh, along with junior Kate Mellon, earned Scholar All-American Honorable Mention accolades.

Last winter, the swim team closed its most successful season in school history by placing 12th at the NCAA Division II Championships behind three individual All-Americans, a pair of All-American relays and two national titles.

• The women’s tennis team has been named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team for the ninth consecutive year. Six players received ITA Scholar-Athlete honors: seniors Mariana Oliveira, Anabel Pieschi, Martina Rubesova, Franziska Steinhardt and Anastassiya Zherdeva,

and freshman Ramona Czakon.

The total of six ITA Scholar-Athletes matches the program record set in 2007 and 2010.

To earn the ITA All-Academic Team award, a program must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.20 or above. To receive ITA Scholar-Athlete honors, players must have a GPA of at least 3.50 for the current academic year and have been enrolled at their current school for at least two semesters.

Under 12th-year head coach Pablo Montana, the women’s tennis team won its sixth consecutive PSAC championship last spring while advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament for the fifth time in six

years.

• The women’s track team earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic status for the fourth time in five years. A team must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher to qualify.

Senior Jordyn Reagan earned USFCCCA All-Academic individual honors for the second consecutive year.

To earn USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or higher and reached a provisional or automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships in either the indoor or outdoor seasons.

Reagan provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships as a member of Cal U’s PSAC champion 4x100-meter relay.

On the men’s side, senior Alex Smith received All-Academic individual honors in track and field.

He provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships in the 800-meter run.

This marks the fifth-consecutive year in which at least one Cal U male studentathlete has received the academic laurel from the USTFCCCA. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Roger Kingdom coaches Cal’s men’s and women’s track teams.

Cal U’s women’s volleyball, swimming and baseball teams were all inaugural winners of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Team GPA Awards in their respective sports.

The award honors the teams with the top cumulative team GPA in each of the league’s 23 sponsored sports.

Students Take Robots Underwater

Men of Sigmas Network From left to right: Adama Traore; Dr. Todd Carlisle, adviser; Corey Brown; Maurice Burns; and Greg Bryant, president of Cal U’s Pi Gamma Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, attend the fraternity’s 98th annual Eastern Regional Conference.

The men used the event as a networking opportunity and to help plan for the fraternity’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2014.

They also discussed ways to serve their communities by supporting programs such as the March of Dimes and Sigmas Against AIDS/HIV. The Beta Sigma motto is ‘Culture for Service and Service for Humanity.’

— Continued from page 1 supplemental academic instruction, tutoring, career planning and selfawareness classes to help develop those skills. The program is funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the federal TRIO program.

High school seniors enrolled in the program may participate in a bridge program where they are awarded college course credits for some of their classes.

“We have to go to class every day on our own just like college students,” Baker said. “This is my third year, and I have 10 credits towards college courses. And I’ve had a lot of fun in the process.

“It has really helped me get a headstart for my freshman year in college.”

The California Journal is published weekly by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Geraldine M. Jones Acting University President

Craig Butzine Vice President for Marketing and University Relations

Christine Kindl Editor

Dr. Charles Mance Vice President for University Technology Services

Sharon Navoney Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff Bender Writers

Robert Thorn Vice President for Administration and Finance

Dr. Nancy Pinardi Interim Vice President for Student Affairs

Read the Journal online at www.calu.edu

Office of Communications and Public Relations

250 University Avenue

California, PA 15419

724-938-4195

wald@calu.edu