National Initiative Funds Nursing Scholarships€¦ · November 2008 The Duquesne universiTy By...

Melatonin and Bone LossDU research examines if melatonin fights osteoporosis. Page 3

St. Anthony SchoolSpecial students gain work-readiness skills at Duquesne University. Page 4

FDA Funds ConsortiumDU receives a contract to help improve pharmacy manufacturing. Page 5

Scientists in the FieldOutreach programs draw science faculty into the thick of things. Page 6

November 2008

T h e D u qu e s n e u n i v e r s i T y

By Randy ColeWhile the University shares its sense of Spiritan mission throughout the year,

efforts grow during this special season focused on friends and family. Over Thanks-giving break, Spiritan Campus Ministry takes students on an annual cross-cultural mission trip to Mullens, W. Va. The trip immerses students in the southern coalfield region, volunteering at school for mentally handicapped adults and repairing homes. Returning students bring home a new perspective and awareness of reasons to be thankful.

The annual Fair Trade Week will take place during the first week of December in the Duquesne Union. Also spearheaded by Spiritan Campus Ministry, the event promotes the sale of artisan goods from around the world, features a fashion show and supports global fair trade.

“Buying fair trade and fair food are great ways to give back, not just during the holidays, but all year long,” said Matt Walsh, campus minister.

Thanksgiving: A Time to Give Back at DuquesneAt this time of year, Duquesne University Volunteers (DUV) organizes the

Holiday Helping Drive to benefit the Brashear Association, a food pantry serving south Pittsburgh communities.The drive, which runs through Christmas, collects non-perishable food and monetary donations, plus Giant Eagle gift cards. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the focus shifts to collecting new toys and winter clothing. Donations, accepted year-round, can be taken to the DUV office in Room 305 of the union.

The Office of Greek life sponsored “Can-struction,” a Greek Week event in which each fraternity or sorority created a sculpture from canned goods. Afterward, items were donated to the Brashear Association.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs sponsored its third annual turkey drive, with a goal of providing 200 turkeys to local families.

By helping those in the margins, the Duquesne community continues to live the mission of its founders.

By Rose RavasioThe Duquesne University School of

Nursing has been named among the first of 58 institutions in the nation to receive funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program. This groundbreaking national initiative, launched by RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), is designed to help alleviate the nation’s nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the corps of new nurses by providing financial aid to stu-dents who enroll in accelerated nursing degree programs.

One of only four schools in Penn-sylvania to receive the RWJF funding, the School of Nursing will utilize the $100,000 for scholarships to support students enrolled in its second-degree nursing program.

“This scholarship funding not only addresses the current nursing shortage, but also prepares these second-degree students to become future nursing leaders,” said Leah Vota Cunningham, assistant dean of student services in the School of Nursing and co-director of the project. “We are honored to be among the first institutions in the nation to receive this funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.”

The Second Degree Bachelor of Sci-ence in Nursing program at Duquesne enables a non-nurse with a baccalaureate

National Initiative Funds Nursing Scholarships

degree to earn a B.S.N. in one year. After 12 months of intensive full-time study, students are eligible to take the nursing licensure examination. Interest in the program has increased so dramatically that the nursing school is considering adding a second cohort of students to the second-degree program within the next few years. Currently, 33 students are in the program’s cohort.

“Over the next 10 months, we have planned a number of activities for our 10 scholarship recipients that will provide mentorship opportunities with nurs-ing faculty and local nursing leaders,” added Dr. Joan Such Lockhart, associate dean of academic affairs in the School of Nursing and co-director of the project. “The students are expected to engage in

leadership development both as a mentee and a mentor to future second-degree students.”

Through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, scholar-ships in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed to entry-level nursing students in accelerated programs during the 2008-2009 academic year. Award preference is given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds. Grant funding also will be used by the School of Nursing to help leverage new faculty resources and provide mentoring and leadership development resources to ensure successful program completion by scholarship recipients.

“This scholarship program is designed

to ease the shortage of nurses and nurse faculty—an urgent national problem that potentially jeopardizes the health of all Americans,” said John Lumpkin, senior vice president and director for the Health Care Group at RWJF. “Fewer students will be turned away by schools of nursing because of the availability of this support for accelerated nursing degree programs.”

Other schools in Pennsylvania to receive the RWJF funding include Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Pennsylvania.

The RWJF is the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, and works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve compre-hensive, meaningful and timely change.

The American Association of Col-leges of Nursing is the national voice for university and four-year college education programs in nursing. Repre-senting more than 630 member schools of nursing at public and private institu-tions nationwide, the AACN works to establish quality standards for bachelor’s- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote public support of baccalaure-ate and graduate nursing education, research, and practice.

Duquesne’s 10 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program winners pose with co-directors Leah Vota Cunningham, second from right, and Dr. Joan Such Lockhart, far right.

2 • Duquesne University Times • November 2008

A: My first goal is to keep those programs successful that we already have in place, and to continue build-ing a communi-ty of people interested in business ethics.

I can also see the symposia becoming more specialized by examining different industries or different business chal-lenges each year.

Then, I think the next step for us will be program evaluation. We want to be able to show that what we’re doing is effective. I’d also like to see the center become involved in the sustainability curriculum development. We’d like to ensure that students and others under-stand that sustainability does not replace ethics. Sustainability is simply the practi-cal application of those fundamental ethical considerations.

Q: In terms of issues related to sustain-ability, what risks and opportunities do you see for business?

A: The opportunities reside in new markets, new products and reducing risk—not just on the environmental side, but also on the social side, where you can’t leave yourself open for lawsuits and changing societal expectations.

One of the risks is that you may be seen as greenwashing or declaring that your business cares about sustainability when performance is lacking.

Q: Are ethical dilemmas related to sus-tainability any different than other ethical problems faced by business leaders?

A: Any business problem is going to have an ethical component because it in-volves people and resources. I don’t think the dilemmas are different, and the way you would address them would be quite similar. Many of the same lessons that were learned with the institutionalization of business ethics are being learned again with sustainability.

Q: The Beard Center works closely with local companies. What kind of perspective can you provide on their view of sustain-ability and business ethics?

A: I think this area has really good ex-amples of companies that take ethics and sustainability to heart—and most impor-tantly, have the organizational structure to put good policies in place. Global companies with local headquarters, such as Alcoa, PPG and Kennametal, have really good global programs related to sustainability.

We also have other pockets of excel-lence—a large number of green build-ings, communities built on brownfields, local executives with important roles in national ethics organizations and, across the board, strong programs that support and improve the quality of life. They all form a network that supports sustain-ability. They make sustainability happen.

Q: Are new ways emerging and gaining acceptance for assessing performance in

the areas of sustainability and corporate responsibility?

A: There are a number of voluntary corporate initiatives. One of these, GRI, Global Reporting Initiative, is used by businesses as a way to report what they’re doing and benchmark each year’s perfor-mance. GRI provides standard measure-ments, so regardless of what country you do business in the reporting would be essentially the same.

Another set of standards comes from the United Nations Global Compact. Within the UN Global Compact and GRI there is this notion of transpar-ency, which encourages companies to be open about their performance in these areas. It’s similar to financial standards or accounting standards in that they don’t tell you what the performance has to be, but it tells you that you have to report performance.

Q: What new directions do you wish to take the center and the sustainability symposia?

Dr. Virginia Gerde, Director of the Beard Center … on Sustainable Business

TechU p d a t eBig Move Ahead for Duquesne Web Sites

As Duquesne prepares to transfer its Web sites to a new content management system (CMS), more than 100 employees will be intimately involved in the process. These are content managers and Web administrators, as well as other faculty, staff and students who are responsible for the content and organization of their school, program or department Web site.

Though these people work hard every day to keep our sites up-to-date and accurate, during the next year they will be involved in rewriting and restructuring the University’s 156 sites for the move to the CMS. This CMS, called Site Studio, allows for easier editing and management of Web sites by more people, further distributing the ongoing tasks of Web updates.

Before each site can be transferred (copied and pasted into Site Studio files), content managers will be reviewing the copy to make sure it is:

accurate •current•motivating•targeted to external audiences •easy to scan (read) on a Web page•

These changes will make it easier for our Web users—future students, prospective faculty and others—to find the information they are seeking. Information that is only for current students and staff will be moved to DORI.

Everyone’s JobThe CMS Web conversion is like a smaller version of the Datatel/Banner conversion of 2005 and

2006. While the Office of Public Affairs will guide the process and provide resources to help develop marketing messages, the work of content managers will be key to our success. They will be form-ing Web teams and reaching out to colleagues to draft articles and confirm the accuracy of content. Please support them in this vital effort.

Finding the Duquesne TimesThe Duquesne Times is now being posted online as a searchable PDF. Current issues are available

at www.duq.edu/times or through DORI’s Employee Connections channel on the Working tab. We will add with back issues from 2008 in PDF format.

Two Duquesne University employees have been included among the 10th annual 40 Under 40 winners, a yearly awards program that recognizes young leaders in the community. Sponsored by Pittsburgh Magazine and the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project, 40 Under 40 awardees are selected for their commitment, visibility, diversity and impact on the region.

The list, which was featured in the November issue of Pittsburgh Magazine, included Lina Dostilio, 30, director of service learning at Duquesne, and Dr. Jodi L. Lech, 34, an adjunct instructor in the Mylan School of Pharmacy.

In addition to her role in service learning, Dostilio is also involved with other local nonprofits as well as National Student Partnerships, the country’s only year-round, student-led volunteer service organization that links people in need with resources and opportunities necessary to become self-sufficient.

“I’m grateful to be included in this year’s list,” said Dostilio. “It’s an honor to be among such a goldmine of motivated young professionals and a fabulous opportunity to draw atten-tion to the work that Duquesne students and faculty do with community-based organizations.”

An oncology clinical pharmacist for the West Penn Al-legheny Oncology Network, Lech works on The Healing Journey program, through which she arranges a daylong event for cancer patients and their families that celebrates life and surviving.

Also included among the 40 was Leigh Ann White, former director of Duquesne University Volunteers, who was recog-nized for her work with the Carnegie Community Develop-ment Corp.

By Alison Conte

Pittsburgh Magazine Highlights Two Of DU’s 40 Under 40

Dr. Virginia Gerde

Duquesne University Times • November 2008 • 3

By Rose Ravasio

The hormone melatonin has been touted to benefit everything

from jet lag to insomnia to depression. A one-year, $20,000 School of

Pharmacy Translational Research Program grant is allowing a team

of Duquesne professors and a Magee-Womens Hospital physician

to explore whether melatonin can prevent bone loss in perimeno-

pausal women, who are at-risk for osteoporosis.

A person’s bones constantly break down and reform bone to adjust to one’s life-style. Problems arise for women when they start going through menopause because their bones break down more than they form due to the loss of estrogen, according Dr. Paula Witt-Enderby, professor of pharmacology in the Mylan School and princi-pal investigator of the research project.

“Estrogen in the body is protective against bone loss. When a woman’s estrogen levels decrease, this leads to brittle bones,” said Witt-Enderby. “Some women go on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to supplement their loss in estrogen and progesterone. They usually go on this therapy to feel better, but this therapy also pro-tects their bones. Some women may have an increased risk of breast cancer if they go on HRT, so they are afraid to go on HRT.”

Witt-Enderby and her team are trying to develop another therapy to protect from bone loss, in particular, testing to see if melatonin can prevent bone loss right before menopause. “Our lab has shown positive effects of melatonin on making more of the cells that form bone. In our clinical trial, we are measuring the participants’ bone den-sity and bone activity to test whether melatonin is helpful,” explained Witt-Enderby. “This research is really cutting-edge. We are probably only one of a few labs in the country looking at melatonin for preventing osteoporosis. In addition, we are also as-sessing whether the women feel better on this therapy because they may be able to sleep better. So, we are surveying them on their sleep patterns and overall well-being.”

This research marks the first time that human clinical trials have been conducted in the Mylan School’s Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Witt-Enderby pointed out the importance of screening individuals for this clinical trial, each of who are perimenopausal, to ensure that there are no variables that may influence the results. The participants are first screened via questions in a phone interview. Eligible partici-pants then visit the Pharmacy School’s Wellness Center, where they have their blood pressure and their bone density measured. They also complete questionnaires about their sleep habits and their general well-being, and have their blood work screened. They are then given diaries to record their daily activities over a six-month period.

“With respect to our clinical trial, we want to know if a dose of melatonin that causes shifts in one’s sleep/wake cycle is effective at preventing bone deterioration,” said Witt-Enderby. “The women who participate in this study will be doing something very important for all women, that is, they will have been part of a study that may discover a safe alternative therapy for women to prevent their bone loss. Their participation is critical because osteoporosis is one of the most common skeletal disorders.”

Can Melatonin Prevent Bone Loss?

Today in the United States, approximately 10 million individuals have osteoporo-sis and 34 million more have low bone mass or osteopenia, which places them at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis, said Witt-Enderby. Of the people affected by this, 68 percent are women. Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural disruption, such that fewer, thinner bony spicules—needle-like structures—are present, leading to less structural support. These hallmark features of osteoporosis lead to increased skeletal fragility and fracture risk.

“Study candidates will also gain a better understanding about their relative state of their bone mass, whether they participate in the study or not,” noted Witt-Enderby. “They will receive their bone density scores and information on how to improve their bone health to prevent their bones from becoming fragile.”

If the results from the research are promising, Witt-Enderby and her team plan to submit for larger National Institutes of Health grants to run bigger clinical trials at Duquesne in the Wellness Center. Members of Witt-Enderby’s team include: Dr. Christine O’Neil, professor of pharmacy practice and director of the Academic Re-search Center for Pharmacy Care; Dr. Hilde Berdine, assistant professor of pharmacy practice; Dr. Holly Lassila, assistant professor of pharmacy practice; and Dr. Judith Balk, a physician at Magee-Womens Hospital.

Participants are still needed for this study—compensation is included. Inter-ested women who are 45 and older and are experiencing irregular periods can call 412.396.5874.

University Recognizes25-year EmployeesDuquesne University and President Charles J. Dougherty, center, first row, re-cently recognized 25-year employees, from left: First row, Monica Evanish, Office of the Controller; Linda Rendulic, McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts; Dougherty; Anna Priore, Office of Admissions; and Terry Tatrai, Division of Student Life.Second row, Dr. William Presutti, School of Business; Joseph Karpieniak, Facili-ties Management; Professor Daniel Barbush, Department of Math and Com-puter Sciences; and Dennis Erin, Computing and Technology Services. Unable to attend were: Margaret Krasik, School of Law; Dr. Gustav Lundberg, School of Business; and Irene Spychalski, Mylan School of Pharmacy.

From left, Maria Alexander, demonstrates a heel scan with Dr. Paula Witt-Enderby and Mary Kotlarczyk, graduate student. The scan indicates bone density.

Tent of Hope on National Display Nearly 50 Duquesne students, faculty and staff joined members of the Na-

tional Save Darfur Coalition in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9, to erect a “Tent of Hope” in a show of solidarity and compassion for victims of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Duquesne’s tent, embellished with messages of peace and hope, was first displayed on campus from Oct. 19 to Nov. 4, and housed educa-tional materials related to human rights issues ranging from hunger to genocide. Following the national exhibition, the tent will be dismantled and shipped to Darfur.


By Karen Ferrick-Roman

The Three Musketeers—Chris

McGough, Jason Borza, David

Woltz —form a team, working

together within a larger team.

These special needs students are enrolled in the St. Anthony School post-secondary program at Duquesne University. After a day in the classroom and at a job site, their 20 classmates ride buses home. But Chris, Jason and David head across the Duquesne campus to Rooney Field for football practice. They know they can’t be late.

“It’s a responsibility,” said Coach John Rosato, director of football operations. “We need them.”

From 3 to 6 p.m., the Three Muske-teers lug bags of equipment for different drills, man the down-marker sticks, tidy the field and chase footballs after field goal kicks. Each has his job, knows it and does it.

“They’re not going to slack on me,” Rosato said. “I promised their parents I’d treat them like my own kids—nothing special.”

These no-nonsense words are no sur-prise coming from a square-jawed wall of muscle with 30-some years of football turf under his cleats. But as he tells tales of fishing out managers who tangled with a soccer net, a huge smile takes over, revealing an ex-seminarian with a joyful past of working with special needs children.

About four years ago, Rosato and Head Coach Jerry Schmitt learned that some St. Anthony students wanted to join the team.

“Coach Schmitt and I are strong Catholics, and when this opportunity came up, we jumped on it,” Rosato said.

The Duquesne University mission is “to serve God by serving students;” its goal is to work with the marginalized and underserved. The coaches applied the mission statement to St. Anthony students. Rosato interviewed the students, just as he would any other po-tential candidates; trained the managers, just as any supervisor would; and now, counts on each to do his job correctly and safely, just as any employer does.

Lessons have been internalized. “You need to keep your head up and focus,” David explained. “You keep your eyes on the ball, on where you need to be, where the players need you to be.”

Lessons have paid off. The St. An-thony student-managers, just like the football players, have earned respect, learned purposefulness—and, for each of the previous four years, acquired gleam-ing championship rings.

This ultimate team-building exercise, as embodied by the St. Anthony post-secondary program, helps special needs

students to contribute to society and to achieve as much independence as possible, said Gary Eiseman, program director. Duquesne serves as the sole col-legiate location for St. Anthony students in the Pittsburgh diocese, developing life and job skills in 18- to 21-year-olds from Allegheny, Washington and Westmore-land counties. In this program, the only one of its kind in the nation, students maneuver bus schedules on their own, learn what on-the-job behavior is accept-able and practice interactions with oth-ers. St. Anthony students work at more than 20 job sites on and off campus, some under the tutelage of Duquesne students, to gain experience in house-keeping, food service, mailroom, office

and early childhood settings. New this year is training in a Squirrel Hill apart-ment where students learn to hone cook-ing, laundry and housekeeping skills.

Riding the bus alone, cashing that first pay check and paying taxes were milestones for Kristin Wagoner, a 2007 graduate of the St. Anthony program who now has her dream job in a day care center, said her mother, Rosie Wagoner of Highland Park. Duquesne students, she said, were part of the team contrib-uting to her daughter’s success.

“Students provided job coaching services, but they went over and beyond.

Kristin was invited to their rooms some-times to do things; they accompanied her to her job sites, gave encouragement and helped to structure what she was doing there. They kept in touch, even to this point,” said Wagoner.

The St. Anthony program is rich in work-readiness skills, agreed Cindy Bechtold of Wexford. Her son, David, graduated from the program in May and is living in a Squirrel Hill apartment on his own, working in a grocery store and inviting his two brothers and sister for a home-cooked dinner and Wii games.

“My children have a fully independent sibling who they can interact with on the same level,” Bechtold said. “From the spiritual point of view, David’s life has

meaning, like everyone else’s.”Although Rod Dobish, Duquesne’s

director of facilities management, was one of those to jump-start the program at Duquesne 13 years ago with three students, he was surprised at its impact across the campus. “You sit here and go through your day-to-day work, and you think you have problems—and you see these kids. They struggle every day,” Dobish said. “It helped us internally.”

Ed Bayer, University materials manager, also sees the positives the St. Anthony’s students bring as they work in the central receiving department. “They deliver express packages, from the president’s office to every imaginable department on campus,” Bayer said. “They do a great job; everybody gets a little pick-me up in the middle of the day from them.”

Overall, the St. Anthony program cre-ates the feeling of being part of some-thing bigger than yourself—of being part of a team.

“We need to stay together as a team, as a family of brothers here,” said David, peering at a threatening sky during an October football practice. “We don’t get wet—or we get soaking wet—as a team.”

The Three Musketeers walked through the player lines during warm-ups and added extra encouragement to stretches. They took their positions for field goal practice. David and Jason stood on either side of the goal post. Chris waited on a raised level behind netting. The ball split the uprights and sputtered in the netting.

“I’ll get it,” Chris yelled to his team-mates, shaking the net to free the ball.

Just like the kick, it’s good.

The Three Musketeers, from left, David Woltz, Jason Borza and Chris McGough, share in the victories and challenges of Duquesne football as team managers. Woltz and McGough, returning managers, show off last year’s championship rings.

St. Anthony Program at Duquesne: Teamwork All the Way

At left, Chris McGough shows his speed as he runs from the field, recovering the tee after kickoff. Bottom left, David Woltz keeps the pads organizes while Jason Borza, bottom right, makes sure the sticks are put away.


By Karen Ferrick-RomanThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded a $1.19 million

contract to the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education (NIPTE), a consortium of 11 leading pharmaceutical engineering universities, to develop guidance on process design, scale-up and validation for drug manufacturers.

Duquesne’s Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences is one of the consortium members participating in this first major FDA-funded NIPTE project. The only university in Pennsylvania and the only private school in the nation to join NIPTE, Duquesne has been a member of the group since its founding in 2005. Known for its expertise in developing and implementing technology that improves safety, quality and efficacy throughout the industry, the graduate school will receive about $165,000 of the funding to apply Quality by Design (QbD) techniques to the opti-mization of pharmaceutical drying processes with consideration for product stability.

“By tapping into the knowledge of drug manufacturing here at Duquesne and at our partner institutions, we hope to advance and standardize the processes used around the globe in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Dr. James K. Drennen, as-sociate dean for research and graduate programs and co-principal investigator for the project.

The DU team also includes Drs. Carl A. Anderson, Ira Buckner and Peter Wild-fong. Additionally, Anderson and Drennen will facilitate a formal risk assessment for the entire NIPTE team in preparation for the project.

Graduate Pharmacy School Contributes To Improving Processing, Quality of Drugs

QbD will ultimately enhance quality control and improve manufacturing efficien-cy, said Dr. Prabir Basu, executive director of NIPTE. “This brings a greater degree of science into the drug manufacturing process, bringing in more front-end quality and reducing dependence on back-end inspections,” he said.

The research, which involves a specific drug product, is expected to continue through September 2010. Potentially, the process will serve as the basis for formulat-ing best practices and creating science-based guidance documents that the FDA can use to evaluate new and generic drug applications. By strengthening science-based technology through the QbD initiative, the FDA will continue to improve its regula-tion of new medical products by using the best management approaches, informa-tion technology, quality systems and review processes.

The results are expected to impact both consumers and drug makers by strength-ening safety and improving processes across the industry.

An independent, non-profit organization, NIPTE was created specifically to work with the FDA and industry to enhance the way pharmaceutical products are being developed and manufactured by increasing the quality and education of best prac-tices used. NIPTE’s 11 member universities include Duquesne, Illinois Institute of Technology, Purdue University, Rutgers University, University of Puerto Rico, University of Connecticut, University of Iowa, University of Kansas, University of Kentucky, University of Maryland-Baltimore, and the University of Minnesota.

By Emily GoossenDuquesne University’s National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Center

for Teacher Excellence, housed under the School of Education, has served more than 200 teachers or state-licensed school counselors since its inception in October 2006. The center, one of only four in the state, helps candidates to become better teachers through National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification mentoring and support.

The National Board is considered the profession’s gold standard for teaching excel-lence. Improving the quality of classroom instruction is one of the most effective ways to improve student achievement, which is why this initiative’s goal is to increase the number of Pennsylvania’s board-certified teachers by as much as 200 percent.

“Our center has the privilege of dealing with teachers who care. These people are here because they want to be the best teachers possible,” said Dr. Joe Maola, director of grant funding for the center and professor of education.

The center’s 10-plus staffers mentor teachers seeking pre-candidacy training and candidacy mentoring either one-on-one, online or through small groups.

David Taylor, a candidate whose certification application is currently pending, has taught at the middle and high school levels, as well as at a local university. He pur-sued certification partly because of the challenge, and partly because he was told by a past participant that the program is the best individualized professional development opportunity available.

The National Board estimates that it takes approximately 200 to 400 hours to achieve certification and can take one to three years. Candidate preparation and sup-port is provided at no cost to the teacher. The life of the certificate is 10 years.

Taylor acknowledges that the program is rigorous and adds, “I cannot say enough about how important the candidate support was, both in helping complete the pro-cess and for emotional support when needed.”

The National Board offers 24 certificate areas that cover 15 subject areas and are classified into seven student age categories. Candidates can opt for a generalist certifi-cate or one that is subject-specific.

According to the National Board, Pennsylvania ranked 25th in the country in the numbers of new National Board Certified Teachers and ranks 25th in the total num-ber of teachers who achieved certification since the program was established in 1987. Specifically, Pennsylvania shows a 40 percent increase in the number of teachers who achieved certification in 2007 over 2006.

In 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Education awarded $297,000 to the Center for Teacher Excellence, which will allow the center to continue mentoring teachers and counselor seeking certification through March 2009.

For more information on the program, contact Maola at [email protected] or call 412.396.6099.

School of Education’s Center for Teaching Excellence Mentors Candidates for Certification

By Alison ConteDid you ever downloaded a fun com-

puter game—say decorating a Christmas wreath—that then wreaked havoc on your computer system? Preventing these kinds of toxic applications is a new initiative at Duquesne’s computing and technology services (CTS) department.

Don Maue, director of Computing Support Services, told business manag-ers at their October meeting how CTS is taking steps to stop viruses, spam and toxic applications.

These downloads have malicious coding that can take over computer systems, hurting productivity and destroying data. Employees may install them unknowingly as they appear to be

Business Managers Focus on Computer Safety innocent fun. But once installed, these toxic programs use computers as servers to facilitate illegal file sharing like music and movies.

Maue suggested that employees never download applications that are not work related.

He also described a new spam defense tool, Barracuda, that has been installed on our systems to help combat the 1 million unwanted spam messages that are delivered each month to duq.edu e-mail addresses. Employees will see e-mail messages from Barracuda as it learns what each of us considers spam.

In addition, CTS staff will be mov-ing 4,000 computers from the “staff ” domain to the “Duquesne” domain

before Aug. 1, 2009. Generic computer logins that are not tied to a specific person—such as “Student Aide”—will be eliminated. Department e-mails, such as [email protected] will not be affected. This will help to increase the security of desktop computers.

In other news:•JamesRitchie,directorofinstitu-

tional research and planning, presented an analysis of the Fall census count and the 2008 enrollment. You can find all the details in the new 2008 Fact Book, which is on the institutional research Web site, www.irp.duq.edu.

•RussellGrunebach,universitycontroller, reported that the Deloitte auditors prepared a “clean” report for

Duquesne in the fiscal 2008 audit that ended June 30, 2008. Though we have been affected by economic conditions, the University remains very able to rein-vest in our campus and stay conservative in our investments.

•CynthiaVinarski,directorofsup-port services, reported on the transition to the new procurement card system (P-Cards). Though taking longer than expected, the first 46 card holders in the Division of Management and Business are switching to the new system this Fall.

All current P-Cards will remain opera-tional. They will be renewed if they ex-pire. New cards haven’t been distributed. Support Services is changing the expense report process to be more efficient.


By Kelsey SobeckiFrom acid mine demonstrations and physics to overnight wildlife counts,

Duquesne University science faculty have been working with the community collect-ing data, sharing their passions and raising awareness of the sciences.

Duquesne faculty from various areas of the Bayer School of Natural and Environ-mental Sciences recently participated in SciTech, a weeklong event at the Carnegie Science Center inviting high school teachers and their students for presentations and participation in demonstrations. For example, Dr. Simonetta Frittelli, a associate professor and chair of the physics department, intended to “raise awareness of the relevance of physics in everyday life” with her demonstrations using common house-hold items like safety pins and batteries to create working electronic devices such as loudspeakers and basic motors.

Ed Schroth, an adjunct professor in the Center for Environmental Research and Education, presented a demonstration about acid mine drainage. In addition to participating in the event, Schroth also is contributing to an Allegheny Land Trust’s project at Wingfield Pines in Upper Saint Clair. The grant-funded project will allow two large areas of acid main drainage near Chartiers Creek to mitigate the drainage via “self-cleaning” wetlands, a five-stage project that will become an educational tool as well. Stipulations of the grant require that water quality be checked before, during and after construction. That’s where Schroth and his student crew—science as well as law students—step in.

“We’re serving a function, collecting data and meeting needs, fulfilling the requirement of the state Department of Environmental Protection,” Schroth said.

Scientists Share Skills with Communities“Students need to get muddy a bit in the wetlands to get a better understanding.”

Interest in this project also has drawn national attention; graduate students from the University of Michigan, who have submitted a proposal for the long-term resto-ration and management of Wingfield Pines, will work alongside Schroth.

Associate Professor of Biology Kyle Selcer stepped into the wilds overnight, coordi-nating a BioBlitz to involve scientists, volunteers and community members identify-ing as many living organisms as possible.

The September event was held in Murrysville’s Duff Park over a 24-hour period to observe organisms that are found at different times of the day and night. While the BioBlitz gathered valuable information about biological diversity in Duff Park, it also highlighted the park’s features. “The BioBlitz brought attention to Duff Park as a natural resource that needs to be protected and enjoyed,” Selcer said. “In-formation gathered could reveal organisms that are rare or unique, and could help focus attention on potential problems or opportunities for preserving biodiversity in the park.”

Participation in such community projects is important, said Dean David Seybert, because Duquesne scientists and students not only reach out to the community, but gain exposure for the University.

“Our faculty members and students, both graduates and undergraduates, have contributed to community efforts to better understand the sciences and their impact on daily lives,” Seybert said. “This practical field work is not only a way for Duquesne to give back to the community, but a means for students and faculty to know, first-hand, the scientific issues and challenges facing our region.”

By Richard Tourtellott

Workers rights has been an important issue for the Catholic

Church for more than a century, and Duquesne University has

shared that concern from its founding.

A Nov. 19 presentation, Living Wages in a Time of Economic Uncertainty, by Dr. Stephanie Luce, a nationally recognized expert on the living wage issue, affirmed that the Spiritan founders’ commitment to improving the lives of the marginalized and oppressed remains a vital issue for members of the University community.

The Office of the Provost and the University Social Justice Committee hosted Lu-ce’s visit. Her presentation and the following question-and-answer session dealt with topics ranging from the current financial crisis and the history of the living wage movement to public perceptions and the policy issues facing living wage advocates.

Luce is a research associate at the Political Economy Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a distinguished lecturer at The Joseph S. Murphy Center for Worker Education of the City University of New York. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and books on the subject of the living wage, including Fighting for a Living Wage, published by Cornell University Press in 2004.

The living wage issue is considered by activists to be a fundamental human rights problem. It is also a concern for economists and policy experts and important for persons interested in ethics and Catholic social thought as well, said committee member Dr. James Bailey, assistant professor of theology.

The Catholic Church has written extensively and consistently on the morality of providing workers with a living wage, Bailey explained, starting with the 1891 papal encyclical Rerum Novarum and continuing to the present. In the tradition of Catho-lic social thought, a just wage is not a bare minimum but, rather, the wage necessary to provide a comfortable life for oneself and one’s family.

As Pope Leo XIII put it in Rerum Novarum, “remuneration must be enough to support the wage earner in reasonable and frugal comfort.” From that point for-ward, support of a living wage and related issues became commonplace in Catholic teachings, Bailey said. In 1919, for example, U.S. Catholic bishops provided a robust defense of a living wage, which they said was a wage sufficient to provide for the present and future needs of one’s family.

In our own era, Pope John Paul II argued that a criterion by which socio-economic systems ought to be evaluated morally is the just compensation of workers, Bailey explained, defining the latter as wages that “will suffice for establishing and properly maintaining a family and providing for security for its future.”

According to Pope John Paul, socio-economic systems that fail to do this cannot be said to be just.

For more information about the work of the University Social Justice Committee, contact Bailey at 412.396.4087.

To hear President Charles J. Dougherty’s interview with Luce, tune into WDUQ-FM at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25.

Living Wage Expert Speaks at Duquesne

In the

In the Spotlight focuses on the variety of centers and clinics operating from campus and shares information about their accomplishments in the University community and beyond.

What: The Center for Biotechnology brings together the various scientific disciplines to stimulate applied research, promote interdisciplinary education and translate basic science into technology that can be applied to products or entrepre-neurial efforts. It pursues grant funding, collaborates on research programs, offers seminars and was instrumental in the development and approval of a Master of Science in Biotechnology. This degree spans biology, chemistry and business, and offered through the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Housed within the Office of Research, the center also has been active in supporting educa-tion and presentations in scientific, medical and business ethics.

Director/Faculty: Dr. Alan W. Seadler, director, associate academic vice presi-dent for research and Edward V. Fritzky Chair in Biotechnology Leadership, and faculty representing the Bayer, Mylan and Rangos Schools.

Services: The mission of the center is to enhance the innovative development and application of biotech-nology through collaborative research, education and a commitment to translational science and commercializa-tion. Founded by faculty of the School of Health Sci-ences, the Bayer School and the School of Pharmacy, the center is expanding its vi-sion to promote the promise of biotechnology along with the ethical and social issues integral to this rapidly evolving field across the University while helping to train the next generation of multidisciplinary practitioners.

Faculty engaged in the center utilize cutting-edge, interdisciplinary methods to develop new technologies that impact all areas of human health and welfare.

Notable/Quotable: The infrastructure in the Bayer and Mylan Schools support-ing the Center for Biotechnology include more than 15,000 square feet of modern research laboratories equipped with state-of-the art instrumentation. Among the facilities relevant to the center are high-tech laboratories and cell culture facilities for molecular and cellular components that provide all necessary equipment for culture and analysis of anaerobes, biochemical and molecular techniques, such as anaerobic chambers, thermocyclers, super-speed- and ultracentrifuges, ultra low freezers, DNA analyzers, spectrophotometers and electrophoresis units.

Contact Information: Dr. Alan W. Seadler, Room 421 Health Sciences Build-ing, 412.396.1568, [email protected] or visit www.science.duq.edu/biotech/.

The Center for Biotechnology

SpotlightSpotlight

Dr. Alan W. Seadler


By Karen Ferrick-RomanThe Pittsburgh Penguins and the Duquesne University Sports Marketing Associa-

tion have developed a cooperative apprenticeship program that provides management training for sports marketing students. This ongoing partnership offers each student the opportunity to develop skill sets in different facets of the sports industry includ-ing customer service, sales, marketing and special events.

The partnership was developed by Penguins Senior Vice President of Sales Dave Soltesz and Vice President of Marketing James Santilli in conjunction with Duquesne University’s Adjunct Professor and Associate Athletic Director Robert Derda.

The program is designed to give senior sports marketing students real-life experi-ences in producing successful sporting events. Participating students will help man-age fan experiences at every Penguins home game during the 2008-09 season under the supervision of a Penguins’ full-time staff member. Using skills taught in their dis-cipline of study including marketing, event planning, promotions and sales, students will work with the Penguins to ensure that all fans have “A Great Day for Hockey.”

“It is a great opportunity for Duquesne students to participate in real-life mana-gerial situations in a game-day environment,” said Steve Greenberg, Executive in Residence-Sports Marketing and associate director of the Master of Science in Sports Leadership program at Duquesne. “With 40 home games, it will provide a signifi-cant number of students the opportunity to develop their skill set to prepare them to work in the business of sports.”

The Duquesne University Sports Marketing Association is a student group com-posed of sports marketing majors in the Palumbo Donohue School of Business at Duquesne. This major provides an understanding of the role of marketing in sports and develops skills needed in strategic marketing, sales management product devel-opment and marketing research.

By Rose RavasioThose from the Duquesne com-

munity who attended the 23rd annual Columbus Day Parade in Bloomfield last month, may have seen a familiar face pass in the motorcade. Dr. Carla Lucente, professor of modern lan-guages and director of the Center for International Relations at Duquesne, had the honor of serving as grand marshal at the parade.

Lucente, who has been the Italian honorary consul for Pittsburgh since 1999, is the first sole woman to be cho-sen as grand marshal for this parade.

“A few weeks before the parade, I got a phone call to inform me that the Pittsburgh Columbus Day Parade Committee had unanimously voted me to be the first individual female

Grand Marshal,” said Lucente. “I was surprised, happy and honored to have been chosen.”

A group of six women served as Grand Marshal for the parade dur-ing the 1990s, but Lucente is the first woman to go solo in the job.

Organized by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, the Columbus Day Parade followed a route from Baum Boulevard and Liberty Avenue and to the Bloomfield Bridge.

“The parade was wonderful. People came from around the tri-state area and even from as far as San Antonio, Texas, to see me as the Grand Mar-shal,” said Lucente. “The weather was beautiful. I had a wonderful time, and I also enjoyed riding in a new Lambo-rghini in the parade!”

Lucente Leads Parade

Penguins, Sports Marketing Association Form Partnership

By Rose RavasioRecent visitors to second floor of Duquesne

Union may have noticed the addition of a new crucifix and two new crosses. They include an ebony crucifix from Africa, a sacred heart cross from Haiti and a southwest Cursillo cross.

Purchased through the generosity of the Office of the President, these international crosses were selected as signs of faith from dif-ferent cultures, reflecting the Spiritan mission reaching out around the world.

The African crucifix features Christ on the cross and emphasizes his sacrifice and his death by crucifixion. The sacred heart cross from Haiti is made from an oil drum. In Haiti, it is traditional art to convert oil drums into wall sculptures. The Southwest Curillo cross is designed to celebrate God’s love for variety, with its many colors rep-resenting the many spiritual gifts.

Signs of Faith Now Visible in the Union

Hatian cross near Health Service area

African cross in PNC Atrium Curillo cross in lounge area

Pittsburgh’s Columbus Day Parade Chairman Guy Costa with Dr. Carla Lucente, who served as the parade’s grand marshal.

The Facilities Management’s United Way dunk tank and bake sale raised about $500 through activities on Academic Walk on Oct. 20. One of the biggest draws was the ever-popular dunk tank, which rewards good aim and arm strength with a soaked volunteer, left, Rod Dobish.


By Rose RavasioAs the new director of Duquesne’s Writ-

ing Center, Dr. James P. Purdy has been working hard to achieve one of his biggest goals: increasing awareness and accessibil-ity of the center as a valuable resource for both students and faculty.

Purdy, who also is a new assistant profes-sor of English in the McAnulty College, previously served as the Writing Center director at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.

“Writing Centers at colleges are becom-ing more common as it is becoming more recognized what a crucial role writing plays across a university curriculum, not just for students taking an English writing course,” said Purdy, whose research and teaching interests include digital writing, composi-

New English Professor to Head Writing Centertion theory and new media technologies, especially digital archives and plagiarism detec-tion technologies. “A Writing Center is very important because it provides the oppor-tunity to shape how students are instructed in writing and helps faculty to better instruct students in their writing.”

The Center for Teaching Excellence regularly collabo-rates with the Writing Center and encourages both faculty and teaching assistants to utilize its valuable resources.

“I’m delighted that Duquesne has hired Dr. Purdy to direct the Writing Center, and I look forward to his collaborating with the Center for Teaching Excellence

in helping faculty know how to teach writing across the curriculum,” said Dr. Laurel Willingham-McLain, director of the center. “Learning to write well is a complicated task—one that requires the attention of each faculty member. And now faculty have a colleague with exper-tise in teaching writing with whom they can consult.”

In addition, Purdy’s goals for the center include using new technolo-gies to teach writing in productive ways, allowing students to develop texts in a variety of media and updating the center’s Web site, in particular, the site’s faculty component.

The Writing Center is staffed by Purdy, a Pittsburgh native who holds a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Cham-paign, along with approximately 20 trained Duquesne graduate and undergraduate stu-dents. It offers free, one-on-one consulting sessions, and consultants work with writing from all disciplines and at all states of the writing process, from outlines and notes to drafts and revisions. “The center does not serve as a proof-reading service,” Purdy pointed out. “We offer a teaching service.”

The Writing Center is located in Room 216 College Hall and has satellite locations in the Gumberg Library and the Union Commuter Center. Call 412.396.5209 for more information.

On Nov. 12, Tracey McCants Lewis,

assistant director of clinical education

in the School of Law, moderated a

panel of minority judges discussing

their legal careers and journeys to the

bench, giving insight to others who

may be interested in pursuing a judicial

career. The event, sponsored by the

Allegheny County Bar Association,

was held in the City-County Building.

Dr. Kent Moors, Department of State

external oil advisor and professor in

the Graduate Center for Social and

Public Policy at Duquesne, met on Oct.

29 in Washington, D.C., with Masoud

Barzani, president of the Kurdish Pro-

visional Government (KPG, northern

Iraq) and Ashti Hawrami, KPG Minister

of Natural Resources. The meeting

discussed revisions in the Kurdish

Oil Law and its integration into Iraqi

legislation. Moors will make recom-

mendations to both the KRG and the

state department’s Iraq Reconstruc-

tion Task Force following completion

of the advisory process.

Dr. James P. Purdy

Spir i tanDiscovery

Duquesne began as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost, a preparatory school for the city’s orphans and immigrants, in 1878.

Dr. Helen C. Sobehart, former Duquesne University associ-ate provost and associate academic vice president, was recently installed as the first lay president in the history of Cardinal Stritch University, the nation’s largert Franciscan institution.

The university hosted nine days of festivities in conjunc-tion with Sobehart’s inauguration, which began Oct. 3, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, with the blessing and sending of the Franciscan pilgrims and ended with Sobehart’s installation ceremony and inaugural dinner on Oct. 11.

Duquesne University Provost and Academic Vice President Ralph L. Pearson delivered remarks about Sobehart at the in-stallation. Following his speech, Pearson gave the “Call to the Office of President,” and participated in the investiture part of

Sobehart Inaugurated at Cardinal Stritch

Duquesne Provost Ralph Pearson, left, participated in the installation ceremony of Dr. Helen Sobehart, former

associate provost and associate academic vice president at Duquesne, as president of Cardinal Stritch University.

the ceremony, during which Sobehart was presented with the presidential medallion of office. Pearson presented her with school’s ceremonial mace.

“It was very exciting to be a part of Dr. Sobehart’s installation,” said Pearson.Additional representatives from Duquesne University who were invited to attend Sobehart’s installation included Dr. Ma. Christinia A. Astorga, director of the Center for the Study of Catholic Social Thought; Dr. Dorothy E. Bassett, dean of the School of Leadership and Professional Advancement; Lina Dostilio, director of the Office of Service-Learning;

Ken Gormley, professor of law and associate vice president for interdisciplinary scholarship and special projects; Dr. Alexandra Gregory, associate provost and associate academic vice president; Kimberly Hoeritz, University registrar; Karen Krzywicki, as-sistant to the department head, Center for Teaching Excellence; Ruth Newberry, director of educational technology, Computing and Technology Services; Dr. Alan W. Seadler, the Edward V. Fritzky Chair in Biotechnology Leadership and director of the Center for Biotechnology; Melanie Simile, assistant to the as-sociate academic vice president; Dr. Laurel Willingham-McLain, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence; and Dr. Eileen Zungolo, professor and dean of the School of Nursing.

The Mary Pappert School of Music and Campus Ministry are joining forces again this year to present O Come All Ye Faithful, the annual concert that celebrates the season of Advent through music and sacred readings chosen to prepare the hearts of the faithful for the Christmas season.

The concert takes place on Sunday, Dec. 7., at 3 p.m. in St. Paul Cathedral at 108 N. Dithridge Street in Oakland. The event is free and open to the public.

More than 100 performers from the

Concert Welcomes Advent Season Mary Pappert School of Music, includ-ing vocalists in the Voices of Spirit and the Pappert Men’s Chorale and Pappert Women’s Chorale, a brass ensemble and other musicians will take part.

Christine Jordanoff, director of choral organizations and professor of music education in the Mary Pappert School of Music, serves as artistic director for the concert. The Rev. Ray French, C.S.Sp., University chaplain and director of Spiritan Campus Ministry, Stephen Steinbeiser, the liturgy director for cam-

pus ministry, and Edward Kocher, dean of the School of Music, are helping to organize the event.

Advent is the traditional time for spiritual preparation in anticipation of the birth of the Savior, and the program of O Come All Ye Faithful is an amalgam of musical styles and compositions.

This year’s presentation of O Come All Ye Faithful marks the fourth perfor-mance of the concert in St. Paul Cathe-dral. For more information, visit www.music.duq.edu or call 412.396.6083.


Going Green

Facilities Management not only manages Duquesne University’s “green campus” efforts, but also leads the charge. This feature will highlight the University’s efforts to conserve, preserve and protect resources and promote environmentally sound practices across campus.

The second floor of the Duquesne Union was recently upgraded with substantial aesthetic and functional enhancements. The renovation project used an environmentally responsible waste management plan that diverted more than 75 percent of the construc-tion, demolition and packaging debris from landfills to a specialized facility that separates and recycles the various materials.

Besides helping the environment, this type of waste management strat-egy is required to obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for both new constructions and renovations. The Duquesne Union project is currently being evaluated to obtain LEED certification.

Environmentally Conscious Campus

Dr. Jennifer Aitken, project coordinator and assistant professor of chemistry at Duquesne, left, poses with Tabitha Riggio, chair of the Pittsburgh Project SEED Committee, holding the national trophy, and Dr. Michael Leonard, assistant professor in the chemistry department at Washington & Jefferson College.

By Karen Ferrick-RomanThe American Chemical Society Pitts-

burgh Section Project SEED Commit-tee, which includes a summer chemistry program at Duquesne University that involves high-achieving, low-income high school students in hands-on re-search projects, has received the national ChemLuminary Award for the Most Outstanding Project SEED Program in 2007.

The winning Pittsburgh team was chosen as the winning program in the local Project SEED category, with win-ners announced at the August national American Chemical Society meeting. The committee’s work involves summer chemistry programs at Duquesne and Washington & Jefferson (W&J) College.

“Highlighting this accomplishment not only brings recognition to Duquesne University, but also serves to publicize the Project SEED program so that more people may get involved,” said Dr. Jennifer Aitken, project coordinator and assistant professor of chemistry at Duquesne.

Aitken played a key role in initiating the local program in 2003, along with Dr. Michael Leonard, assistant professor in the chemistry department at W&J.

This was the first time the local com-mittee was nominated, Aitken said. Receiving this recognition this year was particularly meaningful, she said,

Project SEED Wins National Award For High School Chemistry Program

because this national meeting observed the 40th anniversary of the creation of Project SEED.

“The award will help to bring atten-tion to the program and show current and potential donors what we’re do-ing, and show high schools how to get involved,” Aitken added, explaining that besides involving the colleges and the American Chemical Society, Project SEED has the backing of many compa-

nies, organizations and individuals. In Pittsburgh, Aitken, Leonard and

Tabitha Riggio, chair of the Pittsburgh Project SEED Committee, have created a flourishing Project SEED program with successful alumni who have gone on to college studies. The program’s objective is to encourage economically disadvantaged students to pursue their interest in chemical sciences and expand their education and career outlook.

The positive impact of the program is palpable, Aitken said. “When I called one girl to let her know she was selected for the program, she just screamed like she won the lottery. This is a life-chang-ing opportunity for them,” explained Aitken.

Over the past four years, 15 students have been hosted at Duquesne and three at W&J. Of the total 18 students, five participated in the program for a second year. Of the total over the four years, 67 percent were minority students and 67 percent were female, two groups that traditionally have been underrepresented in the chemical sciences.

Three of the students from the Duquesne program have won Bader Project SEED College Scholarships, which provide $5,000 to each student majoring in a chemical science during the first year of college.

After completing their summer re-search, students have presented posters at the national American Chemical Society meetings; two of the past summer’s students have become authors of papers that are either published or pending publication in scientific journals.

Applications for the 2009 summer program will be available in January, and the selection process will begin in March.

To obtain an application, contact Aitken at [email protected].

By Carolina Pais-Barreto BeyersDuquesne University’s

Red Ring Restaurant is preparing for the holiday season with an array of special events including the release party of the Mary Pappert School of Music holiday CD at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5.

Contributing perform-ers will be at The Red Ring following a 4:30 p.m. CD signing opportunity at the Barnes & Noble bookstore. The CD release event also will feature performances by the music school’s faculty guitar ensemble, Catch 22 (Ken Karsh, Jeff Mangone, Mark Koch, Bill Purse, Billy Kuhn, George Jones) and other distinguished musicians includ-ing Guenko Guechev, Maureen Budway, Lynn Purse, Joe Negri and Tom Kikta.

The Red Ring restaurant con-tinues to offer special-priced ap-petizers and drinks during Monday

The Red Ring Hosts CD PartyNight Football and NFL Sundays. The restaurant’s events calendar includes special discounts during ladies’ night, happy hour, tourney night, open mic and more. Stu-dent Jazz Jam Sessions are often part of The Red Ring’s enter-tainment options.

The restaurant’s menu fea-tures unique American cuisine, a wide variety of appetizers, entrées, light fare and fusion specialties in a contemporary setting where the Duquesne community can socialize at lunch and in the evenings. Its hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. All events are free.

For more information about The Red Ring restaurant, including the calendar of events and holiday hours, visit www.theredring.com.


Just-in-Time Support On Oct. 1, Campus Technology.com quoted Jim Ulrich, associate professor in the School of Leadership and Professional Advance-ment at Duquesne University, in an article about the challenge of providing help for online faculty.

Davies Discusses New Bailout Plan An Oct. 1 story on WPXI-TV featured Duquesne Economics Professor Anthony Davies, who was interviewed about the new financial bailout plan.

Brass Band Salutes Rivers, Patriotism TheAlmanac.net announced on Oct. 1 that the River City Brass Band will perform the commissioned work Black and Gold Overture by Pittsburgh composer David Stock, in celebration of Pittsburgh 250. Stock is professor of music and composer in residence at Duquesne University. Similar articles also appeared in The Tribune-Review, Macro World Investor and Calibre Macro World.

BioBlitz: A 24-hour Diversity CheckupAn Oct. 2 article in The Post-Gazette reported that Dr. Kyle W. Selcer, associate professor of biology at Duquesne, had organized a BioBlitz, during which scientists, volunteers and community members joined forces to identify as many living organisms as possible over a 24-hour period at Duff Park in Murrysville. Selcer was also featured in an Oct. 3 Tribune-Review article on the BioBlitz.

Allegheny County Districts Defend Tweaking Ranges for Grades The Tribune-Review quoted Paul-James Cukanna, associate vice president and director of admissions at Duquesne, in an Oct. 2 article about various Allegheny County school districts revising their grading scales and whether it might affect a student’s admission to college. This article also appeared in Calibre Macro World and RedOrbit.com.

Wecht Institute Gets New DirectorThe Post-Gazette reported on Oct. 2 that Duquesne named Dr. Fred Fochtman as its new director of the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law. Fochtman is

DU In The News

founding director of the University’s master’s degree program in forensic science and law.

Newsmaker: John F. Stolz The Tribune-Review featured Dr. John F. Stolz, professor of biological sciences at Duquesne, as a Newsmaker on Oct. 3 in recognition of his receiving a second Duquesne University Presidential Award for Excellence. A similar announcement appeared in the Post-Gazette on Oct. 9.

Bonusgate Hearings Rake Up Political Stink The Oct. 4 Beaver County Times featured an interview with Dr. Lew Irwin, associate professor of political science at Duquesne, for an article on the Bonusgate hearings and its potential impact on Democrats and Republicans.

How You Display an Artwork Makes a Difference Dr. Madeline Archer, professor and director of Duquesne’s art history proram was interviewed for an Oct. 4 article in The Tribune-Review about the importance of framing in presenting artwork. This article also appeared in Macro World Investor.

Market Meltdown Expected To Impact Holiday Shopping An Oct. 6 story on WPXI-TV featured Duquesne marketing professor Dr. Audrey Guskey, who was interviewed about the impact of the financial crisis on this year’s holiday shopping.

Region’s Economic Struggle Mirrors National DoldrumsThe Tribune-Review quoted Dr. Matthew Marlin, economics professor at Duquesne University, in an Oct. 6 article on the impact of the national finance crisis on the Pittsburgh region. The article also appeared on Individual.com, Trading Mark and Calibre Macro.

Clinics Brace for Investor ClaimsOn Oct. 8, The National Law Journal quoted Alice Stewart, clinic director at Duquesne’s law school, in an article about law school clin-ics helping small investors with claims against their brokers as a result of the financial crisis. Similar articles also appeared on Oct. 13 on Law.com and in the ABA Journal.

Gasoline Prices Likely to Sink The Tribune-Review quoted Dr. Kent Moors, political science professor and director of the Energy Policy Research Group at Duquesne, on Oct. 8 in an article about decreasing gas prices. The article also appeared in Calibre Macro and istockAnalyst.com.

Development News $3.6M in LEED Renovation and Plaza Projects Completed On Oct. 8, Pop City Media announced that Duquesne completed several key renovation projects, including in its library and union, and that the University commemorated its 130th anniversary by dedicating a public sculpture.

Monroeville’s Beard Award Winner Recognized as ‘Model of Ethical Behavior’The Tribune-Review featured Sister Mary Frances Grasinger, professor in the School of Education and president of Vincentian Academy-Duquesne University, in an Oct. 8 article about her being selected as the recipi-ent of the 2008 Eugene P. Beard Award for Leadership in Ethics at Duquesne.

Newsmaker: Aleem Gangjee On Oct. 9, The Tribune-Review featured Dr. Aleem Gangjee, professor of medicinal chemistry in the Mylan School of Pharmacy, as a Newsmaker in recognition of his receiv-ing a third Duquesne University Presidential Award for Excellence. This article also ap-peared in Macro World Investor, and a similar announcement appeared on Oct. 23 in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Bankruptcy Filings Jump 7 Percent Law Professor Mark Yochum was quoted in an Oct. 9 article in The Tribune-Review about the poor economy’s impact on bankruptcy filings in 2008. This article also appeared in TMC.net and Calbre Macro.

Accounting for Change Bob Kollar, director of the Master of Accountancy and Taxation program was quoted in The Pittsburgh Business Times on Oct. 10 in an article about the expected curriculum overhaul for colleges that prepare new certified public accountants due to the switch to International Financial Reporting Standards.

Duquesne Extends President’s ContractAn Oct. 11 The Post-Gazette article announced that Duquesne University’s board of directors unanimously agreed to extend the contract of President Charles J. Dougherty through 2016, noting the school’s improved rankings, a more selective admissions process, high freshman enrollments and strong retention rates under Dougherty’s leadership. Similar announcements appeared on Scout.com, Pennlive.com, Phillyburbs.com, WTAE-TV, KDKA-TV and in the Tribune-Review and the Altoona Mirror.

Duquesne Entering Public Phase Of Fund-Raising DriveDuquesne President Charles J. Dougherty was interviewed in an Oct. 11 article in The Post-Gazette about the University announcing the public phase of its Advancing Our Legacy campaign to raise $150 million for campus endeavors, including $50 million to create need-based scholarships. Similar articles also appeared in The Tribune-Review and iStockAnalyst.com.

Money’s Tight, But Upscale Looks All Right at Ross Park Mall The Tribune-Review quoted Marketing Professor Audrey Guskey on Oct. 11, in an article about Nordstrom’s and other upscale retail stores opening at Ross Park Mall during the financial crisis. The article also appeared in TMC.net.

Newsmaker: Moji Christianah Adeyeye On Oct. 12,The Tribune-Review featured Dr. Moji Christianah Adeyeye, professor of pharmaceutics in the Mylan School of Pharmacy, as a Newsmaker in recognition of her receiving a Duquesne University Presidential Award for Excellence. The article also appeared in Macro World Inves-tor and Calibre Macro. A similar announce-ment appeared on Oct. 17 in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

An A is an A is an A? Well, Not Exactly The Oct. 13 Valley News Dispatch quoted Paul-James Cukanna, associate vice president for enrollment management and

The mock trial team from Duquesne University’s School of Law won the title of top team in the country at the National Tournament of Champions competition on Nov. 1 at the University of Maryland School of Law. Addition-ally, a second team won the Buffalo-Niagara competition on Nov. 10. A third team also brought home a title from the American Bar Association (ABA) National Labor and Employment Law Regional Championship Nov. 14-16 in Chicago.

Sixteen law schools with the top national rankings in mock trial competi-tion are invited to compete in the annual National Tournament of Champions sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) and LexisNexis. This “Sweet 16” of trial powerhouses includes such law schools as Syracuse, Temple, University of Maryland, South

Texas, Loyola-Los Angeles, Pepperdine, Baylor, St. John’s and North Carolina. They competed for three days before 150-plus judges consisting of members of the trial bench, appellate bench, accomplished trial practitioners, and for-mer state and federal attorneys general.

“Every trial at this competition is like a Super Bowl,” said Law Professor Mi-chael Streib, director of the Trial Advo-cacy Program and a team coach. “There are no easy wins. To be named the best is astounding. I am incredibly proud of our team.”

Team members are Lisa Barnett, Megan Lehman, Brock McCandless and also Linda Obioha, who was awarded Best Advocate at the competition. In addition to Streib, other coaches include Duquesne Law Professor Amelia Michele Joiner and attorneys Michael Gianantonio, Peter Giglione and Michelle Mantine.

Duquesne Mock Trial Teams Win TitlesBy virtue of this win, the Duquesne

University School of Law will host the National Tournament of Champions competition in 2010. The trophy will re-side at Duquesne for the next year, until the next competition in New York City.

A separate mock trial team from Duquesne also won the national Buffalo-Niagara Mock Trial Tournament. The team earned its title by defeating the University of Akron team in the last round of four days of competition with 30 other schools across the country, including Syracuse, Fordham, John Mar-shall, Temple, Emory, Catholic Univer-sity and American University.

Adrienne Sadosky, a law student who works in the Office of University Advancement at Duquesne, was named Best Advocate in the final round and won Best Cross Examination in the preliminary round. Other team members

were Kelly Kaufold, James McGraw and Alicia Nocera.

Coaches, along with Streib, were Join-er, Gianantonio, Giglione and assistant coaches Professor Bruce Antkowiak, J. Richard Narvin and Michael Waltman.

In the ABA competition, 14 teams competed. Duquesne defeated the University of Illinois in the final round of the competition to advance to the na-tional championship, which will be held in Chicago on Jan. 24 and 25. Teams from seven other regions will compete.

“For our team, composed entirely of students who had never competed for the law school before, to prevail in this was a truly remarkable achievement.”

Team members were Megan Arrington, Emily Fullerton, Tara Fertelmes and Mi-chael Watson. In addition to Antkowiak, coaches included Marla Presley and Ann Schiavone and attorney Peter McClenahan.

See DU In The News Page 11


A photo of Dr. Steven B. Vardy, McAnulty Distinguished Professor of History, graced the cover of the spring 2008 issue of Western Pennsylvania History.

Vardy, who is shown posing outside a sign marking “Village of Kossuth,” near Clarion, wrote the magazine’s cover story about the late Hungarian revolutionary Louis Kossuth.

Kossuth, though no longer a household name, cut a dashing figure in the 1850s that drew crowds, lent his name to more than a dozen towns, counties and insti-tutions, and even set the fashion pace, according to Vardy’s article entitled Louis Kossuth: A Celebrated, Disillusioned Hungarian Revolutionary’s visit to Pittsburgh in 1852.

When Kossuth visited the St. Charles Hotel in Pittsburgh, now a Point Park University building, he was given superhero treatment, Vardy writes, “visibly re-vered like an Elvis Presley or John F. Kennedy.”

Vardy Article Reveals Hungarian RevolutionaryNewspapers carried a multitude of flattering articles describing the throngs and

events that surrounded Kossuth during his nine-day visit to the city. Amid this hoopla, he was ably raising money for the Hungarian struggle for independence against the Habsburg dynasty. Unfortunately, Kossuth failed to overcome two obstacles: the extensive cost reception committees charged back to him and the young United State’s noninterventionist policies established by George Washing-ton, according to Vardy.

Though Kossuth left Pittsburgh embittered about the erosion of funds intended to aide Hungary’s liberation, Vardy writes, “he also had many uplifting experiences in Pittsburgh,” where church groups and workers supported his cause.

Besides authoring this article, Vardy and his wife, Dr. Agnes Huszar Vardy, spent the summer in Europe interviewing those who had been prisoners of Soviet forced labor camps, or gulags, 60 years ago.

DU In The News

continued from Page 10DU In The News

executive director of admissions, in an article about how local school administrators are pondering whether all A grades are equal. This article also appeared in Evergreen Investments.

Local Residents Do Their Part To Help Victims in Darfur The Post-Gazette featured an Oct. 13 article about Pittsburgh residents’ efforts to focus international attention on the genocide in Darfur. Many local organizations, including students from Duquesne University, participated in the campaign.

Giant Eagle Online Mall Open for Business The Tribune-Review quoted Marketing Professor Audrey Guskey in an Oct. 14 article about Giant Eagle introducing an online mall where its shoppers can earn fuel discounts through purchases. This article also appeared in PlainVanillaShell.com, Evergreen Investments and Individual.com. In addition, Guskey was featured in an Oct. 21 article about retail surcharges that appeared in the Tribune-Review, Trading Markets.com, Calibre Macro and Macro World.

Gasoline: $3 and Falling In an Oct. 14 article, the Valley News Dispatch quoted Kent Moors, director of the Energy Policy Research Group at Duquesne University, about the steep decline in gasoline prices. Moors was also interviewed by WTAE-TV on Oct. 27 and by WMNY-Radio on Oct. 30 about gas and oil prices.

Choosing a Major More Like Shopping Than Soul-Searching The Post-Gazette featured an article on Oct. 14 on college students picking a major. Bill Klewien, an academic advisor in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, was quoted about students mistakenly thinking that someone else will choose their major for them. A sidebar article featured prominent Duquesne alumni and their majors.

Feds to Pump $125 Billion In America’s Banks KDKA-TV interviewed Donahue Chair Tom Nist on Oct. 14 for a story about the Federal Reserve’s plan to invest billions of dollars into American banks.

NCAA Graduation Rates Hit All-time High The Tribune-Review reported on Oct. 15 that the Duquesne women’s basketball team recorded perfect 100 percent graduation rates.

Trend Toward Retail Clinics Reflects Growing Need The Times Express quoted Dr. Hilde Berdine, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Duquesne, in an Oct. 16 article on the practice of pharmacy transitioning from a dispensing profession to one that is more patient-centered consultation.

For Nordstrom Launch, Business as Usual—Sort Of The Wall Street Journal featured an Oct. 25 article about the economy and the opening of a new Nordstrom store in Pittsburgh. Duquesne Marketing Professor Audrey Guskey was interviewed and shared her thoughts that the Nordstrom store will be successful, despite her expectations that overall holiday sales will be flat or slightly lower than last year. How to Keep Election Hype in Check Dr. Calvin Troup, professor of communication and rhetorical studies, was quoted in an Oct. 28 article in The Tribune-Review about whether or not it’s appropriate to talk about politics in the workplace.

FDA Awards NIPTE $1.19 Million Contract to Develop Quality by Design (QbD) Guidance Elements An Oct. 29 announcement that Duquesne was among 11 member universities to receive

a government contract for improving drug manufacturing through the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education appeared in dozens of media outlets, including Pharmaceutical Technology Magazine, www.cnbc.com, www.wallstreet-online, usatoday.com, www.euroinvestor.co., and biz.yahoo.com.

Six Questions for Kent Moors on Saudi Economic Problems, American Foreign Policy and the Future of Oil The Oct. 29 edition of Harper’s Magazine featured an interview with Kent Moors, director of the Energy Policy Research Group at Duquesne University, about the declining fortunes of major oil producers and their impact on American policy.

Retailers Leak Black Friday Deals Early Duquesne Marketing Professor Audrey Guskey was interviewed by KDKA-TV on Oct. 30 for a story about retailers announcing Black Friday and Cyber Saturday sale price breaks much earlier than in the past in an effort to get more shoppers. In addition, Guskey predicted a decrease in holiday shopping profits in the Oct. 31 Pittsburgh Business Times, an article that also appeared in the Phoenix Business Journal.

An upcoming chamber music recital, The End of Time, scheduled for Monday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. in the PNC Recital Hall, is a unique collaboration between two music school initiatives— Celebration Messiaen and Musique on the Bluff: The French Seasons.

Celebration Messiaen, a four-day conference focusing on the life and work of Olivier Messiaen, the mystical French composer, brings together Messiaen’s former students and foremost interpreters for concerts, master classes and scholarly presentations Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. Musique on the Bluff: The French Seasons, which began its first season this fall, is a two-year concert series of French masterpieces performed by David Allen Wehr, holder of the Jack W. Geltz Distinguished Piano Chair, along with faculty and guest artists.

The End of Time features the monumental Quartet for the End of Time writ-

The End of TimeA Celebration Messiaen and French Seasons Collaboration

ten while the composer was held in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. Saturated with Catholic mysticism and visions of the Apocalypse, this 20th

century masterpiece reveals Mes-siaen’s fascination with birdcalls, complex rhythms and the idea of music as color.

The concert also includes Le Merle Noir (the Blackbird) for flute and piano and Theme and Variations for violin and piano.

Performers include Wehr along with faculty artists Ken Burky, chair of piano; Rachel Stegeman, violin; David Premo, cello; and Ron Samuels, clarinet; and special guest Louise Burky, flute.

The concert will be preceded by a 7:15 p.m. informative talk on Messiaen by Dr. Paul Barte of Ohio State University. Visit www.duq.edu/celebration and www.duq.edu/frenchseasons or call 412.396.6083 for details.


Thursday, Nov. 20The Duquesne University Jazz Ensemble David Liebman, saxophoneMike Tomaro, director 8 p.m./Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild$15 suggested donation

Friday, Nov. 21University ReceptionHosted by the Spiritans4–6 p.m.Duquesne Room, Duquesne Union

Thursday, Nov. 27Thanksgiving Day

Nov. 30 – Dec. 3Celebration MessiaenConcerts/master classes dailywww.duq.edu/celebration

DU Community CalendarNovember & December 2008

Sunday Nov. 30Opening RecitalJon Gillock, organ7 p.m./East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Ave.$10 suggested donation

Monday, Dec. 1Celebration Messiaen/Musique on the Bluff:The End of TimeRachel Stegeman, violinDavid Premo, celloRon Samuels, clarinetDavid Allen Wehr, piano 8 p.m./PNC Recital Hall$10 suggested donation

Tuesday, Dec. 2The Early Works of Olivier MessiaenSusan Ferre, organ8 p.m./Epiphany Roman Catholic Church, 1018 Centre Ave.$10 suggested donation

Wednesday, Dec. 3Closing RecitalDuquesne University Faculty and Students7 p.m./Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave.$10 suggested donation

Wednesday, Dec. 3Duquesne University Electronic Ensemble Lynn Purse and Ken Karsh, directors 8 p.m./PNC Recital Hall$10 Suggested donation

Thursday, Dec. 4Light-Up Night4:30 p.m./Ballroom5:00 p.m./Lighting of decorations

The Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble David Stock, conductor 8 p.m./PNC Recital Hall$10 suggested donation

Saturday, Dec. 6Duquesne University Wind Sym-phony Chamber Music Concert Robert C. Cameron, conductor8 p.m./PNC Recital Hall $10 suggested donation

Sunday, Dec. 7O Come All Ye FaithfulVoice of Spirit, Pappert Women’s Chorale and Pappert Men’s ChoraleChristine Jordanoff, conductor3 p.m./St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland Free admission

Duquesne University Classic Guitar EnsembleMichael Chapman, director8 p.m./PNC Recital HallFree admission

Tuesday, Dec. 9Concerto Competition ConcertSidney Harth, music director 8 p.m./Ballroom, Power Center $10 suggested donation

Calendar Notice: Please submit information for the Dec./Jan. DU Community Calendar by 3 p.m. Fri., Dec. 5. Please include event title, name and title of speaker(s), date, time(s) and location(s). Send information to [email protected].

Views of Homecoming 2008The snap of autumn is in the air, crackling leaves are under foot and Homecoming returns to Duquesne.

This year, Oct. 24-26, those who had not returned to campus within the past year were greeted by the domi-nating presence of the new Power Center on Forbes Avenue, the sweeping Sklar Skyway connecting the multi-purpose building to campus, permanent grandstands and other improvements to Rooney Field, and a host of other enhancements across campus.

Besides the traditional football game and booths lining Academic Walk, participants were treated to a first-time laser production recapping the University’s 130-year history, entertainment at The Red Ring and the solemn ring blessing ceremony. The journalism and multimedia department observed its 60th anniversary, and special pins were awarded to the Class of 1958.

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