Fall Two Thousand Sixteen
Philanthropy in action The Summer College Opportunity Program in Education (S.C.O.P.E.) changes lives for the better.
Contents Dean
David H. Monk
Editor
Annemarie Mountz
Writers
Jessica Buterbaugh, Jim Carlson, Ahmed Mohamed , Annemarie Mountz
Photographers
Jessica Buterbaugh, Jim Carlson, Annemarie Mountz
Contact Us
247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802-3206 814-863-2216
www.ed.psu.edu • edrelations@psu.edu Published twice a year by the Penn State College of Education
College of Education
Alumni Society Officers
Tonya DeVecchis-Kerr, President Pamela Peter, President-Elect William Vitori, Immediate Past President Douglas Womelsdorf, Secretary
Directors Larry Carretta Joe Clapper John Czerniakowski David Dolbin Kaela Fuentes Roseilyn Guzman Tracy Hinish Henry Laboranti
Amy Meisinger Sandie Musoleno Stephanie Preston Bill Stone Cathy Tomon Larry Wess Jeannene Willow
Student Members Amanda Demsey Hannah Kohler
Yiran Zhao Ya-Fei Yang
Affiliated Program Group Presidents
COEalumni@psu.edu – American Indian Leadership Program COEalumni@psu.edu – Educational Leadership Program Lisa Weaver – Higher Education Program COEalumni@psu.edu – Multicultural Advancement Mary Beth Hershey – Professional Development School COEalumni@psu.edu – Workforce Education Program
The University is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information, or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University’s educational mission, and will not be tolerated. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to Dr. Kenneth Lehrman III, Vice Provost for Affirmative Action, Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 168025901; Email: kfl2@psu.edu; Tel 814-863-0471. U.Ed EDU 17-14
Dean’s Message Many moving parts of the S.C.O.P.E. program highlighted by philanthropic generosity
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The Summer College Opportunity Program in Education offers students from multi-cultural backgrounds an early look at college life. Former participants, current administrators and donors talk about the merits of the many facets of the program.
Long-time donors leave lasting impact with estate gift
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When Harry Kropp and Edward Legutko first donated to the College of Education 13 years ago, they never dreamed they would someday be able to create a named scholarship like their new award for student teaching.
Giving Tuesday
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The College of Education has chosen the Center for Education, Diagnosis and Remediation (CEDAR) Clinic as its beneficiary for this year’s #GivingTuesday campaign. Because the clinic provides services to students free of charge, the campaign will help fund areas of critical need.
Gift creates unique endowed professorship
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The College of Education has a new endowed professorship that will benefit two departments within the college, thanks to a generous gift from Wayne K. and Anita Woolfolk Hoy.
Research leads doctoral student to world’s largest refugee camp
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Under the advisement of Associate Professor of Education Esther Prins, doctoral student Ally Krupar recently completed her dissertation field work with a group of women refugees in Dadaab, Kenya.
Three Takeaways for your Educational Journey! 16 Read what spring commencement speaker Irvin Scott told College of Education graduates.
Education summit aims to ‘re-invent tomorrow’s schools’
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A group of educators, mental health professionals and human services specialists from across Pennsylvania are working to increase community-university partnerships and better serve children in K-12 schools.
New Faculty
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Meet the new faculty in the College of Education.
On the cover: Advisers work with students who participated in the 2016 S.C.O.P.E. program. Photo: Annemarie Mountz
Dean’s Message We in the College of Education are fortunate to have alumni who remain connected and involved, and who give back with their time, talent and treasure. In this edition of our Alumni Magazine, we share stories of how your philanthropy is tied directly to our students’ success. Our Summer College Opportunity Program in Education (S.C.O.P.E.) benefits not only from the generosity of donors, but also from having S.C.O.P.E. alumni come back to work as counselors. The program truly is life-changing for many students. Learn more about S.C.O.P.E. and its creator, Maria Schmidt, starting on page 2. Our greatest satisfaction comes when we can match interests and passions from our alumni with ongoing and emerging initiatives in the College. I’m particularly happy to share two examples of this with you. On page 8 you will meet Harry Kropp and Edward Legutko, whose long-term giving has turned into a scholarship in their names to benefit Dean David H. Monk future student teachers. On page 12 you will learn about a new endowed professorship created by Wayne K. and Anita Woolfolk Hoy that reflects their passion and life’s work in two education fields. While it’s wonderful to receive these larger gifts, it’s also important to note that all gifts – regardless of size – have a significant positive impact on our students. It’s common for us to pool several smaller gifts to create this kind of impact. That’s the thinking behind #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations. This year, #GivingTuesday takes place on Nov. 29. Read more about our involvement and how you can participate on page 10. Your investment in our College creates wide-ranging opportunities that empower our students as individuals, educators and civic-minded citizens. We have many students with financial need in the College, and a $2,500 scholarship can transform a life. Scholarship endowments provide recurring support. An endowment of approximately $55,000 (which can be paid via a pledge over five years) generates a $2,500 scholarship each year in perpetuity. Gifts of any size to our Future Fund also are used to provide scholarship support for our students. We have evidence of how these scholarships transform lives. The students who receive scholarship support write powerful thank-you letters to the donors who create scholarship endowments. The impact of philanthropy to the College of Education goes beyond the individual student receiving the scholarship. Many of our students receiving scholarships are preparing to be teachers, counselors, rehabilitation specialists and policymakers. Year after year, students and clients will be the beneficiaries of the skills and talents our graduates developed through study in the College thanks to the scholarship support they received while they were here. Your kind and generous support is fundamentally important to continuing our tradition of excellence and in striving to maintain and improve our status as one of the nation’s elite colleges of education. I thank you for your role in this. Together, we are building upon our past accomplishments and creating new opportunities for the future.
Penn State Education 1
Learning the ropes with
S.C.O.P.E.
Every year since 2002, the Summer College Opportunity Program in Education in Penn State’s College of Education has brought about 20 high school students to the University Park campus for a four-week summer session to introduce them to the rigors and expectations of college. Those who decide to return as Penn State students look forward to doing so. Those who administer the program look forward to being with them every step of the way. 2 Penn State Education
“You can’t help everybody but you can help somebody and that happens with S.C.O.P.E.’’
— John Gilmartin
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By Jim Carlson
f, as it is often said, everybody has a story, then the people profoundly devoted to Penn State’s Summer College Opportunity Program in Education (S.C.O.P.E.) are the ones who enjoy first discovering and ultimately helping students turn their stories into ones with happy endings.
have in this office, you have to be emotionally invested. It has to be more than just work. It has to be belief in what you’re doing; you believe in these individuals in order for them to feel it. “That’s why the program can be tiring,’’ he said. “Aside from the fact we have high-schoolers up here for four weeks and have to make sure they stay in line, it is the amount of emotional investment you put into it that can really be tiring. It’s 112 percent worth it.’’
Those key people aren’t just the program’s organizers within the College of Education’s Office of Multicultural Programs — Maria Schmidt, Gary Abdullah and Brenda Martinez — they include donors, instructors, tutors and counselors. Each of them shares the common goals of informing high school students about what to expect in college, being there for them if and when they enroll and, in many instances, keeping in touch long after they leave. S.C.O.P.E. is a four-week summer academic program primarily for rising high school juniors from multicultural backgrounds who are interested in the field of education. They take college courses, write a research paper, prepare for SATs and learn study and timemanagement skills. They also learn teamwork by navigating ropes courses, such as the one shown on the previous page. But it’s a daily emotional investment for those who first meet them as teenagers who may not have initially considered college and, if they choose to attend Penn State, lend plenty of
Program support The program, despite its success and tangible results for students, wouldn’t be what it is without philanthropy. S.C.O.P.E. is supported financially by three methods: donors, an allocation of funds from the College of Education and the Office of Educational Equity. Photo: Jim Carlson
Kaela Fuentes of Easton was a S.C.O.P.E. participant in 2004, earned her bachelor’s degree in special education and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and, after three years spent teaching, has returned to Penn State to pursue her doctoral degree.
hands in helping to shape them into confident, young adults who leave the University with not only degrees but also high hopes and dynamic plans. “It would be hard to not get invested emotionally,’’ said Abdullah, a multicultural programs coordinator. “I feel in order to be effective in this role and roles we
Boston resident John Gilmartin, who for years has been a major contributor to Penn State and the College of Education – in particular, the S.C.O.P.E. program – takes pleasure in keeping abreast of the success stories. “I think it’s important we be creative in building bridges that kids who come from the inner city can walk on to find their way to the type of rich educational experience that is offered by Penn State,’’ Gilmartin said. “I think S.C.O.P.E. is one of those creative bridges that early on in
“I feel in order to be effective in this role and roles we have in this office, you have to be emotionally invested. It has to be more than just work. It has to be belief in what you’re doing; you believe in these individuals in order for them to feel it.’’
— Gary Abdullah Penn State Education 3
Photo: Jim Carlson
Jevon Corpening of Landsdowne participated in the S.C.O.P.E. program in 2013, began as a freshman at Penn State in 2015 and now has a mile-long bucket list of things he’d like to do with his Spanish Education major.
their high school career a student has the possibility to open their minds to the chance to go on to higher education.’’ Maria Schmidt, assistant dean for multicultural programs, said Gilmartin has been a permanent, long-term supporter of the program from the very first summer in 2002. Gilmartin also supports current undergraduate students through the John Gilmartin Trustee Scholarship. This funding has supported S.C.O.P.E. alumni including Jevon Corpening, a 2013 participant and now a junior studying Spanish education. “This man I’ve never met before has had such an impact on my academic journey; I’d really like to meet him, actually,’’ Corpening said. Kaela Fuentes currently serves on the College of Education’s Alumni Society Board. She participated in S.C.O.P.E. in 2004, just two years after its inception, and after enrolling at Penn State was one of the first to navigate the College of Education’s Integrated Undergraduate/ Graduate (IUG) program. That is a five-year progression in which students receive a bachelor’s 4 Penn State Education
degree in special education and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Fuentes graduated in 2011 and worked for three years at the Grove School in Madison, Connecticut, a therapeutic, college-preparatory boarding school, before returning to Penn State in August to begin pursuit of a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction. And, she, too, is a donor. “I mean a little bit. At the end of the day I was still a teacher and it was never going to be millions,’’ she said. “I was so lucky in receiving the scholarships I received and when I went to donate I tried to split my money between the scholarship funds and S.C.O.P.E. because those two things were what made my experience here possible. S.C.O.P.E. showing me how amazing Penn State is and once I got here those scholarships made it possible for me to go here.’’ Schmidt said a number of S.C.O.P.E. alumni, and those who were instructors when they were earning their doctoral degrees, donate small amounts that add up to sizable support.
“Many times we think that unless we are able to donate large amounts of money that we are not going to be able to make a difference,’’ Schmidt said. “And I tell the students, ‘no, think about it. You take 20 people giving $10 every month and that can make a difference at the end of the year. You can help students purchase books.’ So I’m trying to help educate students to see that makes a difference.’’ Schmidt also lauded the behindthe-scenes assistance and the “good will” of the people who work in the program. “Most of the people who work every summer, they have a commitment that is not about having a summer job, they have a commitment to the goals of the program,’’ she said. “They also have that passion to try to influence and facilitate change.’’
An early look at college Fuentes, a graduate of Easton Area High School, always had planned to attend college. The S.C.O.P.E. program turned the question of ‘where’ into an easy answer.
“For so many students coming to S.C.O.P.E., it’s, ‘oh my God, I can go to college and I can have a career and I can change my situation,’’’ she said. “For me, I feel like S.C.O.P.E. put Penn State on my radar, not necessarily college, but for so many other students, it did put college on their radar,’’ Fuentes said. “They probably wouldn’t have gotten in through their families or through the support systems that they had in their hometowns.’’ Corpening learned about the program from his guidance counselor at Pennwood High School. “Being away from home on a college campus was enticing, I guess. Enjoyed it was an understatement; I loved it,’’ he said. “It was one of the best experiences I ever had. It was one of the most productive and formative experiences I had other than the experience I’ve had here in college already, just because I learned a lot about myself and how to deal with other people. It solidified this idea of me wanting to go into education,’’ Corpening said.
Appreciation shown ... and appreciated The program’s participants are called “S.C.O.P.E.rs” and they routinely write thank-you notes to an appreciative Gilmartin. “It’s absolutely amazing,’’ he said.
S.C.O.P.E.: One woman’s vision Maria Schmidt developed her vision for S.C.O.P.E. before she ever worked in the College of Education.
develop the program. Once those pieces were in place, she contacted every high school in Pennsylvania to market S.C.O.P.E., which admitted its first cohort in 2002.
“I had been the director of HAP, Hispanics in Academic Progress, For Schmidt, S.C.O.P.E. in the University’s is more than just a program; Multicultural Resource it’s a passion. “It allows me Center, but this UniversityMaria Schmidt to influence somebody’s wide program was not life. When I see the students focused on any particular major,” that come from a background where Schmidt said. nobody was believing in them and that actually had people tell them As an alumna of the College of ‘you’re not college material,’ come Education, Schmidt recognized that here, work hard and graduate, and there was a need to diversify the go on to do wonderful things, that teaching and counseling professions. inspires me. I know it’s cliché, but “I always had this idea about that’s why I’m still here. That’s the designing a program that was more truth. It inspires me when I see people focused toward education,” Schmidt not give up. I’ve been lucky to witness said. When she had the opportunity that in a lot of students,” she said. to interview for her current position of assistant dean for multicultural Schmidt always has been very programs in the College, she decided passionate about issues of equity and to turn her vision into reality. “I social justice. “I’ve always believed proposed I would create S.C.O.P.E. that we are all privileged in one way or during my interview process for the another. I came from a working-class job, and the dean liked the idea,” she family with a single mom, but I was said. raised with the idea that education Schmidt started working in the College in the summer of 2000, and started laying the foundation for S.C.O.P.E. “I told the dean I could not start the program right away. I needed some time to design it, to settle myself in the College, to put the pieces together. This type of program is very difficult to sustain. So I needed to put the pieces together in a way that had more probability of sustaining the program long-term than the natural life that this type of program tends to have,” she said. Schmidt partnered with the Registrar’s Office, Admissions Office, Housing and Food Services, Conference Services and others to
was extremely important and I’m very thankful for that,” she said. “While in many ways there were hard times along the way, I find myself to be a very privileged person and right now I enjoy the privilege of working for a truly No. 1 research institution, having a comfortable life. But with privilege comes responsibility. Some way, somehow, you have to provide back to your community and you have to try to effect change. S.C.O.P.E. and my job with the College gives me the opportunity of earning a living while doing what I’m passionate about. That’s the best you can have in your life, right?” — By Annemarie Mountz Penn State Education 5
Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh
Students participating in the Summer 2016 S.C.O.P.E. program engage in a classroom exercise.
“It really grabs your attention and they are wonderfully creative and colorful expressions of the way that this program moves them and their thanks for being part of it … of which I’m only a piece of why they’re there; it’s certainly not all me. “The S.C.O.P.E.rs in total seem to be such a positive force reinforcing each other’s needs and desires and dreams, it’s something that can energize all of us. Collectively they make a wonderful impact that overwhelms any individual sense that I wind up with,’’ Gilmartin said. S.C.O.P.E. had a significant impact on Loretta Lowman. A high school junior who wasn’t certain the program was right for her in 2007, Lowman returned this past July to be a S.C.O.P.E. counselor. She grew up in a three-bedroom, East Orange, New Jersey, bungalow that – including extended family – housed 12 people. At times, the 6 Penn State Education
family had little to no food, water or electricity. “My mother told me that God blessed me with a chance that not many people like me get,’’ Lowman said in July prior to her S.C.O.P.E. commitment. “Going to Penn State meant breaking down a wall that my family thought was impossible to do.’’ She, too, received the John Gilmartin Trustee Scholarship and the University Student Way Pavers Award. Now a special education teacher with the Charles County Public School System in Maryland, Lowman graduated in 2015 from the five-year IUG program. “My summer in S.C.O.P.E. is something I will never forget,’’ she said. “It is where I became a new person.’’
Making the most of the opportunity While S.C.O.P.E. does provide an opportunity, it’s what those who participate do with that
opportunity that lends credence to the program. Fuentes returning to begin her doctorate, for example, or Lowman teaching special education students. Corpening has an elongated list of aspirations that begins with study-abroad trips and applying for the McNair Scholarship Program. He’s also applying for head innovation consultant in the Krause Innovation Studio, he’s an ESL tutor for prospective Penn State students and he’s a mentor for a freshman student. There’s more. “I have a bucket list of languages I want to learn,’’ he said. “I know English and Spanish. I want to learn Arabic, Korean, French and maybe Farsi because that’s related to Arabic. I’m still interested in going into the FBI, which is a different spectrum of education but education is really what is the most interesting thing to me right now. “I want to work in the
intersection of education, race, culture, politics, class … kind of in that realm. I want to become a counselor for minority youth. I want to obtain my Ph.D. someday and become a college professor. I don’t like to overwhelm myself but I’m interested in so many things that it can kind of become overwhelming,’’ Corpening said. He says there’s power in the ability to communicate one-on-one with someone. “I think being a social justice activist is kind of my end goal in terms of education and race,’’ he said. Corpening said his schedule actually prevents him from going off the rails of stress and anxiety. Daily stops into the Office of Multicultural programs in Chambers Building also are therapeutic, as are chats with Schmidt.
Top photo: Jessica Buterbaugh; bottom photo: Annemarie Mountz
Above: S.C.O.P.E. students take part in classwork. Below: Gary Abdullah helps coordinate the program from the Multicultural Office in Chambers Building.
“Maria… we always talk, we talk almost every day,’’ Corpening said. “I’m in the College of Ed every day anyway because it’s my major, but downstairs is like my home away from home in many ways. And Maria’s like, ‘it’s much better to be stressed about navigating so many opportunities instead of not having any opportunities.’ “There’s definitely been some tears shed in that office, and many hugs and many laughs,’’ he said.
Keeping in touch Leaders keeping an eye – and ear – on S.C.O.P.E. students is what pleases Gilmartin about S.C.O.P.E. “I think the best thing that can happen is that by the time they’re done they can look down and see that it’s their own two feet that they’re standing on,’’ Gilmartin said. “That they have managed to make it through all of the different kinds of out-of-body experiences that happened in the classroom, in the dorm, with the other kids – everything from lectures to laundry. “Everything represents a challenge, everything is something that is new and different and something they’ll have to think
about if they choose again to go away from home and undertake an educational experience, be it at Penn State or somewhere else. I think they come to realize that ‘I can do this,’ and that’s a magic moment,’’ he said.
of devoted people who make the program what it is.
And that’s mission accomplished for Gilmartin, who is thankful for the efforts of the Office of Multicultural Programs and the efforts of Schmidt and her legion
“I think that’s the way Maria looks at it and she has over the years done a ton of good work that many, many people are grateful to her for.’’
“You can’t help everybody but you can help somebody and that happens with S.C.O.P.E.,’’ Gilmartin said.
Penn State Education 7
Long-time donors leave lasting impact with estate gift
W
By Jessica Buterbaugh
hen Harry Kropp and Edward Legutko first donated to the College of Education 13 years ago, they never dreamed they would someday be able to create a named scholarship like their new award for student teaching.
added. “A lot of problems arise if you’re not educated and without education, a lot of things don’t get done.”
“This never would have happened without marriage equality,” said Kropp, an alumnus of the college and lifetime member of the Penn State Alumni Association. “Before, we couldn’t commit to a long-term gift because if one of us passed, the other would have to pay a 15-percent inheritance tax.”
“Education is what brought us together,” Kropp said.
“We had talked about doing something like this but we didn’t have the financial certainty and security to be able to do it until this law passed,” Legutko added. “Now, we have those assurances and we can go forward and make plans.” Those plans include the establishment of The Harry B. Kropp and Edward J. Legutko Award for Student Teaching, an annual award that honors and recognizes an undergraduate student who has excelled in his or her student-teaching or field experience.
But education means even more to the couple, who recently celebrated 49 years together, because it is how they shared their lives.
After graduating from Penn State, Kropp had the opportunity to interview for a teaching position in Greenwich. Unsure about his desire to move to another state, he declined the interview. But fate had other plans. “I got this phone call from the foreign language supervisor persuading me to come for the interview, so I went and accepted the position, and ended up meeting Ed,” he said. “It’s just so ironic how it all happened because I never thought Greenwich was the place for me.” That place was where they would both spend the next 26 years before ultimately retiring and returning to State College to spend their golden years together.
“This was one way we could give back to Penn State, which trained me, and we also felt that we would like to encourage other students to go into teaching,” Kropp said.
A true love for education The couple, who spent their careers as public school teachers in Greenwich, Connecticut, wanted to create an award to show their love, commitment and appreciation for the field of education. “It’s a way to honor our profession,” Legutko said. “We are doing what we can, which is little in comparison to some, to honor what we did for our careers and encourage others — students — to go into teaching.” “We just feel that education is so terribly important and it needs to be supported by everybody,” Kropp 8 Penn State Education
Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh
Retired teachers Edward Legutko, left, and Harry Kropp (‘63, B.A.; ‘65, M.A.) have supported the College of Education for the past 13 years and recently created a named scholarship to honor students who have excelled in their student teaching.
“We wanted something ongoing and in our name,” Kropp said of the new award. “We have no children so now we will have an award in our name and when we’re not around anymore, with our life story.”
Making giving possible Kropp and Legutko have donated the same amount to the college every year. And even though they have changed their annual donation to an award, the amount of their contribution has not changed. “Many people don’t have, for example, $20,000 to contribute outright, but if they pledge an estate gift, it is more realistic for them,” said Mary Beth Spang, assistant director of development for the College of Education, explaining that estate gifts are a great option for many donors. “And if they choose to early activate an estate gift like Harry and Ed, donors get to see their gift in action, to see the difference it is making in students’ lives.” When it comes to charitable giving, there is an illusion that donors must be wealthy in order to make a difference. According to the College’s director of Development, Simon Corby, this simply is not true. “We have many donors who give an annual contribution not realizing that their gift can be a part of a larger legacy at Penn State,” he said, pointing to the example of Kropp and Legutko. “Harry and Ed routinely gave the same amount to the college each year and with our guidance, we were able to show them that with that same amount, their money could have a much larger impact for both our students and for them,” Corby said. Many education alumni initially are hesitant when they see numbers as large as $20,000, the minimum threshold for a named award, and automatically assume that it is not an option. “We’re here to let donors and those interested in contributing know that it is possible,” Corby said. “With the different giving options available, donors can commit to a $20,000 award and still only pay less than $100 a month, if they choose to early activate. For that amount, donors can have something in their name that
will live on forever, long after they have passed. Their legacy will always be here at Penn State.” It’s important for donors or those interested in contributing to the college to understand that all donations, regardless of the amount, go a long way, Spang said. “I know it is redundant, but every little bit counts,” she said. “Even those small contributions go toward existing endowments or funds like the College of Education Future Fund, which helps support more immediate and pressing needs of the college.” Currently, more than 4,000 College of Education alumni have made contributions to Penn State every year since graduating. Those contributions are used throughout the college to support students, research, academic programs or other areas of need. Kropp and Legutko credit Spang and the college’s development staff for helping them make their dream possible. “We’ve always wanted to do something and never felt that we really could,” Legutko said. “Mary Beth showed us that what we were doing now — giving a set amount each year — could be turned into an endowed award and have a larger impact for students.” “This has just been a really wonderful opportunity for us,” Kropp added. “It’s what we’ve always been doing but now it is something that can be longlasting.” Kropp and Legutko also emphasized the importance Dean David H. Monk’s leadership played in their decision to give, stating that they were drawn to the college through him. “When we came to the College of Education, Dean Monk and the community here welcomed us as a couple and me as a Nittany Lion even though I’m not an alumnus,” Legutko said. “And I appreciated that so much, to be included.” “This college really does care about the people,” Kropp said. “And that really matters to us.”
Create your Penn State legacy Estate gifts provide many options, including establishing a gift that bears your name or the name of someone you wish to honor forever. You may make a bequest to the College of Education as part of your will or make a contribution through a retirement plan or IRA, life insurance, and/or revocable and irrevocable trusts by naming the College as a beneficiary. Contact us for more information on how to start your Penn State legacy.
Simon Corby Director of Development and Alumni Relations 814-863-2146 education@psu.edu Penn State Education 9
Participation in #GivingTuesday movement to benefit CEDAR Clinic By Ahmed Mohamed
The College of Education is partnering with the Office of Annual Giving for #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Occurring this year on Nov. 29, #GivingTuesday is held annually in the U.S. on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The day is designed to kick off the holiday giving season, inspiring people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.
College of Education archive photo
CEDAR Clinic opens its doors to Penn State students for counseling as it simultaneously trains graduate students.
help fund areas of critical need such as software used for assessments and funding for graduate students who are working at the clinic.
The College of Education has chosen the Center for Education, Diagnosis and Remediation (CEDAR) Clinic as its beneficiary for this year’s campaign and hopes to spread awareness and raise funds for student mental health. Students are referred to the CEDAR Clinic from Penn State’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and can visit free of charge with unlimited sessions.
parents, friends, faculty members, staff and others to support the CEDAR Clinic and its programs.
CEDAR Clinic not only provides counseling services to students, it also is used as a training ground for graduate students in the College’s School Psychology and Counselor Education programs to obtain practical, real-world experience. On #GivingTuesday, the College asks for the participation of alumni,
The funds raised for the CEDAR Clinic during the #GivingTuesday campaign will provide resources necessary to keep the clinic operating in a way that provides maximum impact for students seeking assistance. Because the clinic provides services to students free of charge, the campaign will
10 Penn State Education
“Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for our alumni and friends to make an extra gift of support for the College of Education at a time of year when we reflect on our blessings and feel a sense of gratitude for all that we have,” said Simon Corby, director of Development and Alumni Relations in the College. “This year’s focus on the CEDAR Clinic is a perfect way to show support for our students, especially those who are going through a difficult time.” For more information on the College of Education’s #GivingTuesday campaign, email Simon Corby at sgc12@psu.edu.
Students share impact of philanthropy “I am beyond thankful and humbled to be receiving this award from the College of Education, and I hope someday I will be able to help and support someone as much as you have done for me.” – Amanda J. Demsey senior, secondary education John P. Pommersheim Scholarship in Education
“Your money has helped my family greatly throughout this entire process. All they’ve ever wanted for me from the start was to be successful. You’ve not only helped me through college, but you’ve helped them as well. Not to sound melodramatic, but you’ve honestly had a hand in helping us through incredibly difficult times. ‘Thank you’ isn’t a large enough phrase to convey my feelings.” – Justin Child senior, secondary education Erma M. Hefferan Scholarship Diedree Bray Morong Trustee Scholarship in Education
“People like you … are the reason I can’t wait to teach children. With the classes, the homework, the tuition bills, I sometimes overlook the big picture and forget about the reason I have chosen to be a teacher. However, being gifted by your scholarship has reminded me time and again: The work I will do is important and your support has helped me to recognize that.” – Taylor Montross senior, childhood and early adolescent education Jeanne Leonhard Trustee Scholarship in Education Jeanne Leonhard Scholarship in Education
“I am humbled that you found me worthy of this honor, and I will do my best to make you proud. One day, I hope that I will be in a position to give back to the university and its students as you have. Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” – Kaitlin Quigley Ph.D. candidate, higher education Ostar Internship Endowment in Higher Education
“This scholarship is allowing me to reduce the amount of hours working a side job and increase my hours volunteering, acting, and taking in every academic opportunity I possibly can. It also confirms that the College of Education is where I am meant to be. That someone is willing to invest in my future and sees me succeeding. I have worked hard for many years and
We’re grateful to the donors that have chosen to commit resources that help our students, faculty and staff achieve higher levels of success. Annual gifts, awards, scholarships and other types of endowments are vital sources of support, creating opportunity, fostering innovation, funding educational experiences and instilling confidence in individuals are doing great things for the field of education every day. The quotes you’ll read on this page are from College of Education students who have benefited from scholarship support – these are powerful expressions of the impact of philanthropy. The ongoing support from our alumni and friends allows us to continue providing the excellent education that is the hallmark of Penn State. Please feel free to reach out to me if you’re interested in donating to the College or if you have other questions, concerns or feedback to share. Thank you again for your support of the College of Education! ~ Simon Corby Director of Development and Alumni Relations
this encourages me to keep pushing myself because my effort is not in vain. I have four years to make a difference on campus, but I have a lifetime to make a difference in the world. I don’t have many concrete plans as to where or when I will end up in a school, but I know for certain that every child I teach is reaping the benefits of this scholarship. Thank you for believing in me and helping me build up our future generations. “ – Taylor A. Balliet sophomore, education Gilbert Kahn Scholarship for University Scholars in the College of Education Paul D. and the Rev. David P. Wentroble Scholarship
“I have friends who work multiple jobs just to pay off their loans. I have friends with no meal plan because the extra cost is too much to balance. I have friends who have denied themselves higher education in general because their finances make it seem impossible. With the help of this scholarship, I have never had to consider any of these things. I am able to fully focus on my academics without the constant financial worry. I am incredibly thankful for this.” – Jarrod Luther junior, childhood and early adolescent education Eric and Louise Whorral Trustee Scholarship in Education Penn State Education 11
How can I get involved with the College of Education? We need volunteers, student mentors, and goodwill ambassadors for the College. You also can support the College through financial donations.
Gift creates unique endowed professorship By Annemarie Mountz The College of Education has a new endowed professorship that will benefit two departments within the college, thanks to a generous gift from Wayne K. and Anita Woolfolk Hoy. The first holder of the Wayne K. and Anita Woolfolk Hoy Professorship in Education will be in the Educational Leadership program. Upon retirement or departure of that individual, the next holder will be in the Educational Psychology program. Upon retirement/departure of that professorship holder, the professorship will revert back to Educational Leadership. The professorship will continue to alternate in this manner. Through Wayne’s tenure as an endowed chair at Ohio State University, he experienced the value of an endowment for recruiting and supporting talented faculty. “We wanted to provide such an opportunity for Penn State to maintain and enhance their exceptional programs in our two favorite fields,” he said.
To learn more, contact:
Simon Corby Director of Development and Alumni Relations College of Education 814-863-2146 education@psu.edu www.GiveTo.psu.edu/ EducationPriorities
12 Penn State Education
“We are grateful to Wayne and Anita for endowing the professorship,” said Dean David Monk. “This endowed professorship will help us to recruit an experienced scholar of the highest caliber, which ultimately benefits our students.” Wayne is a graduate of the educational administration doctoral program at Penn State, and although Anita received her doctorate from the University of Texas, she always has admired the Penn State Educational Psychology Program. The unique alternating homes of the endowment reflect their academic careers. Both are
“Our joint research on teacher and collective efficacy and on academic optimism is grounded in administrative theory and educational psychology. We value both fields and wanted to support them equally.”
— Wayne K. and Anita Woolfolk Hoy
professors, Wayne of educational administration and Anita of educational psychology. “Over our careers we have worked together integrating knowledge from the two fields in our research and textbooks, for example, our book on Instructional Leadership with Pearson. Our joint research on teacher and collective efficacy and on academic optimism is grounded in administrative theory and educational psychology. We value both fields and wanted to support them equally,” they said. “Over the years we have enjoyed working with Dean David Monk; we respect his leadership and value his vision for education as well as his friendship,” Anita added. Both Wayne and Anita are Life Members of the Penn State Alumni Association. Wayne also received the Penn State Meritorious Research Award in 1991 and the Penn State Alumni Fellow Award in 1996.
New Endowments The following endowments were created recently in the College of Education. For information on how to make a gift, contact Simon Corby, director of Development and Alumni Relations, at sgc12@psu.edu or 814-863-2146. John C. and Susanne Blough Abbott Scholarship in Education Benefactors: John Abbott and Susanne Blough Abbott Beckwith Family Trustee Scholarship Benefactors: Edward and Iris Beckwith ANJ Fraser Scholarship Benefactors: Macgregor Fraser and Galit Kashi Fraser Jean Kincaid Hepper Trustee Scholarship in the College of Education Benefactors: Cliff and Jean Hepper; Douglas Hepper; Jeffrey and Kellie Hepper
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Kean Family Endowment in Family Literacy and Secondary Education in the College of Education Benefactors: Michael and Constance Kean Jack Munro Greenman Scholarship Benefactor: Deborah Kevin
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Harry B. Kropp and Edward J. Legutko Award for Student Teaching Benefactors: Harry B. Kropp and Edward J. Legutko Eva Owings Davies Noll Award in Education Benefactor: Ray Noll Rosemary Werner Reed and Robert A. Reed Scholarship for Elementary Education and Special Education
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Benefactors: Rosemary and Robert Reed Paula R. and Eric P. Taylor Scholarship in Education Benefactors: Eric Taylor and Paula Rossen Taylor Norman E. Williams and Andrea Wrotny Williams Scholarship in Special Education
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Benefactors: Norman Williams and Andrea Wrotny Williams Penn State Education 13
Research leads doctoral student to world’s largest refugee camp
W
hile completing her master’s degree in international peace and conflict resolution at American University, Ally Krupar had the opportunity to visit and conduct research in Liberia. During that time, she began to wonder about education opportunities for adults in conflictaffected areas around the world. “It was clear that people in these areas have missed out on formal K-12 education, but were still very interested in continuing their education in one way or another,” she said. Her curiosity led her to Penn State’s adult education and comparative and international education (CIED) dual doctoral program, where under the advisement of Associate Professor of Education Esther Prins, she recently completed her dissertation field work with a group of women refugees in Dadaab, Kenya. Located on the Kenyan-Somalian border, Dadaab is home to the largest refugee complex in the world, housing more than 320,000 migrant and displaced persons. Access to
By Jessica Buterbaugh
education is limited, especially for women. “There are all these NGO (non-governmental organization) educational programs aimed at adults that are supposed to empower women, especially women in conflict-affected environments, but what empowerment means to NGOs and what it means to the women refugees is different,” Krupar said, explaining that the majority of educational programs in Dadaab are coordinated by NGOs. “There’s not a clear connection between how these women are internalizing what it means to be empowered and using what they learn in their everyday lives and what the donor-driven programming is intending to do,” she said. “That is what my research is looking at.”
A forgotten population “This is a population that is often under-studied and transient,” Krupar said. “It is also a growing population that requires different tools for integration, and adult education is one of those tools, whether it’s integration into the host country or preparation for a
return to their home country.” To gain a better understanding of adult education for refugees, Krupar traveled to Dadaab three times — once to conduct preliminary research and twice to collect data. She employed the use of visual ethnography, a methodological approach that uses video to capture an educational environment and allows the researcher to have continued conversations with research participants based on the recordings. During her first round of data collection, she interviewed NGO field workers and women refugees participating in adult education programs. She also recorded the non-formal education classes, which included sexual and genderbased violence advocacy programs, livelihood or skills-based trainings, and community development courses. “I would show the recording to the NGO workers and the women, and we would talk about what was supposed to be empowering in that process,” Krupar said. The interviews gave Krupar insight into how the NGOs and women refugees defined empowerment, but they did not demonstrate how the women applied empowerment to their daily lives. There were translation issues, she said, and it was difficult for the refugees to understand her questions. The following summer she returned with a new idea — use photography with the women refugees.
Photo courtesy of Ally Krupar
A group of refugees participate in an education program in Dadaab, Kenya. 14 Penn State Education
“I really just gave the women cameras to go and take pictures of their daily life during and immediately following the
trainings,” Krupar said. “Then we’d talk about how their understanding of empowerment from these trainings and classes was actually evident in their daily life.” “Using the cameras really helped me to better understand the daily lives of these women,” she said. In Dadaab, women spend most of their days maintaining their households, Krupar said, explaining that, in general, refugees are not legally permitted to work in Dadaab. “A lot of people will sell their food or make crafts or other products like dying fabric to sell for clothing or making soap or tailoring to make money,” she said. “So even though they can’t legally work, there is a very strong emphasis on contributing to the household.” Although she is still coding and analyzing data, preliminary findings are emerging, Krupar said, and she
is confident the study will provide a clear comparison between how NGO workers and women refugees are defining empowerment. She also hopes her findings will help NGOs tailor their adult education programming more specifically for women in conflict areas.
A unique topic When she started tossing around the idea of researching women refugees, Krupar knew there would be challenges, specifically of the financial variety. “Given my specific research interests — adult education programming outside of formal education in conflict-affected environments and with refugees — gaining access to these locations and populations required travel from State College,” she said, adding that she also needed specific tools to complete the visual aspect of her research.
Photo courtesy of Ally Krupar
Ally Krupar teaches women refugees in Dadaab how to use cameras to document life experiences.
To help finance her research, she sought out opportunities through the College of Education and secured $1,100 from a research initiation grant and CIED summer research grant. The money allowed her to purchase data-collection tools such as cameras, software and printing materials. She also received $2,000 from Penn State’s Africana Research Center and more than $6,000 from
Photo: Google Maps
external grants that provided support for travel expenses and data collection. “Visual ethnography was the basis of my research and without the funds to purchase the necessary tools, I would not have had the opportunity to adequately collect data,” she said. “Without University support, my dissertation would not be possible.” As a pioneer in the study of nonformal adult education programs for refugees, Krupar is aware that her research can lead to future studies and awareness of populations living in conflict-affected areas, awareness that she believes is necessary. “I hope that this research and future research will further expand understanding of adult education programming with refugees, forced migrants and other populations affected by violence and conflict, both for scholars and practitioners,” she said. “There are connections between educational access and return to conflict. So if these programs exist, there could be more regional, and even global, prosperity and stability. It can snowball.”
EdLion Free Online Seminars for College of Education Alumni 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 Penn State Education 15
Three Takeaways for your Educational Journey!
On the Occasion of Penn State University College of Education Commencement May 8, 2016 By Irvin Scott Senior Lecturer on Education in the Harvard Graduate School of Education Former Deputy Director of College Ready in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Good afternoon. Before I get started, I want to encourage you to do two things: #1 listen intently and #2 go on Twitter, and let me know your thoughts. I would love to continue this conversation. My Twitter handle is @iscott4. To the faculty, honored guests, family, friends, and the class of 2016 graduates: I am delighted to be here on such a wonderful occasion. Just five years ago I was graduating with my doctorate, so I was in a similar position to those of you graduating today, and the feelings of EUPHORIA are still quite fresh in my own mind and spirit. I also remember how anxious I was to get that hot regalia off, so I promise not to take too long … but I do have a few critical points that I want to share with you before you run off to celebrating, job searching and loan repayments. First let me say, make no mistake about it, the decision that you made several years ago to do the work, commit the time and make the financial investment to acquire this degree from Penn State University — that decision WAS THE RIGHT DECISION! As a matter of fact, I want you to do something for me: I want you to turn to your neighbor, give them a high five, or a fist bump, or a hug, and tell them: YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION!! This is an exciting time to be in the field of education, and I want to leave you with three big ideas to remember as you transition to the next level of your careers. However, before I tell you why I feel this way, let me tell you a little bit about some of the work that we do at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I am honored to be working for the Foundation’s U.S. Program, which is all 16 Penn State Education
about building connectors — connectors of people to vital resources, of potential to possibility, and of optimism to opportunity. At the foundation, we believe that these connectors can improve people’s lives and put their dreams within reach. That’s why over the years, the foundation has awarded more than $800 million to help 17,000 students pursue their dreams of higher education through the Gates Millennium Scholarship. It’s also that commitment to the potential in all that has me traveling across the country to elevate and celebrate effective teaching and teachers. And it is that national perspective that makes me hopeful about the opportunities that we have as educators today. So here are the three takeaways that I want you to bring with you on your journeys as educators and shapers of all of our futures. The first is an African Proverb: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This is especially true in education. Teaching, learning, servicing America’s children, America’s future should be a shared enterprise, not an isolated pursuit. However, that can be hard at times. For example, as a teacher, I know that when you spend all day in the classroom with your students, it can be hard to just get together with other teachers — let alone “go together” with them. At the foundation, we’ve heard time and time again from teachers and leaders that they hugely value collaborating with their colleagues. They tell us it’s the best form of professional development they can get. And they’re always craving more opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues down the hall AND across the country.
The good news is, there are now more ways than ever for teachers and all educators to connect with each other. One of the networks I’m deeply involved in is called Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers — or ECET2, for short. ECET2 has been around for less than five years, but in that short time it’s grown into a movement that’s all about bringing teachers together to unite around their shared passion for education. There have been more than 100 ECET2 convenings around the country, and at every one of them teachers run it all — the seminars, workshops, meetings — you name it. Teachers leave ECET2 convenings with a new, very supportive professional network — and a renewed sense of empowerment about their work. Efforts like this show that when educators get together and pool their expertise, they can do anything. This is because teachers and leaders are the true experts on teaching and learning in the classroom — and they place a tremendous amount of trust in each other. Connecting with your colleagues will help you stay strong when times get tough (as they sometimes will). And collaborating with other educators in your school or your district, or even across the country, will keep you learning and growing in your practice — and that will keep your students learning and growing, too. The second reason that you should be excited about entering education right now is the power of new tools and technologies that are helping educators transform how adults and students learn. The science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic — and we’re living in a truly magical age in education.
Now, let’s be clear: there are no silver bullets in education, and this is true of technology. No app or website or YouTube video can replace a great teacher. What technology can do is act as a powerful tool for educators. It can help them tailor their instruction to students’ needs and interests. It can let students learn anytime and anywhere. It can free up teachers so that they can spend more time working one-onone with students and building strong relationships with them.
What’s my point? My point is that as educators you have the same potential to help others realize their dreams in ways THEY could NEVER imagine. Every child has a dream. And a great education is the best vehicle every child has to realize their dreams and transform their lives.
This is what personalized learning is all about — allowing students to take greater ownership of their learning while enabling teachers to work with them to discover their passions and interests. The relationship between students and teachers is always at the center of personalized learning — technology just plays a supporting role.
As a matter of fact, here are a two tools that I would encourage you to look up when you’re done reveling in this great accomplishment. The first is Graphite, which is an online service that enables educators to provide feedback on the latest educational tools. The second is Learnzillion, which is an organization made up of dream-team teachers from across the U.S. who are working to break down the traditional barriers between publishers and practitioners. These are just two examples. Technology is also enabling educators to connect not just with colleagues across the hallway but with virtual colleagues across districts, states, the country and the world. One of my professors, Richard Elmore, used to say: Isolation is the enemy of improvement. Technology enables connections and the right connections enable IMPROVEMENT. I can’t wait to see how you all harness technology to improve teaching and learning in the future. There’s a final idea that I want you to take into your educational journey. And this idea is a constant in education. EDUCATORS and EDUCATION transform lives. I know this firsthand. And I bet each and every one of you knows this firsthand too. I’m sure you have had a teacher who has connected with you, challenged you and helped you see what’s possible. And so I want to end with a personal story. What I call “My Miss Scritchfield story.” One day my ninth grade English teacher, Ms. Scritchfield, started off our class by announcing that we would be studying poetry. We would focus on the poet Robert Frost. We would read his poems, analyze them, write them and recite them to the entire class. I was bold back then, and I expressed my displeasure with the latter part of the assignment. At that time, I was interested in one thing: football. I had a dream of being the next Tony Dorsett, running back for the Dallas Cowboys as a matter of fact. Before there was a Nick Scott #24 for the Nittany Lions (and my son), there was Irvin Scott, #22 for Chambersburg Trojans High School. Class of 1985.
~ Irvin Scott
Well, Ms. Scritchfield looked at me and said, “Irvin, not only are you going to do this poem, you’re going to write your own poem and recite that one also.” And so the day finally came. And when it did, I stood up in front of the class and said: “Two Roads …” While I never became a running back for the Dallas Cowboys, I did go on to become an English teacher for 15 years, where I taught thousands of children poetry. I then became a principal and district leader overseeing many teachers who had similar impacts on students’ lives. What’s my point? My point is that as educators you have the same potential to help others realize their dreams in ways THEY could NEVER imagine. Every child has a dream. And a great education is the best vehicle every child has to realize their dreams and transform their lives. The Great Poet Langton Hughes said it best when he declared: “Bring me your dreams you dreamers, bring me your heart melodies that I may wrap them up in a blue cloud-cloth away from the two rough fingers of the world. And that is what poetry might do, wrap up your dreams, protect and hold them until they come true. Columbus dreamed of finding a new world; He found it. Edison dreamed of light, more light, and he made light All the progress that human beings have made in this old, earth of our; grew out of dreams. That is why it is wise, I should think to hold fast to dreams, for when dreams die life is a broken, winged bird that cannot fly; hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go; Life is a barren field frozen in snow.” I congratulate you for following your dreams. And I encourage you to embrace the opportunities and the challenges ahead as you help others realize theirs. Thank you. Penn State Education 17
Education summit aims to ‘re-invent tomorrow’s schools’ By Jessica Buterbaugh
A group of 50 educators, mental health professionals and human services specialists from across Pennsylvania gathered June 16 at The Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State’s University Park campus for an interdisciplinary conference intended to increase community-university partnerships and better serve children in K-12 schools.
Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh
Stephen Bagnato, distinguished professor of education at Pitt and 2014 Penn State Alumni Fellow, speaks to a group of educators and community agency professionals about community-university partnerships at an education summit held this summer at the Nittany Lion Inn.
“Universities with programs in social work, school psychology, curriculum and instruction, human development and psychology have an opportunity to work in collaborative, cutting-edge partnerships across schools and agencies to leverage the best outcomes for children and families,” said Cristin Hall, assistant professor school psychology. “We know that traditional initiatives and laboratory-based research methods do not always adequately address real world problems and needs, and we need these partnerships to fill those gaps.” “Re-Inventing Tomorrow’s Schools: Innovations in Pennsylvania through CommunityUniversity Partnerships,” is a product of a partnership 18 Penn State Education
between Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh and aims to increase networking and research opportunities among interdisciplinary service professionals.
as well as children with disabilities and those from disadvantaged populations in general.”
Hall, conference co-chair, worked closely with Stephen Bagnato, distinguished professor of education at Pitt and 2014 Penn State Alumni Fellow, to create a conference that addressed the need for communityuniversity partnerships while also providing resources to help make those partnerships a reality.
Participants were introduced to effective partnership models, partnership implementation and sustainability strategies, and how to integrate education, health and human services. They also learned about multiple communityuniversity partnerships employed by Penn State and Pitt, including Include Me From the Start Arc of PA, Intensive Meditation Retreats, PROSPER and Project TEAM.
“We put a strong emphasis on how to successfully build these relationships,” Hall said of the two-day conference. “Through projects presented at the summit, we demonstrate Penn State and Pitt’s commitment to serving youth in urban, rural and remote areas,
“We want to see these types of partnerships grow in Pennsylvania and beyond,” Hall said. “It is our mission to provide a solid foundation for propelling forward in feasible, sustainable and effective interventions for children in PA and beyond.”
Faculty Appointments
Uju Anya
Amy Crosson
Uju Anya is assistant professor of second language learning. She received her bachelor’s degree in romance languages from Dartmouth College; her master’s degree in Portuguese language and Brazilian Studies from Brown University; and her doctorate in applied linguistics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Amy Crosson is assistant professor of language and literacy education (early grades). She received her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan; and her master of education and doctorate in language and literacy both from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Allison Henward is assistant professor of early childhood education. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Northern Arizona University; and her master’s and doctorate in early childhood education with an emphasis in anthropology and education from Arizona State University. Elizabeth Hughes is assistant professor of special
Allison Henward
Elizabeth Hughes
education. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and human development from Boston College; her master’s in special education from Clemson University, and her doctorate in curriculum and instruction/special education also from Clemson University. Kevin Kinser is professor and head of the Department of Kevin Kinser Education Policy Studies. He received his bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Dayton; and his master of arts in student personnel administration, master of education in student personnel administration, and doctorate in higher education all from Columbia University Teachers College.
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 Alumni Student Teacher Network. Contact Phil Hoy: phoy@psu.edu or 814-863-2216
Mentor a new teacher. Catch up with old friends. Serving student teachers in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the Centre Region. Penn State Education 19
Nominate Outstanding Alumni for the Alumni Society Awards!
The College of Education Alumni Society supports five awards that are presented each year to graduates who have distinguished themselves in their profession. To nominate someone who you think is worthy of this recognition, please fill out and submit the nomination form with a statement explaining the reasons for your nomination.
Alumni Excellence Award This award is the highest honor bestowed upon alumni of the College of Education. It is awarded to recognize career-long, sustained excellence of contribution and achievement in the nominee’s chosen profession. Specific criteria: (1) Nominees will be evaluated for significant contributions to their chosen profession (in or out of the field of education) over the span of their career, for a period of 15 years or more; (2) The nomination should include clear, compelling, and documented evidence of excellence through contributions to the nominee’s chosen field as exemplified in leadership, innovation, commitment and/or service; (3) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).
Outstanding Teaching This award recognizes the classroom teacher. Selection is made on the basis of overall excellence in teaching methodologies, knowledge of subject matter and ability to inspire students. Specific criteria: (1) Nominee must be employed full time in the teaching profession; (2) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).
Leadership & Service This award recognizes those alumni who have 20 Penn State Education
distinguished themselves in their chosen professions, in or out of the field of education. Selection is made on the basis of leadership and service within a career, a community or to society in general. Specific criteria: (1) Achievement in a chosen field, in a community, or in society; (2) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).
Outstanding New Graduate This award recognizes recent graduates who have distinguished themselves in their new careers. Selection is made on the basis of an individual’s advancement and excellence in a new job, in or out of the field of education. Specific criteria: (1) Outstanding contributions to and achievements in a new job; (2) Nominees must be graduates of the College of Education (baccalaureate) within five years of the date of nomination.
Service To Penn State Award This award recognizes those alumni and friends who have made significant contributions of time and talent to the College and/or the University. Specific criteria: (1) Nominee will be evaluated on the basis of demonstrated commitment and dedication to enhancing the objectives of the College and/or the University.
2015-16 Alumni Society Board Members
The Alumni Society Board selects the award winners. To nominate an alumnus/a, complete the form above and mail it along with your nomination statement to: The Penn State College of Education Attn: Alumni Society Awards 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802-3206 Nominations received before Jan. 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.
Photo: Paul Hazi
Front row, from left: Dean David H. Monk, Larry Wess, Cathy Tomon, Sandie Musoleno, Tonnie DeVecchis-Kerr, Kaela Fuentes, Tracy Hinish, Phil Hoy. Second row, from left: Erica Greer, Pam Peter, Bill Vitori, Patricia Best, Amanda Demsey. Back row, from left: John Czerniakowski, Bill Stone, Mike Meyer, Doug Womelsdorf. Not Pictured: Larry Carretta, Joe Clapper, Dave Dolbin, Amy Meisinger, Christine Merritt, Stephanie Preston.
ed.psu.edu/educ/alumni-friends/award Penn State Education 21
Penn State Education The Pennsylvania State University 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802
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