CAMPUS NEWS

President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson, center, stands proudly with her new leadership team. From left are Matthew P. Stinson, vice president for institutional advancement; Kenneth J. Romig ’85, vice president for finance and management services; Carllos D. Lassiter, vice president for student affairs and dean of students; Dr. Thomas H. Stein, vice president for enrollment; Erin T. Smith, chief information officer and associate dean for library and information services; Dr. Jamie G. McMinn, associate dean for academic affairs, professor of psychology, and assistant to the President for college relations; the Rev. James R. Mohr, College chaplain; Dr. Jeffrey S. Coker, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College; and James E. Dafler, director of athletics.

President’s leadership team in place

Westminster President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson has appointed two more members to her leadership team: Dr. Jamie G. McMinn and Erin T. Smith. The newest members were added in July.

McMinn, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of psychology, now also carries the title of assistant to the President for college relations.

Smith was named chief information officer for the College and is overseeing the marketing and communications department in addition to continuing her role as associate dean for library and information services.

McMinn arrived at Westminster College in 2003. He earned his undergraduate degree from Emory & Henry College, and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pittsburgh.

Smith has been with Westminster since 2002. She earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee.

“With Dr. McMinn and Ms. Smith joining the leadership team, we are truly prepared to take on several new initiatives at Westminster,” said Richardson. “Their talents, foresight, and leadership skills are welcome additions to our team.”

Dr. Jeffrey S. Coker, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, and Carllos D. Lassiter, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, joined the leadership team upon their hirings in early summer.

Brauer Dabney Dean Limmer Pico

Procasky Rodgers Schade Strangfeld Zullo

New full-time faculty members join Westminster

The Westminster College faculty welcomed several new professors to their ranks.

Dr. David B. Brauer, visiting assistant professor of business and the SchellerEdwards Entrepreneur in Residence. Brauer holds a bachelor’s from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s from Robert Morris University, and a doctor of business administration degree from Durham University, U.K.

Dr. Karen M. Dabney, visiting assistant professor of theatre. Dabney earned her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado.

Jane A. Dean, lecturer of special education. Dean earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Slippery Rock University. Dean had served as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education since 2010.

Winifred M. Limmer, visiting lecturer of psychology. She is a 2006 Westminster graduate.

Dr. René A. Pico II, associate professor of education. Pico earned his undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. William J. Procasky, assistant professor of financial economics. Procasky earned his undergraduate at Dickinson College, an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M International.

Dr. Zachary L. Rodgers, assistant professor of chemistry. Rodgers earned his undergraduate degree at Youngstown State University and his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Don B. Schade, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities. Schade holds a bachelor’s from Susquehanna University. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University.

Christopher A. Strangfeld, visiting instructor of theatre. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Geneva College.

Dr. Robert H. Zullo, associate professor of business. Zullo holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Virginia, another master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Goldberg presents Henderson Lecture

This year’s Henderson Lectureship Award winner, Dr. David W. Goldberg, associate professor of philosophy, offered his talk to the Westminster campus on Oct. 4.

Goldberg presented the integration of Nietzche’s three historical perspectives—monumental, antiquarian and critical—and how they can be exemplified in Shorin ryu, an Okinawan system of Karate.

“Vibrant and lively martial art systems survive on this integration of the monumental, antiquarian and critical perspectives,” said Goldberg. “My contention is that without such integration, a ryu will stagnate, for life for Nietzsche is, as Heraclitus suggested so long ago, always in flux.”

Goldberg joined the Westminster faculty in 2002. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. from Duquesne University.

The Henderson Lecture was founded by the late Dr. Joseph R. Henderson, professor of education emeritus, and his wife, Elizabeth, to encourage and recognize original and continuing research and scholarship among Westminster College faculty, and to afford the opportunity for faculty to share their learning with the academic Goldberg community. Henderson served as chair of the Department of Education and as director of the Graduate Program.

Each year, faculty members may nominate themselves or others to receive the lectureship, which includes a stipend to support a specific research project. A faculty committee chooses the winner.

RELIEF EFFORTS After the destructive hurricanes of September, senior Christian Na, above right, and the Student Government Association (SGA), represented above by fellow senior and SGA Service Chair Liz Smith, organized a service drive to bring aid to the storms’ victims. The SGA and sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha collected money, clothing, food items, toiletries, diapers and other provisions to send to areas affected by the storms. With matching funds from Westminster President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson,

Partnering with Pittsburgh Promise for student success

Westminster has teamed with The Pittsburgh Promise to be a Preferred College Partner. Beginning with the class of 2018, Promise eligible students accepted to one of 19 area colleges partnering in this initiative will be provided grants for room, board, or books. Westminster promises to provide targeted transition and academic support services to ensure student retention and success.

The Pittsburgh Promise is a scholarship program for Pittsburgh public school more than $5,000 was raised to support hurricane relief.

students and advocates for improving the quality of education, increasing the preparedness and diversity of the region’s workforce. Pittsburgh has the largest Promise program in the United States. Since 2008, the Promise has awarded more than 7,300 scholarships worth more than $102 million.

Westminster joins elite undergrad research project

Westminster is one of only 12 institutions in the country to be part of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Transformations Project, a four-year project designed to create cohesive, research-based undergraduate curricula in biology, chemistry, physics and psychology programs.

Supported with funding from the National Science Foundation, Westminster is now among leading institutions pursuing school and collegewide transformations in student learning through undergraduate research.

“The project will support the integration of research into Westminster’s biology and psychology program curriculums, and the interdisciplinary neuroscience program and related molecular biology major,” said Dr. Karen Resendes, co-director of undergraduate research and associate professor of biology.

In addition to working with consultants provided by CUR, teams of biology and psychology faculty members will use the support provided by the grant to attend national workshops and training sessions. Funding has also been delegated Students presenting at the 2017 Undergraduate Research and Arts Celebration

towards conducting professional development at Westminster.

“Exactly what the outcome of our projects will look like will depend on the decisions each program makes on how to move forward when we meet our consultants,” said Resendes. “No matter how we proceed, the goals of the grant are to build on our current published successes in research in the curriculum and to make the transformations of these programs a model for growth.”

“This is wonderfully symbolic of our emerging national leadership in the area of undergraduate research, and experiential learning more broadly,” said Dr. Jeffrey S. Coker, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.

RUNNING FOR A CAUSE Student Alumni Association (SAA) member Alex Cartwright, a senior, proudly displays her colors following SAA’s first annual Titan Tie Dye Run, a one-mile jog around Westminster’s campus. Along the route, alumni and student participants were powdered with dye. A portion of the proceeds from the event was donated to the Student Emergency Fund on behalf of each participant.