Currents Sept 2002
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Vol. 15 • No. 1 Fall 2002 CPennStateCapitalCollegeAlumniMagazineurrents Penn State Harrisburg 2002 Alumni Fellow Hasu P. Shah Penn State Harrisburg • Penn State Schuylkill Penn State Schuylkill 2002 Alumni Fellow Jacqueline L. Russell CURRENTS • penn state capital college alumni magazine Welcome to Currents Greetings from the Provost and Dean… It is an absolute pleasure to greet all of you and to extend my best wishes for the 2002-2003 academic year. We have emerged from a year of planning—strategic planning—that lays out our expectations and our directions. The planning process has allowed us to look at who we are—and what and where we want to be. We find ourselves in an increasingly competitive environment, coupled with a struggling economy and a world turned upside-down by unthinkable events. We continue nevertheless to do what we do best—to educate. We take solace in that. Our plan is an ambitious one. I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve laid out an enormous schedule of tasks to achieve our strategic initiatives. As we proceed, I caution us not to lose sight of the overarching themes that give purpose to our plan. Our strategic themes speak volumes about what we value. They are: educational excellence, learning technology, diversity, and alliances and partnerships. I need to expand a bit more on the latter. We value alliances and partnerships both internal and external. The partnerships and alliances we form internally enable us to function as one university, as one college—the title we took for our strategic plan. Those we establish externally sustain us as a vital part of the intellectual, cultural and economic development of our surrounding communities. I am pleased to report that we’ve made progress on a good number of our initiatives already. Madlyn L. Hanes, Ph.D. Under the theme of Educational Excellence: We have new and expanded programs. Our School of Business Administration is extending the Provost and Dean MBA to Lancaster and has launched the first cohort of our on-line MBA via the World Campus in partnership with our colleagues in the Penn State Capital College Smeal College, Great Valley, and Behrend. The Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, developed by our School of Public Affairs, and the minor in American Studies, developed by our School of Humanities, were approved by the Board of Trustees. These programs are available to students this year. In Fall 2003, we will admit first-year students to the Harrisburg campus in five additional majors—electrical engineering, environmental engineering, structural design and construction engineering technology, mathematics, and computer science. This meets an important strategic priority—that is, to introduce additional lower division study at the Harrisburg campus in selected programs. We received funding from the Whitaker Foundation to move us forward. Thanks to excellent leadership from our School of Science, Engineering, and Technol- ogy and Offices of Development and Research and Graduate Studies, we’re well positioned to realize growth in these disciplines on behalf of the region. Under the themes of Diversity and Learning Technology: Our commitment to diversity and global education is invigorated. Our Summer Reading Program is a fine example. This is an innovative enterprise launched last year for incoming freshmen by School of Humanities faculty at our Schuylkill campus. We have adopted it as a best practice and included our incoming students at Harrisburg. Students, faculty, and staff read James McBride’s The Color of Water last summer. This year we read Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower. Students and faculty interact on-line over the summer months, exchanging reactions to these powerful books. Fall student convocation extends the conversation in live, real time. The program and its effective use of technology, incidentally, were cited in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Under the theme of Alliances and Partnerships: The College continues to offer the M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum, under the direction of the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, to additional student cohorts across the state in collaboration with Commonwealth College campuses. With over 1,000 students at seven locations, it’s the highest-enrolled graduate program in the University. We are making our mark. Our Schuylkill campus has partnered with the School of Nursing and the Geisinger Health System in Danville in response to the critical shortage of registered nurses in Central Pennsylvania. The program will afford 40 hospital employees the opportunity to pursue an associate degree in nursing on-site and be eligible to sit for the national exam for registered nurse licensure. Plans are well underway to implement the Harrisburg Semester under the direction of our School of Public Affairs. The Harrisburg Semester will offer undergraduate students interested in political science, public administration, non-profit management, public policy, community development and related areas a semester-long opportunity to live, work, and study in the capital city. Beginning Spring 2003, the program will open to Penn State students across the Commonwealth. This initiative holds great promise as a signature program for the College. The College, under the direction of the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, is now home to the Capital Area Math and Science Institute. Funded by the Whitaker Foundation, the Institute is a principal source of professional and curriculum development for teachers in math and science. The Institute has a rich history. Since 1997, more than 2,000 teachers from 100 schools and 28 districts in the region have participated in the Institute’s professional-development programs. We have the very real potential for making a significant impact on math and science education. Clearly, this has all the makings of a signature program. You’ve heard me say numerous times that we want to be the college of first choice for our students. We watch this carefully. We want our students to enjoy a productive college experience. We’re doing well on these fronts. Our students report high satisfaction; 88 percent of Harrisburg’s and 62 percent of Schuylkill’s first-time students selected our campuses as a first choice. This is an excellent portfolio, made more so with increases in our student retention and graduation rates. These are significant measures for us ultimately to assess the success of our strategic planning. CURRENTS • penn state capital college alumni magazine Currents Inside Currents... Vol. 15 No. 1 - Fall 2002 page PROVOST AND DEAN Madlyn L. Hanes, Ph.D. Farewell to BOARDS OF ADVISERS Harrisburg Campus Meade Heights Kathleen Smarilli, chair 5 Kevin Harter, vice chair Paul Coppock, treasurer Schuylkill Campus Allen E. Kiefer, president Charles M. Miller, first vice president Alumni Jack T. Dolbin, second vice president Darlene D. Dolzani, treasurer 6 Fellows DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - Harrisburg Marie-Louise Abram DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - Schuylkill Jane Zintak ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Freshman Jay Browning ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - ALUMNI RELATIONS Study Laurie Dobrosky 8 ALUMNI SOCIETIES Harrisburg Campus Richter L. Voight ’99g, president Carol S. Ranck ’97g, vice president Summer at Evon G. Williams ’73, secretary Michele E. Hart-Henry ’88, immediate past president 10 Monticello Schuylkill Campus Liz Bligan '81, president Joel Koch '83, vice president Frances Gravish Sonne '73, secretary/treasurer Remembering September Eleventh EDITOR Steven D. Hevner Associate Provost and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Manager, Public Information and Publications Affairs William Mahar speaks to those attending the Sep- GRAPHIC DESIGNER tember 11 remembrance ceremonies on the Harrisburg Sharon Siegfried campus. Seated are other participants in the observance, EDITORIAL BOARD left to right, Assistant Professor of Public Policy Matthew Marie-Louise Abram Woessner, Associate Professor of Humanities and History Director of Development, Penn State Harrisburg Louise Hoffman, Student Government Association Presi- Jane Zintak Director of Development, Penn State Schuylkill dent Parul Luthra, and Associate Professor of Humanities Laurie Dobrosky and Philosophy Glen Mazis. Assistant Director, Alumni Relations Rebecca Gardner Director, Marketing Comunications William J. Zimmerman Director, Student Activities and Marketing “Currents’ now on your desktop Steven Hevner Manager, Public Information and Publications You can now enjoy Currents magazine on your computer. This and three past issues can be accessed through the Penn State Harrisburg Web page at www.hbg.psu.edu. Simply click on the “News and CURRENTS is published by the Penn State Harrisburg Public Information Office. News, story ideas, and Events” link and you will find the issues. address changes should be sent to: Steve Hevner Penn State Harrisburg Olmsted W-101 • 777 W. Harrisburg Pike Middletown, PA 17057-4898 Society Leadership [email protected] Among the Harrisburg campus Alumni William Zimmerman Penn State Schuylkill Society officers this year are, left to right, 200 University Drive • Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972-2208 [email protected] president Richter (Rick) Voight '99g, vice This publication is available in alternative media on request. president Carol S. Ranck '97g, and Michele Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of Hart-Henry '88, immediate past president. accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Steve