Impact Gift supports inclusive educational programs Phylis Bolno, who received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Penn State’s College of Education in 1972, has never taught professionally. She and her husband, Gary, a graduate of the College of Health and Human Development, run a financial consulting and insurance business in their home city of Scottsdale, Arizona. Nonetheless, Bolno has a deep appreciation for the benefits of a well-rounded education — particularly for individuals with disabilities and other minoritized groups. That appreciation is exemplified by her recent ongoing pledge of $9,000 a year to be distributed equally among three programs: WorkLink, a new program in the College of Education for students with intellectual disabilities; the Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Educating Individuals with Autism; and the Social Justice Collaborative and new social justice minor. For the full story, click here.
CSATS’ SHAPE MATTERS project gets $1.3 million grant A National Institutes of Health/ National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS) grant worth more than $1.3 million will support high school biology and chemistry teachers to incorporate current advancements of molecular modeling into their teaching. The NIH/NIGMS grant recently was awarded to the Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS) in Penn State’s College of Education in support of the project, titled SHAPE MATTERS, “SHaping of Authentic Practices by Engaging in Modeling of A Topic with Teachers to Explore Research in Science.” Kathy Hill, director of CSATS, said secondary science curriculum will be developed that ultimately will provide learning experiences centered on engaging high school
to benefit social equity initiatives The College of Education is participating in #GivingTuesday to raise $10,000 through at least 100 individual gifts in support of programs in the college’s Office of Education and Social Equity (OESE). Click here to learn how to contribute. This year’s #GivingTuesday, which will be held Dec. 1, marks the sixth year Penn State has participated in the international celebration of philanthropy. The event is a way to give back during the holiday season and to help create impactful experiences for students. Directed by Maria Schmidt, assistant dean for Education and Social Equity, the OESE provides underrepresented and marginalized students a sense of community and belonging, a students in authentic science practices. The project includes using advances in computational power to make molecular biology accessible to all students by bringing it to life in the classroom.
safe space where they can be themselves. The OESE promotes and values diversity and multiculturalism, infuses diversity across the curriculum and student experiences, facilitates access to post-secondary opportunities, supports the advancement of outstanding underrepresented educators, and works toward the greater diversification of the education profession. “The work we do is important, and helps so many of our students be successful in their college careers and beyond. All donations on #GivingTuesday will help us, because it will be combined with other gifts to help us reach our goals,” said Schmidt. For the full story, click here. and/or community diversity.
College of Education alumni are honored with awards from the college’s Alumni Society as well as from the Penn State Alumni Association.
Selection is made on the basis of: fostering an environment in which diversity is understood, valued, and promoted; meeting the needs of employees and/or community members of traditionally underrepresented groups and/or diverse populations; collaborating with others who have shared goals around justice, equity, diversity and inclusion; and creating diversity programs and/or initiatives that positively affect the nominee’s organization and/or community.
The College of Education Alumni Society supports awards in several categories, presented each year to graduates and student teachers who have distinguished themselves in their profession.
Other college-level awards are Alumni Excellence; Leadership & Service; Outstanding New Graduate; Outstanding Student Teacher; Outstanding Teaching; and Service to Penn State.
New this year is the J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Award, which recognizes alumni who showcase exemplary insight and fortitude in workplace
Nominations are accepted throughout the year, with recipients chosen each spring. For information, and to submit a nomination, click here.
For the full story, click here.
Nominate outstanding alumni for annual excellence awards
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