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Table of Contents
Dean David H. Monk College of Education Magazine
Editor Suzanne Wayne
2010
Writers Jessica Parsons David Price Joe Savrock
1 Dean’s Message
Designer Leah Donell
We find great satisfaction in our careers dedicated to helping others.
Photography Mark Houser Janna Maile Rusty Myers Randy Persing
2 College Updates Read about faculty appointments and retirements, College outreach programs, and recent awards.
9 Short Subjects Review research from the different College departments.
14 The People We Serve Our College prepares people to educate, counsel, and serve others.
28 Alumni Information Read alumni profiles, updates from the Alumni Society Board, and more.
36 Gifts to the College Recent endowments create a number of new opportunities in the College.
Printer Nittany Valley Offset Contact Us 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802-3206 814-863-2216 www.ed.psu.edu • edrelations@psu.edu Published annually by the Penn State College of Education College of Education Alumni Society Officers Heidi Capetola, President Larry Wess, President-Elect Cameron Bausch, Immediate Past President Douglas Womelsdorf, Secretary Directors Patricia Best Ron Musoleno Molly Dallmeyer Marcia Pomeroy Tonya DeVecchis-Kerr Stacie Spanos Hiras Joan Dieter Dee Stout Susan Martin Jack Thompson Barbara Michael Affiliate Program Group Presidents COEalumni@psu.edu, American Indian Leadership Program Jacob Easley II, Educational Leadership Program Susan Richardson, Higher Education Program COEalumni@psu.edu, Multicultural Advancement Jennifer Black, Professional Development School John Lindholm, Workforce Education Program
Above and on the Cover: Sheppard Elementary School students and their families visited the Penn State University Park campus in April 2010. They met with College of Education students who had been their online tutors during the semester and toured the campus, including Beaver Stadium. Sheppard School, an elementary school in inner Philadelphia, and the College of Education have formed the Urban Teaching Collaborative Partnership, which includes online tutoring, student teacher placements, and computer literacy opportunities for students and their families, among a number of other initiatives
This publication is available in alternative media on request. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. It is the policy of the University to maintain an academic and work environment free of discrimination, including harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status. Discrimination or harassment against faculty, staff, or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5901; Tel 814-865-4700/V, 814-863-1150/TTY. U.Ed EDU 10-58
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Dean’s From the Message Dean
Dean’s Message
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am sometimes struck by the breadth of our mission, which calls on us to deepen and extend knowledge about the formation and utilization of human capabilities. This is, indeed, a wide-ranging agenda, but it is also quite coherent and, I think, elegantly focused. At the risk of revealing my bias, I can’t imagine anything more important than the formation and utilization of human capabilities. Fundamentally, we are all about realizing potential, both at individual and collective levels. In this latest issue of Penn State Education, we share with you some exciting examples of how we pursue this mission. The College has a longstanding commitment to special education, and I note that the term “special education” has always been a bit problematic for the field as it seems to imply that only some students are “special.” In contrast, we take the view that every learner is special and arguably unique, and our colleagues in special education have blazed an important trail for the entire field and have demonstrated the power of individualized interventions. We have all benefited from the insights they have gained, and you will learn more about these gains in the following pages. We have a significant number of American Indian and Alaska Native students who relocate to Pennsylvania to complete advanced degrees in Educational Leadership through the American Indian Leadership Program, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. These students leave behind home, family, and familiar environments to hone their leadership skills. More than 220 students have graduated from this program and are hard at work leading education efforts for American Indians and Alaska Natives throughout the nation and beyond. Throughout the College, we serve returning adult students who typically have interrupted careers to earn degrees that permit them to help others learn and grow. We share the story of some of these students in the pages that follow. One of our recent graduates is a new teacher who is using state-of-the-art tools and knowledge, including video and podcasts, to deeply touch the lives of students in her classroom. She learned these things in our EDUCATE program and in her experiences as a student here. The new Innovation Studio (see page 4) has been established to help faculty at Penn State deepen their own knowledge about how best to harness technology to enhance teaching and learning for students of all ages. Our commitment to the service of others is not just concentrated on the Penn State campus. In this issue, you will find stories of College alumni who serve others through the “formation of human capabilities” as they pursue their careers. We are pleased to take this opportunity to announce the largest gift that the College has ever received. Paula Donson has committed to an estate gift of $2.4 million to the College to provide scholarships to support students who are committed to innovation through education. The students who will receive these scholarships will become innovators and leaders in education, extending the value and import of this gift for years to come. Our budget challenges continue, and we are looking carefully at ways to economize and stretch our resources. We appreciate very much the generosity of our alumni and friends and can assure you that the dollars you commit to the College are immediately put to work in support of our students. I encourage you to consider visiting State College and spending some time in the College of Education. I think you will be pleased and impressed with what you see. You can also visit the College online at www.ed.psu.edu. I hope you enjoy the summer months that lie ahead, and please let us hear from you with your ideas and suggestions.
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College Updates Faculty Appointments New Faculty
Fran Arbaugh Associate Professor of Mathematics Education
John Cheslock Associate Professor of Higher Education
Gwendolyn Lloyd Professor of Mathematics Education
Deirdre O’Sullivan Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Services
Leticia Oseguera Assistant Professor of Higher Education
Liang Zhang Assistant Professor of Educational Theory and Policy
New Holder of Chaired Professorship New Administrative Appointment John W. Tippeconnic, professor of educational leadership, has been named the holder of the Harry Lawrence Batschelet II Chair of Educational Administration. His fiveyear term began Dec. 1, 2009.
Alison Carr-Chellman, professor of instructional systems, has been appointed head of the Learning and Performance Systems Department. Her term will begin on July 1, 2010, and will continue through June 2013.
Graduate Programs Continue to Receive High Rankings
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.S. News & World Report annually ranks graduate programs in education. All of the College of Education graduate programs that are ranked by the magazine appear at least in the top 20, with six programs in the top 10 (see list at right). The College’s graduate programs as a whole rank 22 out of the 278 programs surveyed by U.S. News & World Report. —Suzanne Wayne
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1 Technical/Vocational (Workforce Education) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Rehabilitation Counseling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Administration/Supervision (Educational Leadership) . . . . . . 5 Student Counseling/Personnel Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Education Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Secondary Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Educational Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Curriculum & Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Special Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Higher Education Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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College Updates
New Student Teaching Abroad Program Now Available
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he College of Education is offering an enriching new student teaching experience that creates the opportunity for students to divide their student teaching between here and abroad. The Short-Term Overseas Student Teaching program allows College of Education teacher education students to travel overseas for seven or eight weeks after a shortened ten-week Pennsylvania student teaching placement. Students can choose from a diverse array of 15 participating locations, including Wales, Japan, Kenya, and Ecuador. “The experience will broaden our students’ perspectives of the world and make them better job candidates,” says Leila Bradaschia, director of international programs, which coordinates the program. “School principals are looking at students who have diverse experience, and they want to know that their incoming teachers know what’s going on in local schools,
and many value the rich experience that student teaching abroad brings to the classroom.” The program, in partnership with the Foundation for International Education, provides students with unique intercultural teaching and community experiences, giving them a broader understanding of the world in which we live. The in-depth exposure to other ways of life and schooling facilitates professional growth through acquisition of new and different teaching methods, ideas, and philosophies. “The impact that these experiences will have on the students will produce a ripple effect on each of their classrooms. Many of them will be traveling abroad for the first time, and they’ll be sharing the excitement and knowledge of what they learn overseas with the students in their own classrooms,” Bradaschia adds. —David Price
Penn State Education
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College Updates
Innovation Studio to Support Faculty with Integrating Innovative Pedagogy and Emerging Technology
Scott McDonald, associate professor of education and director of the Innovation Studio
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reparing education students to teach in technology-rich classrooms begins with faculty literacy in new media and technology. To help its faculty integrate technologies into their research, teaching, and outreach, the College of Education will soon unveil a novel resource—the Innovation Studio. The Innovation Studio will be a space for faculty who are looking to engage with powerful new tools, such as digital video and mobile and ubiquitous computing. “It will be a space for faculty to have conversations about their pedagogy and how technology could support their innovative practices,” says Innovation Studio Director Scott McDonald, assistant professor of science education. “The conversation will be about the pedagogy first, not about the technology.” The process would begin from the standpoint of the faculty member’s needs and goals for their students, rather than with specific tools from the Innovation Studio. “First we want to find out what the faculty member is
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trying to achieve,” explains McDonald, “and then we’ll work toward a technological solution that supports the pedagogical objective.” Typically, says McDonald, efforts to support coursework with technology are a collaboration of two factions: a content expert and a technology expert. Having a content–technology–pedagogy triumvirate, rather than a two-way content–technology arrangement, pushes the conversation deeper into the goals the faculty have for their students. “Having a third expert at the table is important,” notes McDonald. “The College of Education is in a unique position to provide the pedagogical expertise.” The Innovation Studio has the potential to become a hotbed of research and design around the use of technology in higher education pedagogy and serve as a context for faculty and doctoral students to do research on this topic. —Joe Savrock
Penn State College of Education
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College Updates
Edmondson Serving on Obama-Medvedev Commission Working Group
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Presiding over the meetings are Under acqueline Edmondson ‘89 E K Ed, Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy ‘96 M.S., ‘99 Ph.D., associate dean and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale, and for undergraduate and graduate the Russian Special Presidential Envoy studies, has been appointed to for International Cultural Cooperation, the Obama-Medvedev Commission, Ambassador Mikhail Shvydkoy. officially known as the U.S.-Russia “I am hopeful that the Commission’s Bilateral Presidential Commission. The attention to education will help to Commission was announced last summer build new and better understandings by U.S. President Barack Obama and across the people and governments of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. our two countries,” says Edmondson, Comprised of American and “and that these initiatives will lead to Russian government officials and new possibilities for young people leaders of business, non-governmental Jacqueline Edmondson that are productive and foster peaceful organizations, and professional sports collaborations.” associations, the Obama-Medvedev Edmondson noted that Russia Commission is a way to increase cultural, has unveiled a new education policy known as The educational, and sports ties between the two nations. New School. “Part of the focus of this policy is to Edmondson is one of 17 U.S. officials and experts develop the talents and potential of each individual child,” chosen to the Commission’s Working Group on Education, she says. “I am looking forward to learning more about Culture, Sports, and Media—one of 16 working groups in this, particularly as the reauthorization of the Elementary the initiative. She and her American colleagues traveled and Secondary Education Act is dealt with here in the to Moscow in December 2009 for bilateral meetings with United States.” their Russian counterparts. A second round of meetings —Joe Savrock was held in the United States in March 2010.
American Journal of Education Identified as One of the Top Education Journals
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recent survey of more than 300 of the nation’s top university scholars in the field of education has placed the College of Education-based publication American Journal of Education among 11 core academic journals with “demonstrated impact.” “This is a remarkable achievement given that AJE moved to Penn State less than ten years ago after a period of decline and a missed year of publication in 2002,” says Gerald LeTendre, current editor of the American Journal of Education. LeTendre assumed leadership of the journal after the passing of William L. Boyd in 2008. College of Education graduate students Emily Crawford (Educational Theory and Policy) and Melanie Fedri (Higher Education) are the current managing editors. “Under the leadership of Bill Boyd,” LeTendre continues, “AJE flourished.” Many other fields are highly focused disciplines. They may be served by only a handful of academic
journals, and their hierarchy is relatively apparent. The field of education is a complex weave of disciplines and subject matter, which makes being identified as a core journal special for AJE. “Because education is such a broad field that encompasses kindergarten through graduate education, subject specialties, and pure research to pure practitioner orientations, there are very few journals that speak to all educators—only 11 according to this study,” LeTendre adds. “I think it is one of the strengths of AJE that we continue to offer articles that cover the broad spectrum of educational research.” The original article, “The Intellectual Foundations of Education: Core Journals and Their Impacts on Scholarship and Practice,” appears in the journal Educational Researcher. —David Price
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College Updates
Educational Psychology Program Ranks Highly in Production of Published Articles
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enn State’s Educational Psychology program is turning out an exceptionally high number of published articles—it is ranked in the top ten internationally in the rate of publishing, according to new research. The Penn State program ranks ninth worldwide in an evaluation of productivity. The ranking system reflects the number of articles that have been published in five leading educational psychology journals between 2003 and 2008. “This ranking supports the strong international reputation of our Educational Psychology program and will serve to increase awareness of the program by prospective students,” says Rayne Sperling, professorin-charge of the Penn State program. “We have a small program but strong faculty members who conduct critical research in areas such as reading comprehension, students’ strategy use, measurement, and learning.”
The evaluation was done by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and appeared in the January 2010 issue of the journal Contemporary Educational Psychology. The researchers used that journal, as well as the journals Cognition and Instruction, Educational Psychologist, Educational Psychology Review, and the Journal of Educational Psychology, as the basis of their study. They determined productivity according to two factors: the number of articles published in the five journals and a points system that takes into account an author’s position relative to the number of articles. The study represents 440 institutions that have educational psychology programs. A total of 892 articles appeared over the six-year period. —Joe Savrock
New Assistantships Will Help Recruit Graduate Students
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n a time of financial uncertainty for higher education and educational endeavors in general, the Penn State College of Education, in partnership with the Penn State Graduate School, is creating a new program of support for our most competitive doctoral students in the field of education. The Dean’s Graduate Assistantships for Engaged Scholarship and Research in Education will support highly qualified doctoral students in any of the College’s full complement of graduate programs. The College is able to create this new funding thanks to its ongoing commitment to continuing professional development, gains in internal efficiency, increases in external funding, and the partnership with the Graduate School. Up to seven assistantships are available for graduate students who will begin their studies in 2010. Additional students will be brought into the program each year for the next four years, allowing for up to 28 students to benefit from the program at any time. The program will provide two years of financial support to highly qualified graduate students, with the expectation of two more years of support through external research grants. —Suzanne Wayne A graduate student in ECE 598, Play and Early Childhood Education, experiments with how simple tools like pipe cleaners can inspire creativity
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College Updates
Overwhelmingly Successful Book Drive Will Help 19 African Schools
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recent book-collection project headed by College of Education students has far exceeded expectations. Thanks to the efforts of scores of volunteers, more than 19,000 used books are filling the libraries of 19 needy elementary schools in the African nation of Swaziland.
Just a few of the 19,000 books headed to elementary schools in Swaziland
Two student entities in the College—freshmen in an education seminar and interns in Penn State’s Professional Development School (PDS) initiative—undertook the ambitious project. Organizers and College of Education students Michael Gottfried and Sarah Eshbaugh announced overwhelming book totals. Gottfried, a freshman in curriculum and instruction, collected 8,325 books with the help of classmates, organizations in his hometown of Roxbury, N.J., and a Facebook page that he had created. Eshbaugh, a PDS intern preteaching at Radio Park Elementary School in State College, worked with a core of about six other interns at various schools throughout the area. The interns collected and packed 10,934 books. “This project has truly taught us the importance of giving back to educators abroad,” said Eshbaugh. “We are all educators, so being able to provide books to help others learn is one of the greatest gifts to us as learners and future teachers.” Gottfried and his freshman classmates reached out to some 40 groups, organizations, and individuals for book and monetary donations. Gottfried raised well over $3,000 to meet shipping costs.
Volunteers pack some of the thousands of books destined for Swaziland
“Literacy is the cornerstone to a good education and without it, communities won’t function properly,” noted Gottfried. “The books that we are sending to Swaziland will enable many students to become more literate and better their education, allowing them to do greater things for their communities and for the world.” The local effort supported the work of the national African Book Project, Inc., which collects used books from schools, universities, libraries, and other American institutions for distribution in less-developed countries. —Joe Savrock
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College Updates
Drink Up! New Water Filling Stations Are Ecologically Friendly it lobbied President Graham Spanier by hosting a rally in front of Old Main about the problems associated with water bottles. The rally led to meetings with the Office of Physical Plant (OPP), which ultimately installed the water stations. “It’s heartening to see our College and the University’s operations step up to provide water in a way that is both smart and convenient,” adds Buckland. “This is a win for Penn State and a first step away from antienvironmental water use.” OPP and the The new water filling station in Chambers Building has proven to be popular 3E-COE students also collaborated to test the College’s water hanks to the efforts of an eco-conscious College of to measure hardness, pH, iron, and temperature. “There Education student group, new drinking water filling were two locations that were found to be of concern— stations have been installed in five buildings across and the concern was over temperature and not quality,” campus, including Chambers Building. The water stations says Steve Maruszewski, deputy associate vice president give students, staff, and faculty another good reason to for Physical Plant. OPP made upgrades to address the refrain from purchasing commercial bottled water. temperature issue. The sensor-activated filling stations were installed “This entire effort has been a great partnership at the urging of the student group known as 3E-COE between faculty, staff, and students,” adds Maruszewski. (Environment, Ecology, Education in the College of 3E-COE, a member of the Penn State Sustainability Education). Each unit features a touchless dispenser with Coalition, continues its efforts to educate people on how an automatic shutoff timer and easily accommodates more sustainable. The organization brings in to become reusable drinking containers. The filling stations diminish community leaders to speak about ways to overcome the convenience of using those imperishable, one-timeenvironmental issues and hopes to begin working with use plastic water bottles that are taking over landfills and local schools and their garden projects to push forward littering roadways. environmental education programs. “This is one of the most tangible results of our efforts,” For more information on 3E-COE’s efforts, visit says Peter Buckland, 3E-COE president and a graduate 3e-coe.blogspot.com student in the Educational Theory and Policy program. —Joe Savrock 3E-COE started its effort more than a year ago, when
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Short Subjects Recent Research from the College of Education
Reading classrooms are the perfect venue for students to learn positive ways to speak
Teacher Leadership Can Offset Student Use of Degrading Words
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op culture media is littered with linguistic violence—language aimed at oppressing specific social groups. With the powerful influence of the media, hurtful words easily find their way into the everyday talk and writing of many children and adolescents. Teachers of reading, English, and language arts (RELA) are uniquely positioned to squelch children’s use of unchecked, media-fed “words that wound,” says Jeanine Staples, assistant professor of language and literacy education. RELA classrooms, after all, are the principal venue by which students learn to command language. Staples devotes a segment of her research to identifying ways RELA teachers can intervene and offset the prevalence of nasty language. She has written on the topic in the journal English Leadership Quarterly and in an upcoming issue of Teacher Education Quarterly. Staples hopes her work will diminish what she calls the demeaning “kooning identity trait.” She describes a person who “koons” as “an individual who assists the perpetuation and standardization of a particular group as superior by submitting to wounding words and images.” Staples has identified what she calls the “agitator identity trait,” which contradicts and undermines kooning. “I have conceptualized an agitator as an individual who repels censorship of self and ‘others’ by renaming, critically questioning, and transforming wounding words, images, and practices that are rendered valid by senses of superiority, twisted humor, or titillation,” she says. Staples suggests that RELA teachers engage their students in positive, constructive activities such as using new words to describe the meaning of demeaning words, as well as participation in round-robin talks, journaling, and critical questioning. —Joe Savrock
DID YOU KNOW? The College partners with NASA on the Aerospace Education Services Project (AESP). AESP is NASA’s longest running K-12 educational project. AESP education specialists are experienced educators who are broadly knowledgeable about NASA’s missions, programs, and educational resources. They visit schools in all 50 states and U.S. territories to deliver teacher professional development and in-class programming. LEARN MORE! aesp.psu.edu
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Short Subjects
Three-Year Study on Computer Use in Classrooms Concludes
The Classrooms for the Future Program seeks to improve technology competence among Pennsylvania’s high school students
DID YOU KNOW? Charles Hughes, professor of special education, has been awarded his second Fulbright Senior Specialists grant in the past three years and traveled to South Korea in April 2010. Ravinder Koul, associate professor of science education, has also received a Fulbright Senior Specialists grant and will travel to Thailand in August 2010.
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n conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the College of Education developed a methodology to evaluate the statewide Classrooms for the Future (CFF) program, and the Year Three Evaluation Report reviewing CFF gave the program high marks. The initiative was designed to transform the Commonwealth’s high schools and to help them prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. One of the key objectives of Classrooms for the Future was to provide mechanisms to encourage teachers to
move away from the didactic approach of lecturing from the front of the classroom and to engage students in a more student-centered manner. Overall it appears that CFF created a more personalized, collaborative educational experience for students, according to the report. Students in CFF classrooms spent less time listening to lectures and more time working independently, working in groups, and talking with the teacher one-to-one or in small groups. “Pennsylvania’s classrooms are changing,” observes Kyle Peck, associate dean for research, outreach, and technology in the College of Education and co-director of the evaluation project. “Most dramatically, there is an increased focus upon using new technologies as a catalyst to engage students. In CFF classrooms, there is a demonstrable focus on teaching what students need to succeed in the 21st Century, while doing so in more effective ways.” Researchers observed the most impressive changes in teachers during their first year in CFF. Teachers in the second and third years of the program tended to grow a bit and/or stabilize and not to revert to more didactic teaching methods. —David Price
Penn State College of Education
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Short Subjects
Scoring Essays Objectively
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or instructors, interpreting exactly what students intend to convey in their written essays can be a challenge. Grammatical missteps—for example, overuse of pronouns or inconsistent subject-predicate agreement—can skew the intended meaning of a student’s essay. Roy Clariana, professor of instructional systems, developed a text-scoring system he calls analysis of lexical aggregates (ALA) as well “New tools allow us as a text-analysis software package, ALA-Reader. to think in new ways ALA-Reader provides a about things, and means for scoring essays what we are finding objectively in various now using ALAinstructional and researchReader enhances the related settings. discussion about what “Today, students in our high schools write a lot of is knowledge.” essays, and teachers spend a lot of time marking these essays. I initially developed ALA-Reader to do some of the work, not to replace teacher scores but to complement their work,” says Clariana, who serves as academic division head of education at Penn State Great Valley. ALA-Reader translates written text directly into electronic files. The program converts the text into a word map or picture of students’ essays, and each student’s map is also automatically compared to the teacher’s map for analysis that results in an objective score. The current version of ALA-Reader is used mainly by researchers interested in automatic text analysis, Two units in the especially doctoral students, College recently passed but classroom teachers important milestones. can use it as well. “This The Center for the Study of approach has potential not Higher Education celebrated only for assessment but also 40 years in 2009. The for classroom instruction,” American Indian Leadership says Clariana. “For example, Program turned 40 in 2010. the software works in any LEARN MORE! language, and researchers in www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ Mexico and Finland are using cshe it now. It can convert www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ a Spanish essay into an eps/ailp English word map, and so it
DID YOU KNOW?
Roy Clariana developed ALA-Reader to give instructors a more objective means of scoring student essays
could be used in foreign language-learning classes. And students can run it on their own writing to see the word map of their essay and to try to improve the essay if they score low.” He adds, “New tools allow us to think in new ways about things, and what we are finding now using ALAReader enhances the discussion about what is knowledge.” —Joe Savrock
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Short Subjects
Niles and Colleagues Produce Two New Books on Professional Counseling
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rofessional counselors are often modest about the impact they have had upon the lives of the people whom they serve,” says Spencer Niles, professor and head of Penn State’s Department of Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, and Rehabilitation Services (CECPRS). “They are supporting people in settings that span all stages of life span development.” Niles has worked to produce two new books aimed at preparing counselors, counseling psychologists, counselor educators, and human service professionals to practice in various societal settings. Niles, along with Sylvia Nassar-McMillan of North Carolina State University, co-edited Developing Your Identity as a Professional Counselor: Standards, Settings, and Specialties. “This book highlights the tradition of the counseling profession and the influence of professional counselors,” he says. Three other CECPRS faculty members—JoLynn Carney, James Herbert, and Brandon Hunt—contributed chapters to the book. Niles hopes the book will inspire readers to develop their specialty in the field. “Students in counseling and
counseling-related fields will benefit by reading about the important trends, practices in counselingbased settings, and professional issues The Literary and confronting the Cultural Heritage profession,” he says. “We Map of Pennsylvania want new professionals contains information about to be aware of the literary and cultural figures, rich history of the past and present, who have counseling profession connections in Pennsylvania. and to inspire new The Web site includes over counselors as they 1000 biographies of literary embark upon their and cultural figures from counseling careers.” Pennsylvania. Niles also is co-author LEARN MORE! of Career Flow: A Hopewww.pabook.libraries. Centered Approach to psu.edu/palitmap Career Development, due to be released in summer 2010. Co-authors are Norman E. Amundson, professor in counseling psychology at the University of British Columbia, and Roberta A. Neault, a highly recognized consultant. “We wrote this book for the benefit of students who are enrolled in postsecondary education and adults who seek more effective ways to engage in career planning and decision making,” says Niles. Career Flow draws upon research in the areas of positive psychology and social learning theory and presents an innovative perspective for conceptualizing the challenges that people experience in their career development. It also addresses the importance of identifying hopecentered strategies for effective career selfmanagement. —Joe Savrock
DID YOU KNOW?
The new books will help counselors, counseling psychologists, counselor educators, and human service professionals
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Short Subjects
Would Redshirting Improve Academic Performance of Immigrant Students?
Suet-ling Pong (center) has done research on immigrant children that points to advantages for students who are redshirted
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hildren of immigrants often must overcome obstacles in order to achieve academic success. But research conducted by Suet-ling Pong, professor of educational theory & policy and sociology, reveals that in some regions of the world, immigrant children actually perform better than their native classmates. In a recent study, Pong observed that Latino students who migrate to the United States are more likely to underachieve than their native American classmates. While only 29 percent of the Latino immigrant children repeat a grade in American high schools, they are more likely than the non-repeaters to drop out of school. However, if they do stay in school, their academic performance improves after being held back. For comparison, Pong studied the learning patterns of children who migrated with their families from mainland China to Hong Kong—a region that similarly sees a steady immigration stream. Supported by a Fulbright scholarship for this research, Pong found that the mainland students
actually outperform native Hong Kong students in every major subject except one. English is the only subject in which the mainland students lag—no surprise since Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997. So why do children who move from mainland China to Hong Kong perform better than Latino students migrating to the U.S.? Pong notes that the mainland students who enter Hong Kong classrooms are generally older than their new classmates. Redshirting—the practice of delaying a child’s entrance in order to improve their academic competence—is practiced widely in mainland China. “In the U.S., educators often assume that holding a child back hurts the child’s academic progress,” notes Pong. “We need to re-examine this assumption for immigrant children, especially those coming from countries with a less advanced curriculum than the U.S.” Pong reported her findings in an article published last August in the journal Educational Research and Evaluation. —Joe Savrock
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Feature: The People We Serve
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Feature: The People We Serve
The College of Education is proud of the breadth of its programs. But even more important to us is the breadth of the populations we serve. When we stop to look at all the people who are affected by our activities, we find a great diversity in those who benefit in some way by the work we do here in the College. We prepare educators who will in turn teach hundreds or even thousands of students throughout their careers. Counselors and rehabilitation specialists leave our programs and develop careers in which they will touch the lives of an incredible number of people, from all walks of life. Adult and workforce education specialists help adults and workers expand their skills, which leads to greater opportunities, and in turn improves the lives of everyone dependent upon that person. So here we talk about not just what we do as a College to broaden and expand human capacities, but also how our alumni participate in improving education, health, and opportunities in their own sphere.
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LifeLink PSU Students Sacrifice Vacation In Order to Help with Haitian Recovery In a gesture Being located of admirable on Penn State’s selflessness, a campus, and group of State having the ability College Area to attend classes School District with other Penn (SCASD) special State students, education allows LifeLink students between students to the ages of 18 and experience what 21, who are a part it is like to be of the LifeLink independent program, have college students. donated class trip LifeLink student funds that they Dani LaMar was had been saving proud to say that since last year to she, too, was given earthquake relief the opportunity to and rebuilding in act as a mentor to Haiti. a fellow student by LifeLink accompanying her LifeLink PSU provides opportunities for college-aged students with disabilities to be a part of the Penn State community PSU is a unique to a yoga class. For program in which student Fallecia Penn State student mentors and members of SCASD’s Ehrmann, who has been admitted to South Hills School Department of Special Education provide college-aged of Business and Technology in State College for fall 2010, SCASD students with disabilities with a transition from LifeLink was the transition she needed to feel comfortable high school to adult life. Through LifeLink, the students are going into a college program. provided the opportunity to interact with more commonly While any Penn State student is welcome to volunteer aged peers and attend college-level courses of their at LifeLink as a mentor, students in the Rehabilitation and choosing, such as criminal justice, ballroom dancing, and Human Services program in the College of Education Web design. are strongly encouraged to participate. “Working with LifeLink PSU meets daily on the Penn State University LifeLink personalizes the experience for our students,” says Park campus in a classroom located in the HUB-Robeson James Herbert, professor-in-charge of the program. “By Center. Penn State student mentors involved in LifeLink engaging with LifeLink students, they challenge their own attend classes with the students, help them with their beliefs and gain better insight into the lived experience of class work, and socialize with them. Within the past year, persons with disabilities.” LifeLink has benefited from over 180 interns and mentors LifeLink mentor and Rehabilitation and Human Services who have volunteered over 5,400 hours of service to the major Jenna Schiavoni says that she is thankful for the program. LifeLink student Sarah Pelchar described her opportunity to be involved with the LifeLink program and mentor David Hillier, who attends sign language classes its students. “LifeLink PSU is a very unique program that with her, as her best friend. “We have a lot in common,” provides an incredible opportunity for anyone involved. she says. The compassion that I saw between the students that
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Feature: The People We Serve
attend LifeLink is something I will always carry with me,” she says. The benefits to both Penn State students and LifeLink PSU students are vast, and now the scope of helping has spread overseas. After saving $12,000 for a trip to the Bahamas, the students of LifeLink PSU donated this and more to earthquake relief in Haiti, thus forgoing their much-anticipated vacation. After watching a video about the devastation, student Joey Nelson got teary-eyed and thought to himself, “Whoa, we should do something about this!” For student Kiki Malik, seeing Haitians without food or
water helped her to make her decision. The group has a goal of $30,000 that they were hoping to reach through their additional fundraising during the spring semester: The Soup-er Bowl, which raised an additional $12,000, and Dance Battle Royale, which was held on Friday, April 30, 2010. Besides giving up their own vacation, the group seeks to send a message to others. As Teri Lindner, learning support teacher at LifeLink PSU says, “These students sacrificed something very valuable to themselves and want to challenge others to do the same.” —Jessica Parsons
Nurse Aide Trainer Program Provides New Opportunities for Nurses There is a strong need for certified nursing assistants or nurse aides throughout the state of Pennsylvania. People are living longer, and more people are choosing to use assisted living care rather than long-term care facilities for longer periods of time. People in assisted living care need help with activities of daily living and don’t require the more advanced services of nurses needed by those in long-term care. The people most often found caring for these folks are nurse aides. Nurse aides become certified after a maximum of 120 hours of training in programs offered by career and technical centers and long-term care facilities. The College of Education is helping prepare qualified RNs and LPNs to teach in these programs. The Nurse Aide Training: Teaching the Educator (TTE) Workshop offered through the Professional Personnel Development Center (PPDC) in the College of Education offers workshops throughout the year in which nurses can become certified to teach in nurse aide training programs. The four-day workshop is offered once a month, ten months out of the year, in locations all over the state. In 2010, the workshop is being offered in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Indiana, Mercer, Scranton, and Altoona, among other locations.
The need for nurse aides can be stronger in certain geographic locations. For example, the PPDC will offer the workshop in Towanda, Pa., after being asked by a local hospital there to provide the program. Says Kim Germino, director of the program, “Apparently the need is great there. They used to have a few nurse aide training programs in that area, which were closed in past years. These programs are now attempting to start up again, and they are in need of trainers for the programs.” Says Germino, “Approximately 200–250 nurses earn the credential from our program each year, yet we continue to see an ongoing need for qualified individuals to teach in these programs to train new nurse aides.” The TTE Program is just one of many programs offered by PPDC in the College of Education. PPDC is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For more than 30 years, PPDC has offered unique opportunities for skilled individuals to become certified to teach those skills to others in schools and career and technical centers. For more information on the TTE program, please visit the Web site at www.ed.psu.edu/educ/tte —Suzanne Wayne
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Going Back to College So They Can Help Others Learn
Brad Howe ’08 Sec Ed found the inspiration to pursue a career change in an unlikely place—at a high school commencement ceremony for his niece and nephew. The Brad Howe commencement speaker’s words stuck with him: “No matter what you do after you graduate, follow your passion. Everything else will fall into place.” Those words rang true for Brad. He decided to leave a career in banking and become a mathematics teacher. Some 17 years earlier, Brad had enrolled in Penn State’s engineering program. But he soon withdrew and began working for Penn Central National Bank. Later he joined Omega Financial Corporation, where he rose through the ranks to become an assistant vice president. Brad had come to realize that the most enjoyable experiences of his career were those in which he had the opportunity to teach something to his staff and colleagues. So he enrolled part-time in 2000 in the College’s secondary education/mathematics teacher preparation program while continuing to work fulltime. His wife, Linda, and their daughters, Rebecca, Erin, Stephanie, and Danielle, gave him their full encouragement. Brad kept working full-time until he did his studentteaching practicum in his final semester, the fall of 2008. Despite many years outside the classroom, Brad met with great success in college. He graduated in the fall of 2008 as the College of Education’s student marshal,
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earning the top class ranking with a 3.99 grade-point average. Immediately after earning his college degree, Brad landed a teaching position at his alma mater—Juniata Valley High School in Alexandria, Pa., where he also had done his student teaching. He teaches algebra I and plane geometry to students in grades 8–12. “I very much enjoy watching students’ faces as the light comes on, and they discover they have grasped a new or difficult concept,” he says. “I also enjoy celebrating their successes when they do well on especially difficult tasks or assessments.” He adds, “I’m gratified to help students reach their academic potential, but I also hope to help them in other areas of their lives as well. Success in school is important, but helping students to have a successful life is my goal.” Photo courtesy of The Daily News, Huntingdon, Pa.
They had long graduated and were well settled into their adult lives. But the people featured on these pages wanted to do more. They decided to make the bold move of returning to college and accept the enormous challenge of juggling family and work responsibilities with classroom commitments. Their goal was to realize their true passion: to teach.
Ken Kryder ’09 Wf Ed likewise earned high distinction in the College of Education. He was student marshal of his graduating class at the College’s summer 2009 commencement ceremonies. Actually, teaching is not new for Ken. For the past ten years he’s been a fulltime electronics instructor at Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pa. And, for the past 17 years, he’s been teaching credit/ non-credit courses at Pennsylvania College of Technology (PTC) part-time. Ken graduated from high school in 1983, and in 1986 Ken Kryder
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he earned a degree in Electronics process improves the learning Technology from the former environment of the students. Williamsport Area Community “Teaching is the best job ever,” College (now PTC). He went on to he continues. “Nothing compares to hold technical positions at Lunaire helping others achieve their goals.” Environmental and later for Alcan Roy Beman ‘05 Voc II didn’t really Cable in Williamsport, Pa. leave his career in automotives when In 1999, after nearly 11 years, Ken he returned to college. He simply left industry and began teaching found an ideal way to extend his electronics at Keystone Central expertise to others. School District. In order to teach Roy began working at a Roy Beman with students at a FORD/AAA courses in career and technology neighborhood service station in the student auto skills competition in Pittsburgh education (CTE), he earned his 1960s while attending Williamsport where they finished 5th Vocational 2 certification. Area Community College (now PCT). But Ken had a burning desire to He wound up buying the station in obtain a higher degree. “I had my Voc 2 certification, and 1966. Later, he was a technician at a local Pontiac-Cadillac that is where most CTE educators stop,” he says. “And I dealership and then at a speed shop. thought about stopping there. But I had a desire to learn “Then I took a position with a local Chrysler-Plymouthmore.” Jeep dealership, where I was the parts manager and later “After teaching my first class, I realized that through the service manager,” says Roy. “I was a working service sharing my experiences, skills, and knowledge, I was manager, and I sold new and used cars on the side.” helping others learn and achieve their own dreams and Roy decided to go out on his own. In 1983 he opened goals,” continues Ken. Roy Beman Auto Service in State College. The business was Ken saw earning a bachelor’s degree as a way of successful, but the hours were long and demanding. After improving his capacity to transmit his knowledge to more than a decade, he began to think about selling his students. “In the world of education, an educator’s business and trying his hand at teaching. experience and knowledge is not the only way they “My decision was due to my children,” says Roy. “When are measured. Sometimes it is the number of years of I began teaching, I had two young daughters, ages service and the degree we have,” he says. three and six, and I was a single parent. Since running a So he enrolled part-time in Penn State’s College of successful business requires more than 24 hours a day, I Education and began coursework toward his bachelor’s needed more time for my family.” degree in workforce education and development. All the Roy enrolled in evening classes at Penn State to while, he continued teaching full-time at Central Mountain pursue permanent and part-time at PTC. certification in teaching Ken remembers the crunch of taking a class at Penn transportation State Altoona, a 90-minute one-way drive from his home in technology and Jersey Shore. “It was four nights a week for four weeks,” he automotive technology. recalls. “It wasn’t easy, but I had a lot of support from my “During the first year, wife and children.” I still operated my He also took several courses through Penn State’s business, and the World Campus. “This helped me meet my time schedule juggling between and not travel so much,” he says. “Those distance school, family, and education courses helped me maintain my teaching job business was extremely In 2010, students in the and have a little more time with family.” difficult,” he remembers. Student Pennsylvania State Now, with his bachelor’s degree in hand, Ken still has In 1995 he sold the Education Association raised not stopped. business and began nearly $19,000 for THON. “After a semester off, I have decided to continue teaching transportation and work toward my master’s in workforce education LEARN MORE! technology in State and development,” he says. “I would like to think my www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ College Area School investment in education also benefits the students in my news/spsea-2010 District (SCASD). classroom. Increasing my knowledge of the educational
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“I was hired on a Pennsylvania emergency teaching certificate, which was good for one year,” recalls Roy. “During that year, I had weekly visits from a field resource person sent by Penn State’s Workforce Education and Development program. I had weekly lesson assignments to complete, and my visits were videotaped for my use in refining my teaching style. That earned me a Vocational l certificate.” In 2005, after nearly ten years of parttime study, Roy completed his required credits. He finished with a 3.89 GPA, earning permanent teaching Christina Roman certification. “Much to the pleasure of my kids, we could share dinner together again,” he says. Roy has been teaching at SCASD for 16 years now. “I enjoy working with our The Summer College young people,” he says, Opportunity Program “and I take tremendous in Education (SCOPE) is a satisfaction in helping them rigorous four-week summer identify their career goals residential program and in enabling them to providing academic capitalize on their dreams.” enrichment and college Roy recertified the preparation opportunities district’s program as an to underrepresented high Automotive Technology school students who may program. In 1999 the not consider college as an program was recognized option. Of the students and certified by the National who participated in the Automotive Teachers SCOPE program between Educational Foundation 2002 and 2007, 82% as an approved national enrolled in or graduated instructional program. from baccalaureate degree In 1999, Roy was programs. Over one-quarter recognized as the enrolled in or graduated from Outstanding Vocational Penn State. Thirteen percent Teacher of the Year by PCT. enrolled in or graduated Christina Roman is a from Penn State’s College of returning adult student Education. who commutes 30 miles LEARN MORE! each way from her home www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ in Lewistown to University multicultural-programs/ Park. She is pursuing a summer-program/
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degree in elementary education and expects to graduate in fall 2010. Prior to her return to college, Christina was raising her three daughters—Selina (now 15), Corinne (12), and Abigail (11), while her husband, Bob White, has been teaching high school physics at State College Area High School. “They have been an awesome source of encouragement,” she says of her family. “While I greatly enjoyed my experiences as an at-home mom, I felt it was time to self-actualize and embark upon a career,” says Christina. “I thought teaching would be especially rewarding.” Christina enrolled at Penn State in spring 2007. Since then, she’s been juggling her normal homemaking responsibilities with a course load ranging from 9 to 15 credits each semester. She’s been taking summer courses as well. She carries a solid 3.80 GPA. “I find it very challenging to meet all of my responsibilities. I have definitely enhanced my timemanagement skills,” she says. “I try not to get too stressed when it seems like a lot of assignments are due and there are obligations at home to deal with. When I get stressed, I really just try to rely more on my family to help out around the house—and I know from past experience it will all work out in the end.” Bob has taken on more responsibility at home and is helpful with pointers on assignments. Christina says her husband’s career was “somewhat of an influence” on her decision to enroll in the College of Education. “I had a good idea of the benefits of a teaching career and the joy of working in a service profession and helping people based upon our discussions at home,” she notes. “However, my choice of elementary education probably came from my experiences as a parent and volunteering in my children’s schools,” she says. “I am very excited at the prospect of becoming a teacher. The reward of working with youth is immeasurable, and my pre-student teaching classroom experiences have compounded the feeling that teaching is the occupation for me.” She adds, “Every day with the students is like a new adventure filled with wonder and excitement on both their part and mine. I love every one of those little children and look forward to the day when I will have my own classroom full of eager young minds to support as they embark upon a journey of lifelong learning.” —Joe Savrock
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Federal Grants Support Special Education Ph.D. Students According to the U.S. Department of Education, the national shortage of highly qualified special education teachers is 11.2%. Approximately 45,514 teachers with special education duties do not meet required standards. This ongoing shortage will only get worse as more teachers retire or leave the profession. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor reports that the demand for special education teachers will increase by 17%, a greater rate than what is predicted for all other occupations. Individuals with special education doctorates are needed to prepare special education teachers and contribute to research in the field; however, there continues to be a shortage of those individuals as well. “Teaching experience before graduate school is required, which means people have to leave their established careers to complete a quality doctoral program,” says Kathy Ruhl, professor of special education and chair of the department of educational psychology, school psychology, and special education. “A good program also requires a mentor relationship, which means they cannot do this online.” For nearly the last 20 years, the College of Education has won five different federal grants to help cover tuition and pay a living stipend to students pursuing graduate degrees in special education. Says Ruhl, “In the last 20 years, 99% of our grads have gone to higher education positions. This is partly because of how we mentor them. Also, we are explicit in the application process that these funds are for individuals who want to become a professor of special education.” “This program can affect more than the individual earning the degree,” Ruhl explains. “It starts with one graduate from our program, who then teaches four courses a year, with 25 students each. Those 100 students go out and teach between 15 to 30 students a year for 30 years. Of course, this doesn’t even include the impact the faculty member’s research might have on the field. How many more people may read the articles, cite them, and build on their ideas?” Indeed, alumni who have benefited from these grants have gone on to successful careers. For example, Wanda Blanchett ’97 Ph.D. is now dean of the School of Education at the University of Missouri–Kansas City.
“At Penn State, I was fortunate enough to work with a group of extremely dedicated faculty who had literally thought of almost everything that I would need to be successful including financial, academic, and social and emotional supports,” says Wanda Blanchett Blanchett. “Although the financial supports had a huge positive impact on my decision to attend Penn State, the mentoring and academic support are what made the most significant difference in helping me to become the professional educator and scholar that I am today.” Rachel Wannarka ‘09 Ph.D., also benefited from these grants while a student at Penn State. Wannarka says of the financial support she received: “It allowed me to pay tuition, attend and present at several conferences, buy books, fund my dissertation research, and pay my rent while I devoted myself to learning. It was absolutely invaluable.” She continues: “From Penn State I got a really solid grounding in teaching, professional scholarship, service, and life as an academic. I am currently Rachel Wannarka responsible for the special education program at a small liberal arts school in Ohio, and I continue to get advice and feedback from Kathy Ruhl and the rest of my committee about the most effective ways to structure the experience that our future teachers receive. I am quite sure that I will continue to rely on their mentoring as I begin my next job at the University of Michigan this fall. “ —Suzanne Wayne
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New Literacy Technologies for Individuals with Communication Disabilities Individuals with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other disabilities often have difficulty with speech, which can limit their participation in traditional reading instruction activities. Many children with complex communication needs are benefiting from the research of David McNaughton, professor in the College of Education, and Janice Light, distinguished professor in the College of Health and Human Development. Through their work with the federally funded Augmentative and Alternative A number of children whose initial expectations for Communication Rehabilitation Engineering reading were extremely low have progressed significantly Research Center (AAC-RERC), McNaughton in their literacy skills through these new activities and Light have developed evidence-based literacy instruction activities for persons who make use of sign language, picture boards, and other AAC techniques. These resources are readily available to instructors, clinicians, and other professionals in a variety of formats. McNaughton and Light’s work has been cited as an example of successful research to practice in a report to Congress by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Web Site for Teaching Literacy Skills Literacy Instruction for Individuals with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and Other Disabilities (aacliteracy.psu.edu) is a comprehensive Web site that promotes the translation of research to evidence-based practice. “This Web site provides information on instructional activities that teachers can use with students who have difficulty speaking,” says McNaughton. “This resource is useful not only for special education teachers, but for any teacher who has a child with special needs enrolled in their class. Parents have also told us that it gives them a better sense of what is possible for children with disabilities and it has helped them support literacy development at home.” The site’s teaching activities address basic skills such as sound blending, phoneme segregation, and letter-sound correspondences while supporting the use of these skills in personalized and motivating reading and writing activities. Featured on the Web site’s videos are a number of children whose initial expectations for reading were extremely low. But after participating in the adapted instructional activities, all of the children have progressed significantly in their literacy skills. The Web site receives some 1,200 visitors per month. It is also used by more than 800 undergraduate and graduate students in pre-professional training programs at universities nationwide. More than thirty-six external resource Web sites link to the AAC literacy site.
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Webcast
DID YOU KNOW?
A free Webcast, Maximizing the Literacy Skills of Individuals Who Use AAC (aac-rerc.psu.edu/index.php/webcasts/show/id/1), is available through the AAC-RERC site. The 100-minute Webcast includes step-by-step directions for teaching literacy skills, as well as illustrative videos of the use of these strategies with individuals at a variety of ages and skill levels. The Webcast is viewed over 100 times a month and has been added to preservice teacher preparation programs around the country. Evidence-Based Literacy Curriculum
Since its inception in 1989-90, the Penn State Educational Partnership Program has served over 2,450 K-12 students statewide. Over 1,800 Penn State students have participated as mentors and tutors.
A curriculum titled Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL): Evidence-Based Reading Instruction for Individuals with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and Other Disabilities was developed in partnership with Meyer-Johnson, Inc., a leading provider of assistive technology and adapted learning materials. The ALL Reading Curriculum is a seven-volume set of instructional materials for teaching reading skills to students who have a wide range of disabilities, especially those with complex communication needs. In its first year of availability, the curriculum was adopted by more LEARN MORE! than 200 school districts, parents, centers, and programs. The American www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ Federation of Teachers (AFT) also used the curriculum to develop its own pepp national training series to promote evidence-based literacy instruction for students with complex communication needs. McNaughton and Light have partnered with AFT to offer multiday teacher-training workshops. They headed two national training sessions last year and plan to hold at least three more in 2010. “The workshop participants return to their home school districts and, in turn, conduct training for other teachers,” says McNaughton. “So it has been exciting to see the word on ‘what can be done’ getting out to teachers.” McNaughton saw unanimous approval by the teachers who took part in the national training: 100% of them adopted the literacy curriculum; 100% reported high levels of satisfaction with the curriculum; and 100% reported that they would recommend the evidencebased curriculum to other professionals. What Do the Teachers Say? For McNaughton and Light, perhaps the most rewarding part of this project has been seeing the impact of the literacy curriculum with students and the reaction of their teachers and parents. “When we speak with teachers,” says McNaughton, “they tell us that they are very excited to have materials that are specially adapted to promote participation and learning by children with complex communication needs. “One of the teachers from our first workshop took the literacy materials and started to work with four students with communication disabilities in her home school district in California,” continues McNaughton. “All four students showed progress, and some have already learned to read words, sentences, and even short stories. The teacher told us, ’I’ve never felt so successful.’” —Joe Savrock
Videos show the excitement of these young readers with complex communication needs
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Proloquo2Go Allows People with Communication Disabilities to “Speak Out Loud” People with communication disabilities now have the power to “speak” clearly, thanks to a new iPhone application created by College of Education doctoral candidate Samuel Sennott and David Niemeijer, a software expert in the Netherlands. Sennott, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Penn State’s special education program, worked with Niemeijer to develop Proloquo2Go, a new application that runs on iPhone, iPod Touch, and other portable hand-held devices. Proloquo2Go opens new doors of communication for children and adults who have autism, cerebral palsy, and other developmental disabilities, as well Sam Sennott demostrates his iPhone app while chatting as stroke and accident victims who have online with ABC News lost the ability to speak. A user communicates simply by pressing buttons containing illustrated symbols and activating a natural-sounding text-tospeech voice output. Proloquo2Go features a default vocabulary of more than 7,000 items. The application is readily available at retail stores and, at less than $200, is much more affordable than more traditional augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, such as computer-based voice output aids and word boards. Proloquo2Go has been gaining national exposure. It has been featured on Fox News, ABC News, the popular syndicated talk show The Doctors, and other media outlets. Sennott conceptualized the Proloquo2Go idea several years ago while leading an inclusion program on the north shore of Massachusetts. “I saw how my students with disabilities needed powerful, yet affordable and cool technology to help them communicate,” he says. What’s more, using a hand-held device helps the user blend into the mainstream of an increasingly wired-in society. “The hard-to-quantify coolness factor of using an iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to communicate is truly awesome,” says Sennott. “As we hear about young adults walking or wheeling into high school with Proloquo2Go on a new iPad, it makes me smile to think about the inclusive power of this tool set.” —Joe Savrock
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Annual Autism Conference Provides Information and Support The Children’s Institute runs simultaneously with the Autism Conference and provides activities for children with autism and their siblings while their parents attend the conference. The Institute is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Penn State held its first conference on autism in 1998. Expectations for attendance were modest, about 100 people. When three times that many showed up, it punctuated reality. The incidence of reported autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has increased significantly since the early 1990s. In Pennsylvania alone, diagnoses of autism have increased more than 2,000% in the last two decades, and Penn State’s College of Education is at the forefront of leadership in autism education. The annual National Autism Conference held each August at University Park has become one of the most visible examples of the College’s leadership in the field. The conference provides comprehensive, evidence-based information to help attendees develop effective educational programming for all students with autism spectrum disorders. To produce the comprehensive symposium, the College collaborates with Penn State Outreach, the Pennsylvania Training Assistance Network, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Attendance at the conference has grown to nearly 2,500 people, making it one of the world’s largest such conferences. Many of those attending are family members of those with autism. Others are medical and behavioral professionals, counselors, social workers, school administrators, and educators. In addition to the five-day conference, the College offers a postbaccalaureate professional development certificate in autism, as well an advanced graduate seminar, Educating Individuals with Autism, which addresses current issues and evidence-based strategies for professionals who work with individuals with ASDs. Learn more: www.outreach.psu.edu/programs/autism —David Price
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The 40th American Indian Leadership Program cohort arrived in August 2009. These individuals are completing master’s degrees and principal certification
The American Indian Leadership Program For the last 40 years, the American Indian Leadership Program (AILP) has provided new educational opportunities for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Since the program was founded in 1970, more than 220 students have earned master’s and doctoral degrees from the program and have gone on to pursue leadership positions at the local, tribal, state, and national levels, each serving others and making a difference in their own capacity. AILP is the nation’s oldest continuously operating educational leadership program for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Under the leadership of John Tippeconnic, professor of educational leadership, and Susan Faircloth, associate professor of educational leadership, the program is continuing this tradition of excellence. With the start of the 2009–10 academic year, AILP has welcomed ten American Indian/Alaska Native graduate Fellows who are pursuing master’s degrees in educational
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leadership while earning their principal certification. The fellowships to support these new graduate students are part of a $960,000 grant from the Office of Indian Education, an office of the U.S. Department of Education. The College and program have celebrated AILP’s 40th anniversary over the last year with a number of events, including an on-campus art exhibit, an alumni reception at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York City, and a field trip to the site of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pa. AILP is set for another 40 successful years. There is great interest in the program nationally. Tippeconnic and Faircloth have also recently established the Center for the Study of Leadership in American Indian Education, with the goal of having research inform the preparation of American Indian and Alaska Native leaders and educators. —Suzanne Wayne
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The College of Education to Host Annual Conference for Future Educators Pennsylvania have active FEA chapters. In order to become more representative of the entire state, further growth, through the formation of new chapters in a larger number of school districts, is necessary. According to Charleon Jeffries, director of Pennsylvania FEA and program coordinator in the College’s Office of Multicultural Programs, “By providing students with a The College’s Center for wide variety of methods Rural Education and for exploring the education Communities is looking at profession, Pennsylvania childhood obesity rates in Future Educators Association relation to school policies helps to sustain and nurture regarding physical activity, its own next generation availability of community of educators.” In order to resources such as parks and contribute to this goal, local full-service grocery stores, chapters attend school and farm-to-school initiatives board meetings, help with and nutrition education in back-to-school nights, tutor schools. Faculty member and and mentor in middle and center director Kai Schafft elementary schools, and is co-author with Penn participate in community State faculty member in Ag service projects. Sciences, C. Clare Hinrichs, For more information of a guidebook designed to on the Pennsylvania Future aid schools in developing Educators Association, how farm-to-school programs: to attend or participate in the Growing the Links Between state conference, or how to Farms and Schools: A How-To set up a local chapter in your Guidebook for Pennsylvania school district, please visit Farmers, Schools and www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ Communities. multicultural-programs/ fep LEARN MORE! —Jessica Parsons www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ crec/
DID YOU KNOW?
FEA members attend a science education seminar at last year’s conference
The College of Education invites Future Educators Association (FEA) members to attend the statewide Pennsylvania FEA conference, held each year on the Penn State University Park campus. This year, the conference will be held on November 9, with the theme “Education is the Gateway to the World.” The Pennsylvania FEA conference will focus on giving students more information about being educators in a global society. The conference will include workshops focusing on educational leadership, current issues in education, and how to effectively run local FEA chapters. Also, students will be given the opportunity to visit an undergraduate education class as well as attend a student panel during which current College of Education students will speak to the FEA students about preparing for college. FEA is an international organization focused on encouraging high school students to explore and consider a future career in education. The organization functions at a local level through high school chapters. While Pennsylvania FEA has seen growth over the past few years, currently, fewer than 50 of the 700-plus high schools in
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Alumni Information Alumna Paula Donson Finds Successful Career in Business
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aula Donson ‘82 Ph.D. was reared in a Russian immigrant community in Jessup, Pa., about ten miles northeast of Scranton. The tight-knit enclave frequently spoke the language of the old country and spent what spare time they had in each other’s company—playing music, singing songs, and participating fully in their Byzantine-faith community. “It was good,” says Paula, “but I wanted to find my own way.” Paula left Jessup for Clarion University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English education and master’s in media. A Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction took her to Penn State, where she was classmates with current College of Education faculty Bernard Badiali ‘85 Ph.D. and James Nolan ‘83 Ph.D. “I wanted to be an English teacher my whole life,” Paula relates. “But when I first came out of college, I had this tremendous offer from Sperry, now Unisys. I had interviewed there because my friend was there. The executives told me, ‘We don’t have a job for you yet, but we’ll hire you immediately.’” She traveled the world to Unisys computer installation sites, working on the human factors. She was good at it. She liked it. The AlumniShe was successful. Then Student Teacher Network she went on vacation to was established in 1992 by Alaska in the early 1990s. the Alumni Society Board. Paula met the chairman of The Network provides a burgeoning company, an excellent opportunity Mactel. Their visions for alumni to share their aligned, and she left her experience and expertise familiar northeastern with student teachers and for United States life behind the students to network with and headed to Alaska to education professionals. help create the state’s LEARN MORE! premiere service in an www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ innovative industry that alumni-friends/alumnifew at the time had heard society-1/alumni-studentof: cell phones. teacher-network “It’s my little adventurous streak
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that has brought me the best opportunities,” she says. ”And you must be successful (in Alaska), or they can’t use you. What you do has to work.” Mactel worked. It prospered and delivered handsome profits to its investors, selling in 1999. Paula today is an executive with the Alaska Railroad Corporation and is on the faculty of the University of Alaska. “I found that my skills Is it incongruous that in education really Paula’s formal education were well leveraged was in education and when I went to work that she is so successful in business. And that in business? Not to her. was my passion...to Seeing connections where there appears to be none work with people, is creative. It’s innovative teaching them in a thinking. new way, taking them “I found that my skills down a new path, in education really were and helping them be well leveraged when I went successful.” to work in business,” she explains. “And that was —Paula Donson my passion...to work with people, teaching them in a new way, taking them down a new path, and helping them be successful.” Paula has pledged $2.4 million to the College of Education to endow the Paula M. Donson Graduate Scholarship for Innovation in Education. The purpose of the fund is to recognize and provide financial assistance to graduate students in the College. The key is innovation— new technologies or new methods to bring educational programs to the greater community. “I wanted the money to go to those who will bring change, bring innovation, bring new ideas into education,” she says. “I want to help people who are creative and have new ideas, and I want them to have the means to see their ideas through to fruition.” —David Price
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Alumni Information
PE N N STAT E Multicultural Advancement Alumni Council Seeks New Members
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O N L I N E Jennifer Weible Chemistry Teacher Punxsutawney School District Master of Education in Instructional Systems, Educational Technology
he Multicultural Advancement Alumni Council (MAAC) is an excellent way for graduates and former students to impact the College of Education, today and for the future. An Affiliate Program Group within the Penn State Alumni Association, the mission of the MAAC is to act as an informal advisory board to the dean and to provide a way for alumni to join together to improve the College. (The MAAC is open to graduates and former students of the College whether or not they are members of the Penn State Alumni Association.) When the MAAC was created, Dean David H. Monk noted three specific focus areas where alumni and former students could impact the College by participating:
•Increasing multicultural recruitment into undergraduate and graduate programs in the College
Be Exceptional
•Networking with and mentoring current students and alumni
Earning a master’s degree inspired Jennifer Weible to become a teacher of teachers.
•Supporting the College’s agenda for multicultural development
Now there’s no stopping her. She plans to acquire her doctorate in education so she can show new teachers how to best use technology in the classroom. She credits her Penn State online degree with inspiring her to continue her studies.
In that spirit, the goal of the Multicultural Advancement Alumni Council is for its members to serve as role models for, and to inspire an emerging generation of, culturally diverse leaders. Opportunities to get involved with the MAAC include mentoring; volunteering for special events like recruitment fairs, the SCOPE program, and career days; and serving on the board of directors. If you would like to get involved with the MAAC, contact Phil Hoy—assistant director of alumni relations— at 814-863-2216 or at peh106@psu.edu. —David Price
™
Read Jennifer’s full story and learn more at:
www.worldcampus.psu.edu/BeExceptional U.Ed.OUT 10-0830/10-WC-239djm/bjm Photo by: Joelle Watt u.n.s.c.r.i.p.t.e.d.
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Alumni Information
Changes to the College’s Alumni Society Board A longtime member of the College of Education’s Alumni Society Board is stepping down, and the board will welcome four new members this summer. Joan Dieter ‘64 Sec Ed, ‘68 M.Ed. has been an active board member for more than a decade. First appointed to the board in 2000, Joan was subsequently elected to two terms. She served as secretary of the board three times during her tenure. Joan is a retired business education Joan Dieter teacher in the Shaler Area School District. She is a member of the Junior League of Pittsburgh, the Tri-State Business Association, the Nittany Lion Club, and a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association. She formerly was a teacher at the Cresson Youth Development Center and was trained in the Student Assistance Program. Jeremiah Mimms ‘08 E K Ed,‘10 M.Ed. is one of two new Alumni Society Board members appointed to a three-year term. He is a graduate assistant in the College of Education’s Office of Development and in the University’s Office of Multicultural Programs. While pursuing his consecutive degrees in Education and Counseling, he served as a supervisor in the CEDAR Clinic and as a resident counselor in the Summer College Program in Education, SCOPE. Andrew Pollock ‘64 Sec Ed, ‘65 M.Ed. also has been appointed to the board. He retired in 2005 as superintendent of schools in the Benton Area School District in Columbia County, Pa. He continues to substitute teach at Temple University and Delaware Valley College. Andrew served previously on the Alumni Society board of directors from 1988 to 1995. He was vice president of the board in 1994 and 1995. In addition, the board has elected two new members. William Vitori ‘73 Sec Ed retired recently from Elizabeth Forward Senior High School in Allegheny County, Pa. Bill taught physics and chemistry for 36 years, was an assistant varsity baseball coach, and served as president of PSEA in his district. He still substitute teaches on occasion. Bill is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association and is involved in the College of Education’s annual Cycle-Thon, which benefits the SCOPE program.
Erica Walters ‘04 Elem Ed is a former Lion Ambassador who works as a grant writer and assistant principal in the Pleasant Valley School District in Monroe County, Pa. She previously served on the board of the College’s Professional Development School (PDS) for two years. Erica also was a participant in THON in 2003 and 2004. —David Price
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Alumni Society Awards: Call For Nominations
2009 Alumni Award Winners: Front L-R: George Daka, Caitlin Nahas, Andrew Dinniman, Jaime Murray Back L-R: David Monk (Dean), Sarah Chicchi, Ryan McKenzie, Louis Danielson, and Ryan Hinkle
We are looking for distinguished alumni! The College Alumni Society Awards program needs nominations from you! Awards include:
Excellence in Education Honors alumni with significant career contributions to education.
Outstanding Teaching Award Honors alumni with career achievements as a classroom teacher.
Leadership & Service Award Honors alumni with career achievements in or outside of the field of education.
Outstanding New Graduate Honors recent graduates who have distinguished themselves in their new careers. Nominations received before January 31 each year are reviewed as a group. Awards are presented in a ceremony each fall. Nominations may be made at any time. Self-nominations are welcome.
www.ed.psu.edu/educ/alumni-friends/award
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Penn State College of Education
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Alumni Information
DID YOU KNOW?
College Welcomes New Alumni Director
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he College of Education recently welcomed a new assistant director of alumni relations into its fold. Phil Hoy—a 1993 alumnus of the College—came to Education from the College of Agricultural Sciences. “I’m delighted that Phil has joined us in the College,” says Ellie Dietrich, director of development and alumni relations. “I think he brings a wealth of volunteer and program management experience and an eagerness to Phil Hoy work with educators.” For the past 12 years, Phil was the youth program management coordinator for Penn State Cooperative Education. Among his responsibilities in that role, he coordinated statewide 4-H and FFA events. In his new role, Phil is one of the first points of contact
for College alumni. You can find College of “My job is to foster the Education alumni in nations connection between all over the world, including alumni and the College Turkey, Sri Lanka, China, of Education,” Phil says, Australia, Japan, Spain, “as well as to support the Austria, and Canada. alumni in the work they do with the College.” “I think that the alumni can expect responsiveness to their needs and thoughtful insights about advancing the mission of the College and University from Phil,” adds Dietrich. “He understands the challenges we face in serving varied constituencies as we balance current and future needs with budget constraints.” —David Price
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Rocco Cambria’s Work Ethic Gives Promise to Persons with Disabilities
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occo Cambria ’72 Psy, ’76 M.Ed. became director of the work program. “I learned his strong work ethic from two proposed changing the name of the facility sources: his parents and the friends he to something less labeling of individuals with made at a work activities training center for disabilities—something more reflective of persons with cognitive disabilities. productivity,” he says. Rocco was born and raised in the blue-collar But he was met with resistance from parents region of Reading, Pa. His father, Carmelo, and others. He decided to return to college worked in the area’s factories and steel mills. His to learn more about the field, pursuing his mom, Jennie, did knitting millwork in the family’s master’s degree in counseling psychology home while taking care of the children. Later, with an emphasis in rehabilitation counseling. Carmelo and Jennie opened a luncheonette and “I soon learned that I was indeed on the Rocco Cambria several successful sandwich shops. right path,” he says. “I just needed to look for As a high school student, Rocco spent many nights another way. That would later translate into my work of working in those eateries. Later, during the summers of placing individuals directly on the job and training them his college years, he labored in Reading’s sweltering steel in real-work situations, as opposed to simulated work in mills and machine shops. “It was hard work, but my father segregated settings.” insisted that our summer work be of this nature,” states After receiving his M.Ed., Rocco helped form and Rocco. “I’m sure he had a good reason for insisting on hard later became president of AHEDD, a not-for-profit central manual labor. Any success I have achieved is a direct result Pennsylvania-based agency that provides various of the encouragement and sacrifices my parents made for employment and training services to persons with disabilities. their children.” AHEDD’s services include job-search assistance, resume After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology in preparation, interviewing tips, on-the-job training, and 1972, Rocco was hired at a work activities training center in benefits counseling. The agency is based in Camp Hill, Berks County. “It was in this program that I formed some Pa., with offices stretched across the Commonwealth and of my strongest relationships with individuals who had Delaware. Rocco remains president to this day. cognitive disabilities,” says Rocco. “What impressed me Rocco lives with his wife, Janet, and their son, Ben, in most was their work ethic, despite the level of work activity New Cumberland, just across the river from Harrisburg. that they had available to do at the time.” Janet is employed by the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit Rocco saw a need for the center to improve its and works as a consultant for the Department of Public approach to preparing developmentally challenged Welfare. Ben, a senior at Trinity High School in Camp Hill, individuals. “A quick look around at the work that the soon will be heading to college. people were performing clearly did not resemble any work During his AHEDD tenure, Rocco has observed steady, that I could conceive of positive changes in business and industry’s acceptance of being performed outside persons with disabilities. “Most businesses want to do right of the facility,” remembers by the communities in which they exist, but they also need Rocco. “I felt strongly that to get their work accomplished in the most cost-effective many of the individuals manner possible,” he says. “If AHEDD can demonstrate that working in the center were our candidates bring value to the job, the businesses are capable of working for more than willing to make the opportunities available.” others. Common sense As employers see the gains made by other employers told me that if we were to who have hired individuals with disabilities, they in turn be successful at moving will try. “At that point, the ball is in our court,” he says. anyone out of the facility, “We get to show that rehabilitation programs like AHEDD the nature of the work had represent true partnerships in achieving shared goals. Let’s There are more than to drastically change.” face it, we all want the same thing—it’s just a matter of 48,000 Penn State College of After a year, Rocco trust and execution.” Education alumni.
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Alumni Information
Each time AHEDD successfully places a client, Rocco and his staff feel tremendous satisfaction. “Participants that we placed over 20 years ago continue to call and tell me how much they love their jobs,” he says. “How many people can say the same about their jobs?” There have been plenty of success stories over the years. Rocco points to a young man named Jim who was referred to AHEDD several decades ago. “Jim had been kicked out of every training program in which he had been placed,” says Rocco. “He was essentially nonverbal and needed a lot of support. We knew of an outdoor maintenance position at a local YMCA. The supervisor there was gruff and salty, the most unlikely individual to be matched with the needs that Jim presented.” But an AHEDD employment specialist saw something special in the blend of these two very different personalities. “That was that they both needed each other,” says Rocco. “A bestselling movie could be made about the relationship that grew between them,” adds Rocco. “With the job-coaching help of the employment specialist through the many—and there were many—challenges, Jim conquered the various job duties and continued to
grow, both personally and professionally. His physical appearance also changed as his supervisor engaged him in strength training during off hours.” But one change was particularly dramatic: Jim started talking, with the encouragement of his supervisor, who ended up becoming his best friend. At 59, Rocco still enjoys his work. He has no imminent retirement plans. “The talented people around me are the best,” he brags. “As long as I can make a contribution, I’ll always be involved in some aspect of this field.” —Joe Savrock
DID YOU KNOW? The College offers degrees in rehabilitation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. We offer a master’s degree program in Counselor Education, with an emphasis in Rehabilitation Counseling. Undergraduate students earn degrees in the Rehabilitation and Human Services degree program (formerly Rehabilitation Services). LEARN MORE! www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ cecprs
Higher Education Program Reunion and Anniversary Celebration July 9–11, 2010 University Park, Pa.
Greg Grieco
Join friends, faculty, and students in celebrating over 60 years of the Higher Education Program (est. 1950) and over 40 years of the Center for the Study of Higher Education (est. 1969). Formal and informal activities are planned for your return to Happy Valley during the 2010 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ alumni-friends/hepac
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Alumni Information
Shauna Morin (in green shirt) and a Juniata College student making friends with kids in Guatemala
Shauna Morin Enjoys Connecting Students with Community
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hauna Morin ’05 M.Ed. feels so strongly about the virtues of community service that she’s making it the focus of her career. In 2004, Shauna was among the first cohort of students to participate in Penn State’s College Student Affairs (CSA) program. After graduating in 2005, she immediately began an enriching career that connects college students with worthy community causes. “Shauna has done some amazing work getting students engaged with helping those less fortunate,” says Robert Reason, professor-in-charge of Penn State’s CSA program. Shauna’s first position was at Juniata College as the community service and service learning coordinator. “I
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couldn’t have asked for a more rewarding experience coming out of graduate school,” she says. “I was able to engage students in service activities that challenged them to think critically about issues of social justice in the local community and across the globe. I was continually impressed and energized by the students’ willingness to learn from one another and from those in the communities they served.” Shauna partnered with Juniata’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion to institute the Cultural Learning Tour (CLT), an annual service learning trip that allows students to engage in community service while being immersed in new and different cultures. She accompanied students to
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Alumni Information
Guatemala in 2006 and Ecuador in 2008 for international tours that included educational visits, service projects, and conversations with community leaders and environmental activists. Recently, Shauna moved on to Hope College in Holland, Mi., where she serves as associate director of student life. Coordinating student involvement in community service continues to be a focus of her work. One major event is an annual 24-hour dance marathon and its associated fundraising and awareness activities, which support the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Miracle Network. The dance marathon involves more than 600 students in various roles. The event is overseen by a 22-student “Dream Team” that works year-round to increase awareness, sponsor fundraisers, recruit and support participants from student organizations, foster relationships with families from the hospital, and plan on-campus events. “Generally speaking, I think college students today have a heart for service,” says Shauna. “What excites me
about service learning within the context of higher education is that it provides a mechanism for fostering personal and intellectual growth through service. Students are challenged— not only to give their time and talents to help others, but also to understand the environments in which they are serving, to identify the root causes of injustices they encounter, and to employ the skills and knowledge they gain in the classroom to improve the world around them.” —Joe Savrock
DID YOU KNOW? The College of Education Alumni Society was founded in 1989. There are currently over 13,500 members. Any College of Education alumnus/a automatically becomes a member of the College of Education Alumni Society by joining the Penn State Alumni Association. LEARN MORE! www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ alumni-friends/alumnisociety
Alumni-Student Teacher Network Remember that FIRST “first day of school?” You know…the one in which you faced a class of strangers, with a new diploma in your pocket, and a whole bunch of butterflies in your stomach? You have learned a lot since then. Share your knowledge. Join the College of Education AlumniStudent Teacher Network. Mentor a new teacher. Catch up with old friends. student Ser ving chuylkill, in S teachers delphia, a il Ph the gh, and Pittsbur Region. Centre
www.ed.psu.edu/educ/ alumni-friends/alumnisociety-1/alumni-studentteacher-network
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Gifts to the College Building a Foundation for the Future
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or the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students has entered its public phase, and perhaps never before has such a focus on students like this been so necessary. The number of students applying for College of Education scholarships has nearly doubled in the last two years. Public financial support of higher education has been dwindling consistently, and costs continue to rise. And the College of Education’s alumni and friends truly have been rising to the challenges! Ellie Dietrich I am inspired daily by our donors, whose commitments lessen student loan debts, reward academic achievement, and enable talented and committed students to reach their academic goals. Our donors’ foresight and generosity exemplify a key focus of The Campaign for Penn State Students: keeping a Penn State education affordable. There are many types of scholarships available at Penn State. Seven years ago, the Board of Trustees initiated a groundbreaking philanthropy program that creates a partnership between donors and the University to support students, the Trustee Matching Scholarship. Through the Trustee Matching Scholarship program, dollars awarded from donor endowments are matched, in perpetuity, by the University.
Within the College of Education, we are also seeing creative solutions made possible by our alumni and friends that ease the financial burden on students. Dean Monk has been authorizing monies for student scholarship awards from the College’s Future Fund. The Future Fund allows the College to support underfunded initiatives that otherwise would not be possible. This flexibility allows the dean to react quickly and provide vital support where it is needed most. Penn State has long been blessed with the support of its alumni and friends, and it energizes me to see how they profoundly affect the lives of our students. Each scholarship opens doors to opportunities. Each scholarship alters a life and helps make dreams come true. Each scholarship creates an inexorable bond between the Penn Staters of today and tomorrow. We have before us an unparalleled opportunity to impact future generations, and I hope you will join me in helping to realize the possibilities of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. —Ellie Dietrich Director, Development and Alumni Relations
Meet Some Trustee Scholarship Recipients Shane Donton is a 2010 Rehabilitation and Human Services graduate: “My passion is to work in a hospital setting or retirement community helping the elderly with their needs. This Shane Donton scholarship will help shape my future because I will have less debt. Knowing that my future is positive and attainable is a good feeling.”
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Paige Brizek is the daughter of two Penn State graduates and a 2010 sophomore in Elementary and Kindergarten Education: “Ever since I was in first grade, I have dreamed of becoming a teacher. When Paige Brizek I learned that I had been selected by the College of Education to receive the Lois High Berstler Scholarship, I could not have been prouder. I am truly appreciative of the fact that your generous donation will help me continue working toward the high academic goals I have set for myself.”
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Gifts to the College
Paula M. Donson Graduate Scholarship for Innovation in Education
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aula Donson ‘82 Ph.D. has pledged a $2.4 million estate gift to establish the Paula M. Donson Scholarship for Innovation in Education in the College of Education. The gift is the largest ever pledged to the College. The purpose of the fund is to recognize and provide financial assistance to graduate students in the College. An innovator throughout her career, Paula’s endowed scholarship will provide support for students who introduce creative ideas to the field of education—whether through new technologies or new methods of bringing
educational systems to the greater community. The objective is to find new ways to facilitate learning for all students regardless of where they are in life or geographically. Originally from a small town near Scranton, Pa., Paula’s career has been proudly varied and innovative. It has taken her from the staid, corporate northeastern United States to the challenging frontier of Alaska. She currently is an executive with the Alaska Railroad Corporation and a faculty member of the University of Alaska. Paula Donson
Gamble Contribution to the Future Fund
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lenn W. Gamble ‘51 Ag Ed, ‘55 M.Ed., ‘59 D.Ed. and Nancy Saylor Gamble ‘52 HHD, ‘55 M.Ed. further deepened their generosity to the College of Education by donating $10,000 to the Future Fund. The versatile Future Fund allows the College to support underfunded initiatives that otherwise would not be possible. Giving the College great flexibility, the Future Fund allows the dean to provide vital support where it is needed most and to react quickly to pressing needs. The Gambles Glenn and Nancy Gamble have endowed three scholarships within the College: the Franklin and Emma Gamble/Mac and Mabel Saylor Scholarship in Education, which supports superior full-time undergraduate students with financial need; the Glenn and Nancy Gamble Endowed Scholarship in Education, which supports superior full-time graduate students, particularly those in counselor education; and the Nancy S. and Glenn W. Gamble Trustee Scholarship in the College of Education, which supports undergraduate students with financial need in the College, particularly those who participate in a musical performance group at Penn State. Additionally, the Gambles have created the Glenn and
Nancy Gamble Endowment for the Center for the Performing Arts in the College of Arts and Architecture. They live in State College.
John and Gina Ikenberry Endowment for Student Support in Higher Education
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ohn P. ‘93 M.Ed., ‘99 Ph.D. and Gina F. Ikenberry ‘92 Com have pledged $50,000 to endow the John and Gina Ikenberry Endowment for Student Support in Higher Education. The purpose of the endowment is to enrich the College of Education by providing monies to support research and travel for graduate students pursuing a doctorate degree in Higher Education. The endowment is a reflection of the Ikenberrys’ appreciation of the benefit that education, and higher education in particular, has had on their family. John is one of the founders of State College-based HigherEdJobs.com, a popular online job search Web site for institutions and professionals in academia. Although HigherEdJobs.com launched in 1996, John remained in his position as a development officer in the Smeal College of Business until 1999, when he left Penn State to dedicate himself fulltime to the new venture. Gina taught conversational English in Poland before going to graduate school at Pitt. She then moved to John and Gina Ikenberry
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Gifts to the College
Baltimore, where she taught English for several years and met John. They were married in September 2001. They live in State College.
Patricia E. Lee and Mary E. Lee Scholarship in the College of Education
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atricia Lee ‘75 E K Ed has made arrangements in her estate to establish the Patricia E. Lee and Mary E. Lee Scholarship in the College of Education. The scholarship will provide recognition of and financial assistance to outstanding undergraduate students enrolled in or planning to enroll in the College. Consideration will be given to students majoring in elementary and kindergarten education who are from Pennsylvania. Born in Rosemont, Pa., Patty and her sister, Mary, were the Patricia E. Lee first in their family to go to college. Both received scholarships and attended Penn State, where they studied education and played basketball. “One little scholarship can be the difference,” Patty says. She and Mary had long, successful careers in the Radnor Township School District in suburban Philadelphia—Patty teaching and coaching in middle school, Mary teaching for 29 years at Ithan Elementary. Patty is endowing the scholarship in memory of Mary, who passed away in 2006.
Edward and Betty Mattil Scholarship in Education
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dward Mattil ‘40 Ed, ‘46 M.A., ‘53 Ph.D. has made provisions in his estate to provide $175,000 to Penn State to create the Edward and Betty Mattil Scholarship in Education and a scholarship in the College of Arts and Architecture, and to augment two Renaissance Scholarships previously established in his and
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Edward Mattil
Betty’s names. The College of Education scholarship will benefit full-time graduate students with superior academic records or those who manifest promise of outstanding academic success. Edward has enjoyed successful careers in academia and graphic design. He was a department head at Penn State before moving on to the University of Minnesota then ultimately to University of North Texas, where he served as chairman of the art department. Upon retirement, Edward and Betty settled in State College, where his family had moved when he was thirteen after Edward’s older brother received a fifty-dollar scholarship to attend Penn State. That scholarship made it possible for Edward’s brother to be the first person in the Mattil family to attend college, and he says that it completely changed their lives.
Bill and Bunny Vitori Scholarship in Science and Math Education
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ill ‘73 Sec Ed and Bunny Vitori have made provisions in their estate to establish the Bill and Bunny Vitori Scholarship in Science and Math Education in the College of Education. The scholarship will provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding undergraduate students in the College who are majoring Bill and Bunny Vitori in secondary education with a science or math-related option. Both Bill and Bunny are longtime teachers at Elizabeth Forward High School near Pittsburgh. Bill taught physics and chemistry for 36 years before retiring in 2009 and still substitutes there today. He also was an assistant varsity baseball coach and sponsor of the student government association. Bunny taught French for 33 years—and was the sponsor of the mock trial team for 20 years—before retiring at the end of the 2009–10 academic year. Each of them served as president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association in their districts. Bill and Bunny live part-time near State College and look forward to volunteering in a variety of capacities at Penn State in their retirements. They are members of the George W. Atherton Society.
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Gifts to the College
Terry and Carolyn Piper Scholarship in Education
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erry ‘73 Sec Ed and Carolyn ‘72 LA Piper have made considerations in their estate to make a $60,000 gift to endow the Terry and Carolyn Piper Scholarship in Education, which supports undergraduate students in Secondary Education at Penn State University Park who have achieved superior academic records or who manifest promise of outstanding academic success. Both Terry and Carolyn, who met at Penn State, were first generation college students from blue-collar families. A college education was not necessarily expected of them, but their educations were a critical difference for them, said Terry, who passed away in May 2010. Their endowment in Penn State’s College of Education is one of the ways that they are extending their hope that others can benefit from
the critical difference that education makes. Carolyn, who attained her master’s degree in social work after Penn State, has maintained her work as a social worker in Nevada, focusing primarily in the areas of mental health and mental retardation. Terry began his career as a K-12 educator before moving into student affairs. At the time of his Terry and Carolyn Piper death he was Vice President of Student Affairs at California State University Northridge.
Gifts from Foundations and Organizations NCAA Grant to Study Climate in Intercollegiate Athletics
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he NCAA has funded a $100,000 grant in the College of Education’s Center for the Study of Higher Education to support a national project assessing the climate in intercollegiate athletics for student-athletes. This study builds on the results of a 2009 pilot study of a select group of NCAA institutions. To date, over 7,000 student-athletes from all five divisions in the NCAA have participated in the 2010 study. “The Penn State research team has been thorough in its work and has produced findings that will assist us in our efforts to provide athletes with a supportive climate,” notes Mary Wilfert, NCAA associate director of health and safety, about the pilot study. “While a large body of research exists exploring the influence of campus climate on different student populations, student-athletes are left out of the conversation,” says Sue Rankin, associate professor of education, the study’s primary investigator. “Studies such as these are a win-win,” she continues. “Student-athletes get a chance to reflect on their experiences, abilities, and goals—something that in and of itself promotes learning. Athletic administrators and coaches use these findings to inform how we teach our student-athletes to play on and off the field.”
Foundation for Child Development Grant to Study Early Childhood Teacher Education
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he Foundation for Child Development is funding a series of grants totaling more than $140,000 to support a study in the College that is cataloging early childhood teacher education throughout the country. In collaboration with the College of Health and Human Development, researchers are examining 40 universities and colleges across the nation to describe and analyze types of certification and degree programs that exist or are planned for teacher preparation serving pre-kindergarten through third-grade education. James Johnson, professor of early childhood education in the College of Education, is leading the project. The results will provide useful information at the national level to inform early childhood education professionals, and it will assist education leaders and policy makers in program planning within institutions of higher learning and in state agencies for PK-3 educators. Funding for the study comes from the New York City-based Foundation for Child Development, the oldest private, independent grantmaking foundation in the nation with a sustained focus on improving the life prospects of children. Over the course of its 100-plus year history, the foundation has contributed to the field of child development by supporting research, policy, programs, and advocacy.
Penn State Education
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Professional Development Opportunities Penn State offers many opportunities for professional development, including certificates and degrees, Saturday seminars, online seminars or courses, on-campus summer and evening courses, and Web sites. Many of these courses are approved for ACT 48 credit. www.ed.psu.edu/educ/alumni-friends/prof-dev
Law and Education Institute
Get the same advantage as current education majors
— Designed for school and system leaders, educators, and attorneys
Learn how to provide effective instruction for diverse learners with the Evidence-Based Practices for Inclusive Classrooms (EPIC) program.
— Understand the legal issues that impact your classroom
Act 48 approved! Register by May 28 for Course 1.
Act 45 and Act 48–approved workshops begin June 20. U.Ed.OUT 10-1066/10-CAPE-087chs/sss
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EdLion Institute in Professional Writing for Teachers (C I 597B)
Free Online Seminars for College of Education Alumni
The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel State College, Pennsylvania June 21–25, 2010 Share your expertise as a teacher through writing for publication. Participants will be supported in planning, drafting, revising, and editing a professional article for potential publication. This 3-credit course is Act 48 approved. Register by May 21. For more information:
www.conferences.psu.edu/teacherspublishing
Every spring and fall, the College offers a series of online seminars through EdLion. Participants can attend the seminar through a traditional Web browser. No special software is needed! www.ed.psu.edu/educ/edlion
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Penn State College of Education
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Keep In Touch Traditional Reunion Weekend: June 4–7, 2010
Looking for news about old friends?
Classes of 1965, 1960, and Pioneers (Classes 1959 and earlier) are invited. • Alumni will have the opportunity to revisit campus, attend class dinners and receptions, and meet other alumni. • Special College of Education Event: Visit to the De-Stress Zone and Exploratorium at the Penn Stater Hotel, June 4, 2010, from 1:30–2:30 p.m. This is a joint venture between the College of Education and the Penn Stater.
www.alumni.psu.edu/events/reunions/ traditional.htm
Follow the College of Education on Facebook and Twitter! We have great news and want to share it with you! Become our fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay connected to the College!
www.facebook.com/PennStateCollegeOfEd twitter.com/PSU_CollegeOfEd
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Our Alumni Updates are online! Visit the site, check up on friends, and let us know what you are doing while you are there.
www.ed.psu.edu/educ/alumni-friends/ alumni-notes
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Read this Magazine Online! Now you can read and share Penn State Education online! If you would like to discontinue delivery of printed materials to your home and instead receive an e-mail alerting you when the College has published anything online, please e-mail EdMagazine@psu.edu. Please include your first and last name, and graduation year with the subject line: â&#x20AC;&#x153;online magazine only.â&#x20AC;? Visit the Web site address below to see the online version, make comments, and share this magazine with others. issuu.com/pennstateeducation/docs/2010
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