T H E U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N E SPRING 2010 ALSO INSIDE WWW.BLOOMU.EDU BloomsburgUniversity of Pennsylvania RUNNING, PHILLY STYLE Can a marathon change a person’s life? Ask Heather McDanel ’89. It did for her. Career Directions Academic internships give students an inside look at their chosen careers. PAGE 12 A Naval Approach Award-winning scientist finds niche at Washington, D.C., lab. PAGE 16 The Beat Goes On Music professor is on the lookout for precision. PAGE 18
Transcript
T H E U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N E
SPRING 2010
A L S O I N S I D E
WWW.BLOOMU.EDU
Bloom
sburgU
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RUNNING,PHILLY STYLECan amarathon change a person’s life?Ask Heather McDanel ’89. It did for her.
Career DirectionsAcademic internships givestudents an inside look attheir chosen careers.PAGE 12
A Naval ApproachAward-winning scientist findsniche at Washington, D.C., lab.PAGE 16
The Beat Goes OnMusic professor is on thelookout for precision.PAGE 18
THAT TERM SEEMS to elicit aglazed look or, perhaps, a poorlystifled sigh when mentioned inrelation to any organization.Neither reaction, however, fits thevibrant strategic planning processwe’ve undertaken this academicyear at Bloomsburg University.
A committee made up of stu-dents, faculty, staff, alumni andcommunity members embarked onthe long-range strategic planningprocess early last fall with the aimof completing a plan by this sum-mer. The committee named itselfSPARC— the Strategic Planningand Resource Council.
The broad goal is to define:• “Whowe are” as an institution;whatmakes us distinct not onlyfrom the other 13 institutions in thePennsylvania State System of HigherEducation, but from all regionalcomprehensive universities;• What we value as an institution,as demonstrated through our dailyactions, interactions and operations;and• What we aspire to be as aninstitution.
With guidance fromDr.MadelineAdler, the former president of WestChester University who is now a
consultant with Penson AssociatesInc., and feedback from the campusand community, SPARC producednew mission, vision and valuestatements. The committee isdetermining the challenges andopportunities facing the universityover the next five years and how tomeet them. The end result, ofcourse, is to stay out in front ofthese key issues, know where wewant to go as an institution andtake the actions that are required.
Why is this important to you?As a reader of this magazine, youhave a strong connection to ouruniversity. You know firsthandabout our talented faculty, repre-sented in this issue by Gifford
Howarth from the music depart-ment and Angela Hess from biolo-gy. You’re proud of the success ofour graduates, such as Vince Urick’01, a research physicist at the U. S.Naval Research Laboratory, andHeather McDanel ’89, who startedStudents Run Philly Style. Andyou care about the best currenteducational opportunities for eachgeneration of students, both in andbeyond the classroom.
The strategic planning processis important for everyone connectedto this institution, providing theroad map that keeps BloomsburgUniversity a university of choice,providing access, opportunity andexcellence at an affordable price foreach future generation of students.
DAVID L. SOLTZPresident, Bloomsburg University
Strategic Planning
“The...planning process isimportant for everyoneconnected to this institution”
Bloomsburg:The UniversityMagazine
FROM THE PRES IDENT
For more information on BloomsburgUniversity’s new strategic plan, seewww.bloomu.edu/president/strategic
Bloomsburg: The UniversityMagazine is published threetimes a year for alumni, current students’ families andfriends of the university. Husky Notes and other alumniinformation appear at the BU alumni global network site,www.bloomualumni.com. Contact AlumniAffairs by phone,570-389-4058; fax, 570-389-4060; or e-mail, [email protected].
Address comments and questions to:Bloomsburg: The University MagazineWaller Administration Building400 East Second StreetBloomsburg, PA 17815-1301E-mail address: [email protected]
Bloomsburg University is an AA/EEO institution and isaccessible to disabled persons. Bloomsburg University ofPennsylvania is committed to affirmative action byway ofproviding equal educational and employment opportunitiesfor all persons without regard to race, religion, gender, age,national origin, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status.
FEATURES
10Running Down a DreamHeatherMcDanel ’89 built a programfor Philadelphia teenagers based onthe premise that marathon trainingcan change lives.
12Career DirectionsWhat gives new graduates anadvantage in today’s employmentmarket? On-the-job experiencegained during academic internships.
16A Naval ApproachVincent Urick ’01 conducts researchin data transmission that resulted inthe Navy’s Top Scientist andEngineers of the Year Award.
18The Beat Goes OnGiffordHowarth, assistant professorof music, pursues the precision ofpercussion across the field ofRedmanStadium and around the globe.
22Skin DeepAssistant professor Angela Hessshines light on the importance ofskin cancer research as she andBU students discover new ways toprevent and cure the disease.
DEPARTMENTS
03 Around the Quad
08 On the Hill
24 Husky Notes
30 Over the Shoulder
32 Calendar of Events
President, Bloomsburg UniversityDavid L. Soltz
Executive EditorRosalee Rush
EditorBonnie Martin
Photography EditorEric Foster
Husky Notes EditorBrenda Hartman
Director of Alumni AffairsLynda Fedor-Michaels ’87/’88
Pennsylvania State Systemof Higher Education Boardof Governorsas of March 2010Kenneth M. Jarin, ChairC.R. “Chuck” Pennoni, Vice ChairAaronWalton, Vice ChairMatthew E. BakerNick BarcioMarie Conley LammandoPaul S. DlugoleckiMichael K. HannaVincent J. HughesRichard KneedlerJamie LutzJonathan B. MackJoseph F. McGinnJeffrey E. PiccolaEdward G. RendellHarold C. ShieldsThomasM. Sweitzer
Christine J. TorettiMackenzie MarieWrobelGerald L. Zahorchak
Chancellor, State Systemof Higher EducationJohn C. Cavanaugh
Bloomsburg UniversityCouncil of TrusteesSteven B. Barth, ChairRobert Dampman ’65, Vice ChairMarie Conley Lammando ’94, SecretaryRamona H. AlleyLaRoy G. Davis ’67Terrell J. Garrett ’10Charles C. Housenick ’60David Klingerman Sr.Joseph J. Mowad ’08HNancy Vasta ’97/’98MPatrickWilson ’91
ON THE WEB WWW.BLOOMU.EDUHUSKY NOTESSPORTS UPDATESALUMNI INFO, MORE
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TO BE ABLE TO DEFINE how youwant your life to feel, how you want success to feel,you have to understand your best self, your values, your beliefs, your passions, whatyou want to contribute.
This self-knowledge comes from experience and reflection, so try not to take anarrow path. Open yourself to possibilities. Be active and receptive. Pay attentionto day-to-day interactions, conversations and events. Don’t play it safe.
Talk to your friends, your family, people who know your best self. Ask hardquestions. Listen to their answers.
Think about when you are at you best, when time flies by without a care, whenyou feel light and engaged and unhurried. Capture that feeling as best you can,hold on to it, let it serve as your guide.
As the Persian poet Rumi said, let the beauty of what you love be what you do. •—Darrin Kass, associate professor of management and MBA coordinator
Excerpts from Bloomsburg University Winter 2009 Commencement Address
freshperspective
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
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Mostpeople who have seen an episode ofCSI know that information is neverdeleted in the age of digital media.You can imagine it, a computer forensicsspecialist workingwith a cell phone,
pulling and analyzing the photos and information toassist with a police investigation.
This is one of the responsibilities Scott Inch and JohnRiley, professors of mathematics, computer science andstatistics, teach their students in BU’s computer forensicsprogram. BU is just one of a few universities in thecountry, and the only university in the PennsylvaniaState System of Higher Education, that offer a bachelor’sdegree in the field.
Begun in 2006, computer forensics is a new degreeoption for BU undergraduates and Inch was pivotal increating the program. In a brainstorming session forideas on new courses, a suggestion was proposed tocreate a class with material based on what one mightsee on an investigation television show. Inch volun-teered to research the topic and attended training.He found computer forensics was something that henot only became interested in, but knew the studentswould like as well.
Computer forensics has an “extraordinarily greatamount of real world application,” says Inch. “Althoughit is time consuming, it is also a very hands-on fieldwhere nothing ever stays the same.”
Although it is not a requirement, many students inthe program, like Steven Budd, complete an internship.Budd, who is fromHarrisburg, worked with the BriarCreek Township Police in summer 2009. He shadoweda police officer and worked on a case where he extractedevidence from devices.
“Part of what we teach students is ensuring data isintact,” says Riley. “Laws have not caught up withtechnology to accommodate digital evidence. All thisstuff is happening in the field as we build a curriculumaround it.”
According to Inch, BU has been ahead of the gameand employers are now starting to realize they can hiregraduates with a degree specific to computer forensics.
With a growing demand for knowledgeable special-ists, the computer forensics program is another exampleof BU’s role in educating professionals for careers thatare in great demand. •
Digital DetectivesCOMPUTER FORENSICS
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Scott Inch, left, and John Riley, professors ofmathematics, computer science and statistics,teach students in BU’s computer forensics program.
aroundTHEquadBloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
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Two presidents sign the early childhood/elementary educationarticulation agreement – David Soltz of BU, left, and DonaldSnyder of Lehigh Carbon Community College.
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
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Performer atHeartDEAF STUDENT APPEARS
IN BTE’S HAMLETMOST PEOPLE donot fall in lovewitha future career at 7 years old, but
that’s exactly whathappened whenEddie Buck, a deaftheatre arts majorfrom Collegeville,played his first rolein a school produc-
tion of Jack and the Beanstalk.Buck recently performed his
first roles with a professional com-pany in the Bloomsburg TheatreEnsemble’s production ofHamlet.He executed roles as a pantomimeplayer in the “play within a play,” acourtier, servants and a pallbearer.An interpreter backstage assistedwith stage cues and many of theother actors helped him onstage.
“Iwas nervous, but everyoneinvolvedwith the productionwasvery friendly,” says Buck. “Theyenjoyed havingme around. I feelmore confident. I didn’t feel like Iwas alone.”
Buck attended day programs atthe Pennsylvania School for the Deaffrom the ages of 2 to 16. He trans-ferred to amainstream high school,graduated and enrolled at RochesterInstitute of Technology (RIT).Initially, Buckwas a businessmajor,but took theatre course as electives.
“That’s really when it hit methat I did not like business and Iwanted to do theatre,” says Buck.
He left RIT and after a briefbreak decided to major in theatreat BU. “The faculty is wonderful. Ifeel comfortable with them, and Irealized I made the best choices.”
Buck’s goals are to act with adeaf theatre troupe and work intelevision and film. “I am veryhappy and doing something I wantto do,” he says. •
Buck
TUDENTS WHO EARN AN
associate’s degree in earlychildhood and elementary
education at one of three communi-ty colleges will soon be able toseamlessly transition to BU’s bach-elor’s degree program.
A program-to-program articula-tion agreement between LehighCarbon Community College and BUwas formalized earlier this year,quickly followed by similar agree-ments with Luzerne CountyCommunity College andNorthampton Community College.These agreements are the first oftheir kind in Pennsylvania, saysTom Fletcher, director of Corporateand Continuing Education at BU.
“The courses approved for artic-ulation are not based on a course-to-course transfer, as is typically thecase,” Fletcher says. “Instead, theagreement is a block transfer basedon outcomes and competencies. Of
the 60 transfer credits, a total of 31credits in early childhood educationare part of the overall agreement.”
The agreements apply to stu-dents who began their associate’sdegree programs in fall 2009. Theagreements stipulate that the com-munity college student must gradu-ate with a minimumGPA of 3.0 orhigher and successfully completethe Praxis I examination. The final60 credits for a bachelor’s degree inelementary education will be earnedfrom Bloomsburg University.
Many students will be able tocomplete their bachelor’s degreesclose to their hometown. In additionto Bloomsburg’s main campus, stu-dents will be able to take the classesneeded to complete the bachelor’sprograms at Lehigh Carbon CountyCommunity College’s MorganCenter in Tamaqua and at LuzerneCounty Community College’s maincampus in Nanticoke. •
S
In AgreementBU FIRST IN PASSHE TO FORGE BLOCK TRANSFER
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A SuperEducationACADEMY HELPS LEADERS
MEET STATE REQUIREMENTS
PENNSYLVANIA LAW requires alleducators to earn 180 hours of con-tinuing education credits every five
years. BloomsburgUniversity is help-ing school districtsuperintendentsand assistant super-intendents meet thegoal through its
new Superintendents Academy.
According to Thomas Starmack,assistant professor of education,the academy provides an opportu-nity for school district leaders tofocus on current research, issuesand trends in areas such as schoollaw, finance, technology, demo-graphics and student achievement.The academy is open to superin-tendents, assistant superintend-ents, intermediate unit executivedirectors and assistant executivedirectors, vocational-technicalschool directors and assistantdirectors and other central officeadministrators who can earn up to60 Act 48 hours annually.
The Pennsylvania Departmentof Education approved the programfor Pennsylvania Inspired Leaders(PIL) credits in December 2009 andthe first sessions are running throughJune. Starmack hopes to expand thegroup this fall and establish othercohorts across the state.
Starmack is the lead instructorof both the SuperintendentsAcademy and the PrincipalsAcademy. Established in 2009, thePrincipals Academy providesPIL/Act 48 hours for principals,assistant or vice principals andother Pennsylvania-certifiedadministrators. •
Starmack
On a RollBU RECOGNIZED FOR
COMMUNITY SERVICE
BU WAS ONE OF 700 institutionsnationwide named to the 2009President’s Higher EducationCommunity ServiceHonor Roll, thehighest federal recognition of a collegeor university for its commitment tovolunteering, service learning and civicengagement.
BU’s SOLVE (Students Organized toLearn throughVolunteerism andEmployment) Office listed threemainservice activities on its application:SHARE, a student-runmentoring pro-gram for areayouthswith social or aca-demicneed;FoodRecovery, an effort topackage leftover food fromcampusdin-ing facilities for theWomen’sCenter andBloomsburgFoodCupboard; andEmptyBowls, the largest one-day fundraiser fortheBloomsburgFoodCupboard. Thesethree events require a total of about2,000 volunteer hours a year.
The Corporation for National andCommunity Service oversees the honorroll in collaborationwith theU.S.Department of Education, Departmentof Housing andUrbanDevelopment,Campus Compact and theAmericanCouncil on Education. •
Making a DifferenceCAMEROON STUDENT MOTIVATES OTHERS TO SUCCEED
ERIC BISONG, a junior criminal justice major, has been a student leadersince arriving on campus three years ago. Initially, he was a mentor forfreshmen as a community assistant and, then, a pioneer for African studentrelations as founder and president of the African Student Association. Mostrecently, Bisong has been spreading the word about the Global Coalition forSocial and Economic Empowerment for African Youths. He launched thecoalition last fall as a platform for discussing ways to improve the economicconditions and educational opportunities in Africa.
A native of Cameroon, Bisong established aWeb site dedicated to thecoalition and runs several related Facebook groups and pages where heregularly posts videos and blogs highlighting international news andcommentary about Africa’s current educational climate. Bisong believeseducation is the key to improving living conditions in his native continent. •
Bisong
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Collins
CCMService ProjectGETTING BACK TO THE BASICS
NINE BLOOMSBURG University students completed home repairs, farmchores and volunteered at the food pantry during a joint winter serviceproject with students from the University of New Hampshire at BethlehemFarm, Pence Springs, W.Va., in central Appalachia.
BU student participants were: Gina Connolly, of Carlisle, a graduate stu-dent in speech pathology; Michelle Jansen, from Texas, a senior specialeducation major; Emily Marlin, of Hummelstown, a sophomore manage-ment major; Marie-Pier Gascon, of Lititz, a senior elementary educationmajor; Allison McGowan, of Hilltown, a sophomore deaf education major;BethWulff, of Honesdale, a senior secondary education/math major; ChrisTriantafelow, of Bethlehem, a senior finance/marketing major; JasonJanezic, of Reading, a junior secondary education/history major; andKatherine Zimmerman, of Mechanicsburg, a sophomore elementary edu-cation major. The Rev. Don Cramer and Sister Deborah Marie Bornemanaccompanied the BU students as mentors.
The students raised funds to pay for the trip, along with an additional$2,300 which was donated to needs at Bethlehem Farm. •
Islands ofLearningBOOK EXPLAINS APPLICATIONS
OF 3-D ENVIRONMENT
THE TERM, “AVATAR,” describes3-D representations of ourselvesused in video games, virtualworlds, educational software andWeb sites. Karl Kapp, professor ofinstructional technology, explains
the educational useof avatars and the 3-D virtual worldwhere they reside inhis latest book,Learning in 3-D:Adding a New
Dimension to Enterprise Learningand Collaboration. Tony O’Driscoll,a Duke University professor, isco-author of the book.
The 3-D virtual environment,also known as Second Life, haspractical applications in organiza-tional learning, Kapp says. Science-based Second Life sites, referred toas “Islands,” for example, give stu-dents the opportunity to learnabout a human cell fromwithin orexperience what happens beneaththe devastating waves of a tsunami.In a professional environment, thetechnology is currently used totrain emergency first respondersnearWashington, D.C., and teachemployees to troubleshoot the mal-function of a turbine, handle the insand outs of pharmaceutical salesand conduct a physical inventory,to name a few.
“Your personality comesthrough in your avatar,” Kapp says.“It’s an extension of yourself thatacts and behaves like you would.Training in a virtual environmentprovides varied experiences andshortens the learning curve.” •
CEDAccreditationBU PROGRAM ONE OF 37 NATIONWIDE
BU’S EDUCATION of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing master’s program receivedcertification from the national Council on Education of the Deaf (CED) forits 10-year accreditation review. The program was established in 1971 andreceived its first CED accreditation in 1989. The only deaf education gradu-ate program in Pennsylvania, it is one of 72 deaf education programs in theUnited States. Thirty-seven programs are nationally certified by theCouncil on Education of the Deaf. •
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
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Students from BU and the University of New Hampshire pose atBethlehem Farm in rural West Virginia were they spent winter breakcompleting service projects, accompanied by the Rev. Don Cramer andSister Debbie of BU’s Catholic Campus Ministry.
Kapp
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Focused on Elementary EdSTUDENTS BENEFIT FROM MORGAN TRUST SCHOLARSHIPS
NEARLY 50 SCHOLARSHIPS have been awarded to BU students over thepast three years, thanks to the John E. Morgan Charitable Trust.
Beginning three years agowith a donation of $100,000, theMorgan Trustexpanded its commitment to higher education at BUwith a $100,000 gift anda $500,000 endowment in the second year and a $50,000 donation in the thirdyear, according to JimHollister, assistant vice president of external relations.
Scholarships are awarded to students enrolled in BU’s early childhoodeducation completion program at Lehigh Carbon Community College’sMorgan Center in Tamaqua, based on financial need. If funds remain,Morgan Trust scholarships are available to BU students with any majorwho completed two years of study at LCCC before transferring to BU. Thirdpreference is given to Schuylkill County residents who attend BU.
To date, 47 scholarships have been awarded to 39 students. Hometownsof scholarship recipients include Allentown, Hegins, Jim Thorpe,Lehighton, Nesquehoning and Tamaqua. •
Contemporary Feminist Theory andActivism: Six Global Issues, a book
by philosophy pro-fessorWendy LynneLee, was publishedby Broadview Pressin January. In thebook, Lee connects
feminismwith topics such as sexualidentity, reproductive technologyand global exploitation of women’ssexuality, economic disparity andinstitutionalized inequality, the cul-ture industry, religious fundamen-talism and terrorism, and ecologicalresponsibility.
Eric S. Rawson, associate professorof exercise science, is an associate
editor of the journalsAmino Acids andApplied Physiology,Nutrition andMetabolism. Thejournal Amino Acids
publishes research in all areas ofprotein and amino acid research.Applied Physiology, Nutrition, andMetabolism is the official journal ofthe Canadian Society for ExercisePhysiology and is supported by themembers of the CanadianNutrition Society.
Gary Hardcastle, associate profes-sor of philosophy, is executive sec-
retary and treasurerof the Philosophy ofScience Association.The association pro-motes research,teaching and free
discussion of issues in the philoso-phy of science. The association’sjournal, Philosophy of Science, ispublished five times each year.
He’s All THISSTUDENT INTERNS WITH STATE SENATOR
MICHAEL GERBER, a junior political science major fromWyomissing,worked for state Sen. Jay Costa during a 15-week, spring semester intern-
ship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of HigherEducation (PASSHE).
Gerber was one of 14 PASSHE students participating inThe Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program,which provides the opportunity for students to work in stategovernment while earning a full semester’s worth of credits.
As part of the internship, he and the other students attended several aca-demic seminars and completed individualized research projects.
More than 500 students fromPASSHEuniversities have participated inTHIS since the programbegan in 1989. •
Lee Rawson Hardcastle
Gerber
Best ValueBU MAKES KIPLINGER’S TOP 100
BU IS RANKED 82nd on Kiplinger’sPersonal Finance’s 100BestValues inPublic Colleges, 2009-10. The ranking isbased on both academics and afford-ability, startingwith data frommorethan500public four-year colleges anduniversities.Criteria includesSAT/ACTscores, student/faculty ratio andadmis-sion, retentionandgraduation rates.Also consideredare in-state andout-of-state costs and financial aid.
BU ranks above institutions includ-ingOklahomaStateUniversity, 91;University ofMaryland, BaltimoreCounty, 93;Washington StateUniversity, 95; andColorado StateUniversity, 99. In addition to BU,Pennsylvania universities on the listare: University of Pittsburgh, 35; PennState, University ParkCampus, 40;West ChesterUniversity, 76;MillersvilleUniversity, 98; and ShippensburgUniversity, 100. •
Q U I C K TA K E S
What Do You Think?YOU RESPONDED to last year’s readerssurvey. Now, we’d like to knowwhat youthink about Bloomsburg: The UniversityMagazine’s new look and content areas.Please send your comments and storyideas to BonnieMartin, editor, [email protected] or in care ofBloomsburg University of Pennsylvania,Waller Administration Building, 400 E.Second St., Bloomsburg, Pa. 17815. •
8 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
ON THE HILL sportsby TOM MCGUIRE S P O R T S I N F O RMAT I O N D I R E C T O R
FOR UP-TO-DATE SCORES ANDCOVERAGE, GO ONLINE
BUHUSKIES.COM
REGISTER NOW SUMMER SPORTS CAMPSRegister now for BU’s summer sports camps. Camps are offered in baseball, boys and girls basketball, field hockey, football, soccer, swim-ming, tennis and wrestling. For a complete listing, see the CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS (page 32) or www.bucamps.com.
PICKING (SMALL) SIDESMEN’S SOCCER COACH Paul Payne discussed the philoso-phy of small-sided games as a way to develop players tech-
nically and tactically during a lecture atthe Football Federation of Australia’sAnnual Coaching Conference inBrisbane, Queensland, Australia.Those favoring small-sided gamesbelieve the system offers more oppor-tunity to play since fewer players areon the field at a time.
As vice president of educationand a senior national academy staff coach for the NationalSoccer Coaches Association of America, Payne focused onthe association’s position paper on small-sided games. Otherinvited speakers and clinicians hailed from Australia,Holland, England and New Zealand. •
Thank You, Corporate SponsorsBLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY thanks its corporate spon-sors for the 2009-10 season. The sponsors includeMCFederal Credit Union; Comfort Suites of Bloomsburg;ColumbiaMall; Derr, Pursel, Luschas and Norton,Attorneys at Law; Columbia-Montour Visitor’s Bureau;LibertyMutual Insurance; Steph’s Subs; Bennigan’s;Applebee’s;Weis Market of Bloomsburg; PhoenixRehabilitation andHealth Services; LaFontana Restaurant;Papa John’s Pizza; Balzano’s; BestWestern of Danville;Quaker Steak and Lube; Perkins; Econo Lodge; HolidayInn Express; PSECU; Panera Bread; First Columbia Bankand Trust; Susquehanna ValleyMedical Specialties;Sheetz; and the Lehigh Valley International Airport.
Corporate sponsorships support general and athleticscholarships•
Relief forHaitiSTUDENT-ATHLETES from Bloomsburg University joinedothers from Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference(PSAC) schools in raising money for the American RedCross as part of the Haitian Earthquake DisasterRelief effort. At sporting events in mid-February, BUathletes collected $2,250 for the effort. •
Swimming Records SinkFRESHMAN SWIMMER Madeline Barlow broke the 24-year school record in the 200 individual medley (IM)with a time of 2:07.19 at the Zippy Invitational in Akron,
Ohio. The NCAA “A” cut timeautomatically qualified her for the2010 National Collegiate AthleticAssociation (NCAA) Division IISwimming Championships inCanton, Ohio. TheHuskies’ previ-ous 200-IM record of 2:08.56 wasset in 1985 by Gwen Cressman.
At the samemeet, Barlow, anexercise sciencemajor from
Yardley, also broke BU’s record for the 200-backstrokewith a time of 2:05.82. She achieved NCAA “B” cut timesin the 200-backstroke and 100-butterfly andwaspermitted to swim in both the 200-back and 100-fly withthe “B” standard times because she qualified for oneevent NCAA event with an “A” time.
Barlowwas ranked 11th nationally in the 200-IM, 21stin the 200-back and 29th in the 100-fly going into theNCAA championships.
It’s here: BUHuskies.comFANS OF BLOOMSBURG University may have noticed anew look to the official Huskies athleticsWeb site,BUHuskies.com, which went live in April.
The new design features more photos of BU student-athletes, as well a calendar that lists each day’s contests,according to TomMcGuire, sports information director.Drop-downmenus help fans find information on theathletic department, hall of fame and other related items.
“It was a lot of hard work in a relatively short periodof time,” says McGuire. “In just five and a half months,we went from the initial design phase to the site launch.”
McGuire credits the successful launch to the effortsof the small staff of students who work in the SID office,led by intern Ryan Rebholz. “Ryan did a great job help-ing with the design and keeping our student workers ontask with uploading information.”
92Make the GradeNINETY-TWO BU student-athletes were honored at theuniversity’s 21st annual Scholar-Athlete Luncheon. Theannual event celebrates the academic success of student-athleteswho have achieved a grade point average of 3.25 orhigher during the past two semesters or have aminimumcumulative grade point average of 3.25.
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HARDWORKWHEN YOUNGSTERS TAKE to the baseball diamondeach spring, many dream that one day they will be goodenough to play in the major leagues. For BloomsburgUniversity pitcher Grant Kernaghan, that dreammaybecome a reality.
Kernaghan’s name showed up fifth on the BaseballAmerica Division II Top Prospect List, which means hehas a good shot of being drafted by a major league teamin the June Amateur Baseball Draft.
How did the pitcher fromUpper Darbywho played ona not-so-good high school team get close to the dream ofbeing a pro baseball player? Twowords: hardwork.
“I came to Bloomsburg throwing around 88 miles perhour,” says Kernaghan, a history major set to graduatethis spring. “I put in a lot of work in the weight room toget stronger and worked on my conditioning. I amthrowing around 94 miles per hour now, but I startedgetting noticed by the pro scouts once I hit 90 on theradar gun during the summer between my sophomoreand junior seasons.”
"Grant has worked hard to develop his skills and hasimproved steadily," says Bloomsburg baseball coachMike Collins. “I'm proud of how far he has come. Wehave been very fortunate to have a guy like him on themound every Friday for the last four years."
Even with a lot of hard work, Kernaghan credits thestrong influence of others as key to his success. “Myparents have been great in their support of my baseballcareer,” says the tall right-hander. “After a bad game, itis always nice to get a hug frommy mom and hear hersay, ‘Remember, it is just a game.’ ”
Former players Vinnie James and Dustin Johnson,now an assistant with the Huskies, have been a big helpto Kernaghan on the field. “Vinnie talked with me after abad outing my freshman year and challenged me to getbetter. Dustin has been great to work with onmymechanics and grip,” Kernaghan says.
[ ATHLETE PROFILE ]
Now that extra effort means that each time he isscheduled to pitch, scouts from numerous majorleague teams are watching every throw. “It doesn’tbother me now when I see the radar guns pop up fromthe time I warm up to my last pitch,” he says.
“This is all pretty amazing to me,” says Kernaghan,a lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan. “It would be greatto be drafted by the Phils, but I’d play for any team aslong as it meant I was playing pro ball.” •
“I am throwingaround 94 milesper hour now,but I started gettingnoticed by the proscouts once I hit90 on theradar gunduring thesummer betweenmy sophomore andjunior seasons.”
In addition to those honored, 34 freshman or trans-fer student-athletes posted a 3.25 point average orhigher in their first semester at BU, showing promiseto become future scholar-athletes.
Also honored were 60 faculty members whostudent-athletes identified as influential to theiracademic endeavors. •
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[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]
Statistics from Public HealthManagement Corp. show 20 percent
of Philadelphia children sufferfrom obesity and 28.4 percent are
overweight. A program begunby a BU alumna helps Philly
teenagers improve their healthand self-esteem through running.
BY Willie Colón Reyes
Running down a DREAM
t could be the final, climactic scene in aninspirational Hollywoodmovie: A widecity street is nearly deserted hours after thestart of a 10-mile race. But a lone, over-weight teenager struggles to keep going.He’s 200 yards from the finish and deter-mined to keep going. Suddenly, 50 youngpeople jump from the sidelines and ontothe course. Together, they run with thefinal racer across the finish line.
The bond they share is written across the front of theblue and green T-shirts they’re all wearing: Students RunPhilly Style.
Sometimes reality is even better than the movies. Two
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Running brings about positive changes for teenagers mentored by Becky Ritter ’07, left, and Heather McDanel ’89.
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years ago this scene played out atthe end of Philadelphia’s BroadStreet Run.
“This was about honoring a kidwho, quite honestly, would never behonored for athletics in any othervenue,” says HeatherMcDanel ’89,program director of Students RunPhilly Style, a Philadelphia-basedmarathon running program con-ceived as a way to combat childhoodobesity. “You can’t script it betterthan this.”
McDanel lights up when she tellsstories like these. She clearly lovesher job and the opportunity it givesher to irrevocably change a youngperson’s life for the better.
The idea that running can changea person’s life is not new toMcDanel. It changed hers.
When she was a sophomore atBloomsburg, her mother, a singleparent, died. The running club shewas part of helped her deal with theloss. “We spent four to five days aweek training for long-distance run-ning events, and they became thecore of people that helpedmeprocess a lot of stuff,” she recalls.
In 2004, the head of a localPhiladelphia foundation shoppedaround the notion of a running pro-gram for young people. McDanelwas tagged for the job, and armedwith passion, energy and degrees inboth biology and public health shewent to work.
“I knew firsthand not only howyou can become healthier throughrunning, but also the power of therelationships that can happen when
you have a common goal with otherpeople,” she says. “The thought ofgiving that to young people whohave a lot stacked against themwasreally intriguing. I also just lovebuilding things from scratch, and Ilove teenagers— I’m inspired by theirconvictions and their creativity.”
Based on a similar initiative inLos Angeles, Students Run recruitsparticipants through thePhiladelphiapublic schools aswell as localchurches, after-school programs andhealth centers. Young people ages 12to 18 arematchedwith adultmentorswhohelp them train for various racesthroughout the spring and summer,with the ultimate goal of running thePhiladelphiaMarathon inNovember.
Mentors also work with students
on issues of self-esteem, goal settingand discipline. The programincludes an SAT prep course, asummer internship with a non-profit partner and an annualsummer leadership camp. This year,the program added scholarships forpost-secondary education and itsown public race to the mix.
About 1,500 students haveparticipated in the program since itstarted and 600 kicked off the latestseason inMarch. The results havebeen impressive. Not surprisingly,students reduce their bodymassindex and improve their cardiovas-cular fitness. AndMcDanel expectsthat soon-to-be released data willback up anecdotal information
about the positive impact theprogram is having on students’academic performance.
AsMcDanel explains, “The realpoint is to take what you do on theroad and apply it to the rest of yourlife.”
Becky Ritter ’07 knows all aboutthe life-altering effects of StudentsRun. Ritter got her master’s in edu-cation for the deaf and hard of hear-ing at Bloomsburg. She now teachesat the Pennsylvania School for theDeaf in Philadelphia, where shehelped start a Students Run team atthe urging of another teacher whoheard about the program.
Asked for examples of the pro-gram’s impact, she rattles off a list ofher favorite success stories:• the student with autismwhoseemingly couldn’t read a map, untilhe needed to map out his runs;• the overweight, asthmatic studentwho never participated in class untilhe discovered howmuch he lovedrunning— and letting others knowabout it;• the initially timid6-foot,3-inchstudentwho developed into a mentor androle model to younger participants.
She says the chance to interactwith their hearing peers is one of theprogram’smain attractions. “Ourstudents are kind of secluded fromtheworld in someways,” Ritter says.“By doing this, they’re with otherkids the same age doing the samething and language is not a barrier.”
To her delight, the deaf studentshave even become the “cool” kids.“The other [hearing] students wantto hang out with the deaf kidsbecause they want to learn sign lan-guage,” Ritter says.
“It’s great to see our kids succeed,”she adds. “They’re not the top ath-letes at our school, but they’re in the1 percent of Americans who haverun amarathon. That’s somethingto say.” •Willie Colón Reyes is a freelancewriter based in Philadelphia.
“I knewfirsthand not only how
you can become healthierthrough running,
but also the power of therelationships that canhappen when you have
a common goal withother people.”
12 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
Internships build on academic foundationsand help BU students get an early jump
on today’s tight jobmarket.
by JAIME NORTH
CareerDirectionsCareerDirections
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Throughout the fall while WVIA and PBS stationsnationwide battled the effects of the economic down-turn, Adams logged 10 hours a week working directlyin television production. The internship turned into asemester filled with real-life work experience, mentor-ship from long-tenured professionals and a trueglimpse into the mass communications world.
“I did whatever they needed help with,” saysAdams, of Elysburg. “I put up and broke down studiosets, prepped lighting and sound systems, ran cam-eras, edited video clips and designed DVD labels.
“The biggest thing I took from this was getting expe-rience working with true professionals out in the field.Lectures and school projects give you a solid founda-tion and knowledge about what to expect in yourcareer field. But once you get out there and see it foryourself, it’s a whole different story.”
Opportunities to expand the campus experiencethrough internships are expected to increase for BUstudents with the development of the Office of AcademicInternships and Community Outreach. Launched in2008 as part of an initiative from the Pennsylvania StateSystem of Higher Education (PASSHE), the officeexpanded its offerings this spring with an interactiveWeb site, several established track internships for stu-dents and a working corporate network built to host on-campus internship events and land academic internshipopportunities for students of all majors.
The office’s emphasis is on establishing academicinternships, defined as work experiences which areclosely supervised by both a faculty instructor in thestudent’s degree program and a site supervisor whoworks with the student and faculty instructor toensure the internship has academic rigor.
“We’re focused on matching academic opportunitieswith the academic skill sets being developed in theclassroom,” says Alison Stone-Briggs, director of BU’sOffice of Academic Internships and CommunityOutreach. “I spent much of the first year talking withdepartment chairs and college deans to learn moreabout their academic programs and what skills stu-dents acquired from them. It’s now easier for me to
access internship opportunities and send out informa-tion to match the academics here on campus.”
Stone-Briggs says each of the 14 state system univer-sities received a $30,000 state grant to further developinternship initiatives. BU used its allocation to supportthe new office and help build the interactive Web site,according to Stone-Briggs.
“Chancellor John C.Cavanaugh and PASSHEsaw the importance ofacademic internships inbetter preparing stu-dents for a workplaceenvironment that is look-ing for a more knowl-edgeable workforce within-the-field experience,”Stone-Briggs says. “Andthat’s what we’re building here. When we’re talkingwith organizations, we’re stressing the connectionbetween the internship and the classroom to ensurestudents have a quality academic experience.”
Experiencing a new worldTarah Moore, who graduated with a bachelor’s degreein computer forensics, saw her summer internship dojust that — give her a real-world experience she neverimagined. The Harrisburg native completed a three-month, computer forensics internship with theDepartment of Defense after she obtained a federalgovernment clearance.
The internship not only provided a once-in-a-life-time experience in her career field, but gave Moore aninside look at one of many areas of computer forensics,an extremely varied field that includes criminal lawinvestigation and corporate fraud examination.
“It will definitely open a lot of doors for me,” Mooresays. “Not a lot of graduates have much experience intheir career field when they hit the job market. Thisopportunity will be a great resume booster.”
Among the biggest advantages, according to Moore,is the experience gained from working directly with
“Having what Iwas taught in classand taking what I
experienced from myinternship, I reallyhave the confidence toenter my career field.”
– Tarah Moore ’09
JONATHAN ADAMS SAW HIS FUTURE come into focuswithin a few minutes of beginning his internship, literally through a camera lens.“I thought I would be talking about setting up my schedule. Then all of a sud-
den they pulled me in to run a camera for a live pledge drive,” says Adams, whocompleted a semester-long academic internship withWVIA-TV, Pittston, beforegraduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. “Itthrew me for a little bit of a loop. I knew then this internship was for real.”
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professionals in their environment on a daily basis.That, she says, was the best hands-on learning a com-puter forensics student could hope for.
“The internship really helped me build a foundationfor what to expect in my career environment,” Mooresays. “You can’t really get that in a classroom.”
Moore, who also has a minor in fraud examination,is excited to see where her degree will take her. “Theprogram at Bloomsburg University is great, because Igot to work with software in the classroom that is usedin the real world,”she says. “And I sawthat on my intern-ship. Now havingwhat I was taught inclass and takingwhat I experiencedfrom my internship,I really have the con-fidence to enter mycareer field. Thedoors are wide openfor me and that’svery exciting.”
Paving a path for the futureEvan Konstant, who majored in business economics atBU, took a different approach to his internship. TheWyndmoor native knew what career path he wanted topursue after school and where he could gain the neces-sary experience to make himself a marketable collegegraduate.
Konstant completed a year-long internship at theElmwood Park Zoo in Norristown where he coordinat-
ed a variety of mar-keting projects thatthe zoo will incorpo-rate into its futurerenovation andexpansion plans. Alot of work evolvedaround surveying
consumers to help determine what areas of operationthe zoo should focus on, especially regarding potentialbuilding projects.
“I’ve gone door-to-door, made phone calls and attend-ed sponsored golf outings,” Konstant says. “A lot of ithas beenmingling with visitors at the park. It’s been alot of networking, which is something I really enjoyed.”
Konstant says the survey’s goal was to determinewhat attracted visitors to the zoo, what they most enjoyand what they would like to see improved or, possibly,added. Some answers have been expected, while manyhave been surprising to Konstant.
“There was a lot of strong interest in having activi-
ties for kids, developing educational pre-kindergartenprograms,” he says. “I would say about 80 percent ofthose surveyed wanted those types of programs. Wealso received interest in having indoor activities so visi-tors could come year-round and expanding our pho-tography programs. Visitors enjoy taking their ownphotos and appear to really want to learn more abouttheir cameras.”
The biggest learning experience was seeing first-hand the challenges a nonprofit organization faces,especially during an economic recession.
“This is a very small zoo,” he says. “Actually, manypeople I surveyed didn’t knowwe had a zoo in
Norristown. So there are a lot of built-in challenges, nottomention dealing with reduced funding from the state.”
Konstant, who is planning a career as a marketingdirector, says the internship gave him valuable experi-ence. Being thrust into helping the zoo market itself tothe community was a lesson he couldn’t duplicate froma textbook.
“By the time I was done here, I learned most of whatI need to work in the marketing field,” Konstant says.“I had a chance to see the inside development of proj-ects, manage a budget and work with a board of direc-tors. It was a great experience, and I got to meet a lot ofwonderful people. The best part was hearing howmuch people loved the zoo.
“There is a market for a place like this, and I wasglad to be part of something designed to make it better.There is a lot of pride in doing that.”
A perfect matchJonathan Adams, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, sayshis internship withWVIAwas a perfect blend of hisacademic and personal interests that reinforced his deci-sion two years ago to switch majors and institutions.
“When I started college, I didn’t know what I want-ed to do,” says Adams, who spent two years studyingchemistry before transferring to BU for its mass com-
“By the time I was done(with my internship),
I learned most of whatI need to work in the
marketing field.”– Evan Konstant ’09
Adams
Stone-Briggs
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A CLOSER LOOKTo learn more about BloomsburgUniversity’s Office of AcademicInternships and Community Outreach,including ways to hire a BU intern, visithttp://internships.bloomu.edu or contactAlison Stone-Briggs, director, [email protected] or (570) 389-4962.}
Moore
Konstant
munications program. “This internship helped me seethis field has everything I want … being out in nature,doing photography and facing something new each day.When we do something live, it gets your blood pump-ing. It’s almost like sitting in a deer stand and seeing anice buck come into view.” •Jaime North, a former newspaper reporter, is Webwriter and editor at Bloomsburg University.
TRANSLATING NEW OPPORTUNITIESAlison Stone-Briggs sees herself as an interpreter, translating theneeds of a corporate organization to match a student’s academicrequirements while creating a job description tailored to aBloomsburg University intern. It’s a new approach for BU, butsecond nature for Stone-Briggs, director of the Office of AcademicInternships and Community Outreach.
“Academic advisers know the students’ academic plan, so myrole is to find the companies and help develop these valuableopportunities,” says Stone-Briggs, previously associate director ofBU’s Corporate Institute. “The companies tell me what they’relooking for, and I see where on campus their needs can best bemet. In the end, it helps make better connections for our students.”
Less than two years on the job, Stone-Briggs has alreadylanded several new track internships, including opportunitieswith Wise Foods Inc. in Berwick, Rieter Automotive, BloomsburgHospital, Dollar Tree and Berwick Area United Way that willoffer “revolving” positions many students may use as careerstepping stones.
“Wise’s human resource director contacted me about anopportunity, and I immediately realized it would fit nicely with ourdepartment of business education/information and technologymanagement (BE/ITM),” Stone-Briggs says. “I met with thedepartment chair and three faculty members to discuss whatresources and skill sets we could match them with. As a result,we’re getting four track internships for our BE/ITM students, withthe goal of adding academic internships in finance, humanresources and other areas of business operations.”
The United Way internship positions provide an opportunity touse BU students’ talents and strong work ethic in the non-profitsector. “Nonprofits need a lot of help, especially in this economicclimate,” Stone-Briggs says. “The United Way needed to do acouple of business plans, so I saw a nice connection with ourMaster of Business Administration program.”
The result opened a door for a summer capstone internshipcourse for graduating MBA students who will write business plansfor a homeless shelter, including social service programs, amental health clinic and a centralized office to provide servicessuch as bookkeeping, human resources and technology support.As soon as the track internship opportunity is approved, accordingto Stone-Briggs, it will be incorporated into the interns’ MBAgraduation requirement.
“This will provide a great experience for students,” Stone-Briggssays. “The truth is a lot of students aren’t going to get a job withjust a four-year college degree. If you don’t have something onyour resume that shows you gained valuable in-the-fieldexperience, you’re not as marketable as the person next to you.” •
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[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]
B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
a NAVALapproachAttheU.S. Naval Research Laboratory,VINCENTURICK is one ofmore than 2,500 researchers,engineers, technicians and support personnelresponsible for basic and applied research on Earth,sea, sky, space and cyberspace.b y JACK SHERZER
a NAVALapproach
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WHETHER IT’S A TELEPHONE, atelevision, a computer hooked to theInternet or even a huge radio tele-scope searching the heavens, thedevices all have one thing in common.Somewhere, there’s a line or a cablethat’s carrying all the informationbeing collected or downloaded andsending it from one place to another.
Figuring out ways to send ever-more information over those linesfaster and farther is where VincentUrick comes in.
Urick is a civilian scientist for theU.S. Naval Research Laboratory inWashington, D.C., where hemanagesa staff of five other researchers.Since its creation in 1923 at the urg-ing of inventor Thomas Edison, thelab has focused on developing thetechnology needed to support themilitary, specifically research for theNavy andMarine Corps.
Working on specially made, longstainless steel tables— called opticalbenches—Urick and his team stringout spools of various fiber opticcables connected to lasers and otherdevices to see how best to carryinformation collected from antennasover long distances.
Unlike the cable hooked up to aregular television that uses a digitalsignal, Urick’s experiments dealwith analog signals which requirehigher-performance links. In 2004,for example, Urick and his teampublished results of research inwhich theywere able to transmit1,000 timesmore information persecond over a cable than the amountthat flows through a regular cabletelevision connection.
“A lot of times, as we are advanc-ing analog, we can start feeding intothe next system of higher speedcommunications,’’ Urick says.
“There is always the chance thatthrough our research, we can fur-ther the standard telecommunica-tions technology.’’
From the start, Urick knew hewas interested in science andmathe-matics, but his interests were sky-ward. At Bloomsburg, where hegraduatedmagna cum laude inMay2001 with a bachelor of science inphysics, he thought his career pathwould be in astrophysics.
“I wanted to ponderwhy the uni-verse is theway it is, the big picture,’’Urick says, recalling how impressedhewas the first time he sawphotostakenby theHubble SpaceTelescope.Physics and astrophysics suited hisanalytical side, he says.
Attending Bloomsburgwasalso a natural decision for Urick,who grew up in nearby Paxinos,Northumberland County. Family
members who have gone toBloomsburg include his mother,Susanne, and sister LisaMcCarthy,who both earnedmaster’s degrees ineducation.
His careerpath tookanunexpectedturnwhen, as he was getting readyto graduate, hemet another studentwho told him about opportunitieswith the U.S. Naval ResearchLaboratory. At that time, the countrywas in themidst of the dot-comtechnology bubble and privateindustry had hired awaymany ofthe laboratory’s scientists, whosegovernment workwith fiber opticsand communications was in highdemand as the Internet and relatedindustries shifted into high gear.
The paywas good, the workinteresting and it gave Urick thechance to start doing researchwhileholding only a bachelor’s degree andworking toward his master’s and
doctoral degrees fromGeorgeMasonUniversity. Hemet his wife,Cynthia, in graduate school a yearafter he startedworking at the lab.Theymarried in 2004 andwel-comed their first child, Elizabeth, inApril 2009.
Although he always liked the ideaof working for his country, Uricksays his feelings intensified afterSept. 11, 2001. From the lab, he couldsee the smoke billowing from thePentagon the day of the attack.
“It’s not that I’m anymore or lesspatriotic after that day, but it kind ofput things in perspective forme,’’Urick says. “I feel if I canmake a dif-ference for our country’s defense,that’s what I want to be doing.’’
In 2007, Urickwon the Navy TopScientists and Engineers of the YearAward for his work on data trans-mission on fiber-optic systems,particularly its application to electro-magnetic warfare and intelligence-gathering.
“It’s inspiring that he won theNavy award for a top scientist,’’ saysPeter Stine, chair of BU’s physicsdepartment “When one of our alum-ni wins a big award like that, itinspires the students who are in thesame program.’’
Stine recalls Urick’s recent visit tothe university to talk about hiswork. “Often studentsmay notknow exactly what career theywant,and it’s important to see things in avariety of areas.With their differen-tial equations and theories, under-graduatesmay not be able to see thelight at the end of the tunnel.’’
Gunther Lange, Urick’s facultyadviser who retired fromBU lastyear, remembers his former stu-dent’s mix of ability and curiosity.“You have to have the curiosity andthe skill set. Stay curious – that littlestatement saysmore about scientiststhan anything else,’’ he says. •Jack Sherzer is a professionalwriter and Pennsylvania native.He currently lives in Harrisburg.
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“I FEEL IF I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCEFOR OUR COUNTRY’S DEFENSE, THAT’S
WHAT I WANT TO BE DOING. ’ ’
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[ FACULTY PROFILE ]
THE BEATgoesOnb y LYNETTE MONG ’0 8
For one month last summer, assistantprofessor of music GIFFORDHOWARTH spent his days watchingmarching bands from throughoutEurope, Asia and North Americaperform at theWorld Music Contestin Kerkrade, the Netherlands. Atevery performance, he looked for oneessential quality: precision.
Howarth’s extensive experience as a percussion-ist, teacher and adjudicator prepared him forthe challenge of judging some of the best march-ing bands in the world at the international eventheld every four years. TheWorldMusic Festivalpresented a unique challenge, Howarth says,because the event spanned an entire month. “Asit turned out, the group that performed the firstday was in direct competition with the group wesaw the last day. I had never experienced acompetition quite like that before.”
But the qualities Howarth watched for werethe same throughout the competition. “We aretrained over time to compare and contrast from
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one group to another. And what we’re looking for is precision.“I know what absolute precision sounds like and looks
like,” he says. “It doesn’thappen very often, but I’vebeen fortunate enough tohave worked with groupsand adjudicated groupsthat have been at thatlevel. We look for the con-cept of uniformity, withmultiple people playing
the same thing at the same time. We ask: Are they express-ing the music the same way? Are performers bringing acrossthe mood and style of the music?”
Judging some of the most talented marching bands in theworld is just one opportunity Howarthhas pursued in a career of performing,teaching and traveling. With advanceddegrees from Kent State and MichiganState universities, he credits an under-graduate professor at Ithaca College,percussionist Gordon Stout, with nur-turing his passion for music and helpinghim develop his skills as a mallet per-cussionist on the marimba.
‘Wow moments’Howarth describes the marimba as “axylophone on steroids.” A solo percus-sion instrument, the modern marimbadates back to the early 1900s, but hasgrown exponentially in popularityover the past 20 years. Howarth con-ducts workshops focused on how to introduce and teach rel-atively new marimba techniques to percussionists.
“The popularity of these workshops led to the production ofa method book,” Howarth says. Published in 2002, his book,Simply Four, focuses on how to teach the Stevens grip — a four-mallet technique, which requires percussionists to hold twomallets in each hand.
While the technique itself has been around since the 1970s,Howarth’smethod providesa new way toteach the grip topercussionists atearlier stages ofdevelopment.“I’m riding thewave, in a sense,” he says. “High school students are now doingwhat college kids were just starting to learn 20 years ago.”
A passion for percussion came naturally to Howarth, who
began taking lessons in middle school. “Youstart on one instrument, a snare drum, todevelop basic rhythm. But there are so manyinstruments: cymbals, mallets, timpani. It’ssuch a vast genre.”
By high school, Howarth was thinkingabout a career in the music business.“There was a ‘wow moment’ the first time Iwas at a drum corps show in my senioryear in high school, seeing professional-level marching performance that I didn’tknow existed,” he says.
And, in graduate school, he learned firsthandhow a great performance can have far-reachingechoes when he experienced a percussion con-
certo by Christopher Lamb,principal percussionist with theNewYork Philharmonic andfaculty member at theManhattan School of Music. “Itjust blewme away,” he says.“That was a second ‘wowmoment’ and it inspired me tobecome amore serious stu-dent.”
Today, Howarth hopes toinspire “wowmoments” for thenext generation of students atseminars in high schools andcolleges worldwide. “Themusic world is a pretty smallcommunity,” he says, notingthat early opportunities also
opened doors for him to teach and judge DrumCorps International competitions and instructat Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at theUniversity of Singapore. In January, Howarthspent a week in Thailand as an adjudicator forthe Royals Cup Concert marching band contestand, while there, taught the four-malletmarimba technique at Kasetsart University,near Bangkok.
Howarth’s relationships with percussionmanufacturers have enriched the music expe-rience of the Bloomsburg community, as well.A national performing artist for Yamaha, hehelped bring the Yamaha Sounds of Summerpercussion camp to BU for the past threeyears. The camp, hosted by BU’s music depart-ment, provides complete marching percussiontraining for students in middle school andhigh school.
“I enjoy seeing the light bulbs goon with students, both the
students I have worked withfor three or four years, and the
Assistant music professor Gifford Howarth, left,instructs Erik Scattareggia, a senior music majorfrom Media.
20 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
GOT MUSIC?BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY’S musicdepartment offers a range of instrumentand vocal performance groups, includingchamber orchestra, community orchestra,concert band, marching band and guitar,jazz, percussion and wind ensembles. Allgroups are open to non-music majors andmany, such as marching band, are madeup largely of students majoring in otherfields, according to Stephen Clickard,chair of the department of music, theatreand dance.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in musicoffers three tracks of concentration: musiceducation, audio-visual recording and liber-al arts. All students pursuing a degree inmusic are required to audition and take amusic theory placement test.
A degree in music prepares students fora variety of careers. “Many of our graduatesgo on to earn advance degrees. Some go intostudio recording, live sound reproductionor radio and TV,” Clickard says.
The recently renovated Haas Center forthe Arts provides BU students with anexceptional facility in which to practicetheir craft. “We have full recording studios,new classrooms and practice rooms, a fullpiano lab. It’s a great facility,” Clickard says.
‘Digging’ the marching bandAs director of Bloomsburg University’s marching band, Howarthplans each Huskies halftime show, consisting of four to five songsbased on the same theme. Last year’s “Around theWorld in EightMinutes,” featured songs inspired by music from Ireland, Japan,Korea and Great Britain. A year earlier, it was “Got Rhythm?” withGeorge Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” and Gloria Estefan’s “Rhythmis Gonna Get You,” among others.
“Ninety-nine percent of students inmarching bandwere in theirmarching band in high school, so theymay not bemusicmajors, butthey’re used to this activity,” Howarth says. “It’s an interesting chal-lenge tomake sure those who came from very competitive high schoolprograms are just as happy as the students whomay have neverplayed an eight- or 10-minute show before.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedbackfrom alumni, saying they’re really diggingwhat the band has been doing,” he adds.
Whether teaching students who areplanning a career in music or non-majors inthe marching band, “I enjoy seeing the lightbulbs go on with students,” Howarth says,“both the students I have worked with forthree or four years and those I have for justone day.” •Lynette Mong ’08 lives in Seattle,Wash.,where sheworks as a sitemerchandiser atAmazon.com.
Visit departments.bloomu.edu/music for more information.
Considering a major in music? The department hosts a MusicMajor Day every year, which allows high school students to come tocampus, meet with admissions staff and music faculty, and shadowcurrent music students. “This gives them the chance to see the levelof music we practice, and the level of music scholarship in the class-room,” Clickard says. •
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Music professor MarkJelinek, right, evaluatesa performance by ChanKim, Bloomsburg, asenior majoring inhealth physics andmusic.
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Bridge the GapMembers of Bloomsburg’s Class of 1933 experiencedfinancial hardships firsthand during the GreatDepression. Today’s students, with financial challengesof their own, continue to benefit from the class’ schol-arship, a fund which has helped to bridge the gapbetween family resources and financial need fordecades. One recipient of the Class of 1933’s $350scholarship is Rachel Conley, a freshman accountingmajor from St. Clair, Schuylkill County.
The typical BU student who pays in-state tuition andlives on campus easily amasses costs exceeding $7,000per semester or $14,000 per year, including textbooks.Scholarships, loans, savings, jobs and family contri-butions meet most student expenses, but an averageneed of $1,829 a year remains.
Learn more about how you can help bridge that finan-cial gap and support students like Rachel online atwww.bloomu.edu/giving or by calling 1-800-526-0254.
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IT’S NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY that every family has been touched bycancer. Last year alone, the American Cancer Society estimates, 1.5 millionnew cases were diagnosed. Research byAngela R. Hess, assistant professor ofbiological and allied health sciences, may improve the cure rate for the dead-liest of all skin cancers, melanoma.
Hess has been studying the role of a protein called EphA2 in the rapidreproduction of highly aggressivemelanoma. The protein, she explains, is notnormally found in non-cancerous lesions or in the pigment-producing cells ofthe skin, calledmelanocytes, that give rise tomelanoma. She theorizes thisabsence indicates EphA2 plays a role in the development of malignantmelanoma, and her findings were featured recently on the cover of CancerBiology and Therapy, an international medical journal that details advancesin cancer research.
Hess found her research focus by chance. As an undergraduate at PennState, she envisioned a career studying infectious diseases for the Centers forDisease Control. But, while completing graduate work in anatomy and physi-ology at the University of Iowa, she worked side-by-side withmedical stu-dents in the lab of a professor whowas researching cancer.
“I saw it as a goodplace to get training,” she says. “Andas I got involved in can-cer research, I sort of foundmyniche…andneverpursued infectiousdisease.”
Building on her earlier research in her BloomsburgUniversity lab, Hessand her students use techniques to decrease EphA2 inmelanoma cells,inhibiting the cells’ ability to invade, migrate and grow.
A collaborator, Dr. Anil Sood at the University of Texas’ M.D. AndersonCancer Center, discovered that EphA2 also plays a role in ovarian cancer,Hess adds. Other researchers have investigated its role in the growth ofbreast, prostate and pancreatic cancers.
Hess and her students are using a technique developed in Sood’s laborato-ry to decrease EphA2 expression inmelanoma tumors. The ability to blockEphA2’s effectiveness in both cells and tumors offers hope for advances in theprevention and cure of cancer, she says.
“This research is very important becausemelanomabecomes the greatesthealth riskwhen itmetastasizes,” says JillianKida of Boyertown, a juniormedicalimagingmajorwho completedwork for her honors thesis inHess’ lab. “If the fac-tors causing that to happen are identified, it could be a target for treatment.”
Jonathan Busada, a seniormolecular biologymajor fromBloomsburg, iscompleting the second semester of an independent research project in Hess’lab. “I hope to go to grad school for cell/molecular biologywith research incancer or cancer biology,” he says. “I want to study cancer, directly because ofresearchwith Dr. Hess.”
Busada says his lab work has given him hands-on practice inmany of thetechniques discussed in his classes. “I am getting a peek into what it reallymeans to be a scientist.” •Former newspaper editor Sue A. Beard is a freelance writer based inGreencastle, Pa.
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY SAYS ABOUT 68,720 NEW CASES OF
MELANOMA WERE DIAGNOSED LAST YEAR AND 8,650 DEATHS WERE
RELATED TO THE DISEASE. A BU PROFESSOR’S RESEARCH SHOWS
PROMISE IN HINDERING THIS CANCER’S ABILITY TO GROW.
SkinDeep[ FACULTY PROFILE ]
by SUE A. BEARD
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THERE IS NO such thing as a “safe” tan, according to Angela R. Hess, assistantprofessor of biological and allied health sciences, who often speaks on the healthrisks of tanning — and tanning beds, in particular.
“Students think they can safely use a tanning bed to get a base tan before headingout for spring break. The truth is that tanning beds are very dangerous,” she says.
“Those 35 and younger face an eight-fold higher risk of developing melanoma if theyuse a tanning bed,” Hess warns. “And melanoma is the leading cause of death for womenbetween the ages of 25 and 29. It really is a danger people need to understand.”}
24 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
Everwondered how tomake a room your own? “Original artwork can be plugged into anyscenario,” says JOANNA ROE HOLLIS ’90. “It adds depth and personalizes the roommorethan a framed poster or print.” And, she adds, the artwork can be as simple as a child’sdrawing or as inexpensive as a painting from a college art show.
Hollis hasworked in interior design for the past 19 years. Her career began as a visualmer-chandiser for BananaRepublic andMacy’s, where she played amajor role in the renovation ofMacy’s at the King of PrussiaMall.More than 10 years ago, Hollis joined Sheffield Furnitureand Interiors, a residential interior design company inMalvern. “Imuch prefer residentialwork,” saysHollis. “Every job is different. Clients’ needs and tastes are always evolving.”
In today’s economy, hiring a professional designer can savemoney. Hollis admits furnish-ings are expensive but, if purchased correctly, they are a lifetime investment. “A professionalcan find quality pieces and help the client avoidmistakes,” she says.
Hollis, whosework has been featured in publications such asArchitectural Digest,ThePhiladelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Style, says she’s always felt comfortablewith colors anddesign.Her signature style? “I like clean shapes and contrastswith light and dark colors.”•
Make it Personal
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
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1949George Gehrig is historian ofTrinity Lutheran Church,Danville, and amember of theMontour CountyHistoricalSociety board of directors.
1960Dr. Carl L. Stanitskiwas the N.BalachandranVisiting Professorin Singapore and speaker at theSingapore OrthopaedicAssociation. He is an emeritusprofessor of OrthopaedicSurgery at theMedicalUniversity of South Carolina.
1963JanMagalengo started a special-ized advertising sales company,Mag/Net Enterprises, servingSchuylkill and Berks counties.
1969Patrick Steinbacher and hiswife, the former Pauline Eck,Jersey Shore, marked their 40thwedding anniversary onNov. 27,2009.
1973Alan Dakey is president andCEO of People’s National Bank,Hallstead.
1974Rachel McClellan Kirksey isassistant principal atEisenhower Science andTechnology LeadershipAcademy in NorristownAreaSchool District.
Mike Kopp, coach of theAllentown Central Catholicgirls’ basketball team, becamethe Pennsylvania high schoolbasketball coachwith themostwins for girls’ or boys’ teamsafter scoring his 802nd careervictory in the Lehigh ValleyConference.
Ron Sheehan, an NCAADivision II wrestling champion,was profiled inAmateurWrestlingNews.
1975JosephT.DiGiacomo ismanag-
ing director andhead ofMidCapAdvisors’ trans-portation andlogistics specialty
practice group in the investmentbanking firm’s Philadelphiaoffice.
Ginger FarnhamMcCoy,speech therapist in the NorthernCambria School District,received the LaurettaWoodsonAward from the PennsylvaniaAssociation of School Retirees.
1979Karen Yefko Ryan, Forty Fort,joined the real estate office ofPrudential, Poggi and Jones.
Donald L.Wiest II is vice presi-dent and senior investment offi-cer forMetro Bank, servingcounties in central Pennsylvania.
1980Michael L. Mixell is a partnerwith the legal firm of Barley
Snyder,Lancaster. Heholds a juris doc-torate from thePennsylvania
State University DickinsonSchool of Law.
1981Laura Coates Kline, chief finan-cial officer of the civil engineer-ing firm Bowyer-Singleton &Associates, was recognized bytheOrlando (Fla.) BusinessJournal.
BrianMahlstedt, SouthAbington Township, is vicepresident and commercialrelationshipmanager forPennstar Bank.
1982Rick DiLiberto, an attorney,was reappointed to a three-yearterm as chair of the DelawareCommission on ItalianHeritageand Culture by Gov. JackMarkell.
Scott Ahlum, Orefield, is corpo-rate controller forTheManhattanClub, NewYork City.
Northeastern PennsylvaniaChapter. She is vice president ofuniversity advancement atMisericordia University.
ChristineMentesana Sorrentois enrollment development spe-cialist for New Jersey’s GeorgianCourt University atWoodbridgeoff-site campuses.
Susan Petty VanHorn is localmanager for FrontierCommunications’ Clarks Summitand Tunkhannockmarkets.
1984David B. Gasswas appointed to
the ArizonaSuperior Court inJanuary 2009 byformer Gov. JanetNapolitano.
1985Louis Lesh is chief anesthetistfor obstetrics at a Jacksonville,Fla., medical center. A combatveteran of Operation DesertStorm, he served in the U.S.NavyNurse Corps from 1986 to1999.
1986Rev. Chet Snyder, BloomsburgUniversity Catholic campusminister from 1983 to 1994, istemporarily leading the CatholicDiocese of Harrisburg until anew bishop is named.
1987Elizabeth Pitts Perrong, vice
president ofhuman resourcesfor the GreaterHazletonHealthAlliance, is an
adjunct instructor at Penn StateHazleton.
1989Kelly Cuthbert Jamesonreleased her second novel,Shards of Summer.
1993Charles “Chuck” Budris isdirector of medical physics andradiation safety officer at ShorePoint Radiation OncologyCenter, Lakewood, N.J.
Kurt Davidheiser, Boyertown,is amember of the board ofdirectors of theMontgomeryCounty Association of Realtors.
Maj.RickyL.Huggler is servingwith the ArmyReserves in sup-port of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1994Matthew Clavin, assistant pro-fessor of history at theUniversity ofWest Florida, is
LynneWetzel Hausman, med-ical-surgical nursing coordina-tor at Schuylkill Health Schoolof Nursing, earned the designa-tion of certified nurse educator.She has been a nurse educatorsince 1989.
A scholarship, a remembranceWhen longtime teacher JESSIE PROPST WEARNE ’44 died in May2009, her husband, Leonard, believed the best way for her memory to
live on was through a scholarship. BU studentsmajoring in elementary education will benefit fromthe scholarship he established in her memorybeginning fall 2011.
A 1938 graduate of Scranton Central HighSchool, Wearne taught students in first through fifthgrades for eight years in the Benton TownshipSchool, Lackawanna County, and 37 years in the
Muhlenberg School District, Berks County.
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CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE
26 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
RickHontzwon a Fort CollinsColoradoanmagazine contest forhis image of dark horses againsta snowy landscape.
Stephen Lilley, Conyngham, is amortgage loan officer forCitizen’s Bank andmember ofthe Pennsylvania Board ofRealtors.
1995Air ForceMaj. Michael A.Kwasnoski returned to theUnited States after serving inAfghanistan in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom.He is assigned to the 43rdComptroller Squadron at PopeAir Force Base, Fayetteville, N.C.
Marsha Ann Tate ’95M, librari-an andWeb site coordinator forPenn State’s department of plantpathology, is the author of thesecond edition ofWebWisdom:How to Evaluate and CreateInformation Quality on theWeb.
1996Christopher Knarr,Mechanicsburg, a communitydevelopment specialist withRETTEW, is chairman of theCumberland County PlanningCommission. Hewas appointedsecretary for the Tri-CountyRegional Planning Commission,which serves Dauphin,Cumberland and Perry counties.
Amy Fitzgerald Solomon, NewColumbia, is vice president ofadministration forEconomicsPennsylvania,Selinsgrove, a non-profit eco-nomic education and financialliteracy organization.
1997Andy Petroski ’97M, a facultymember and director of learningtechnologies at the HarrisburgUniversity of Science andTechnology, received TechnologyEducator of the Year honors dur-ing the TECHQuest PA 2010TechnologyAwards Gala inFebruary.
1998David J. Engelhardtwas electedpresident of the Salisbury (Md.)Jaycees.
Kirk Ream is owner and opera-tor of Transformation Training& Fitness, Carlisle.
John Stillo is assistant principalat PhillipsburgMiddle School.
2000ArmyMaj. Michael Morella, astrategic intelligence officer,attended the National DefenseIntelligence College in August2009.
Courtney Solomon is a partnerin the firm of Herring &Roll,Sunbury.
2001Susanne Kane teaches highschool for the HazletonAreaSchool District.
2002ClintWillman, a business edu-cation teacher at LandisvilleMiddle School, opened acarpet cleaning business.
Rachel Melnick completed herdoctorate in plantpathology fromPennState,whichincluded researchondeveloping
sustainable diseasemanagementoptions for chocolate trees. She isa researchplant pathologist at theUSDA-ARSSustainable PerennialCropsLab,Beltsville,Md.
GinaMattivi, NewYork, is alicensedmaster social workerand assistant program directorat BronxWorks.
Goss leads PACFEDAVID E. GOSS ’74 is serving as president of the Central PennsylvaniaChapter of Certified Fraud Examiners (PACFE). He leads the organizationwhich is dedicated to continuing education and training for accountants,auditors and investigators employed as fraud examiners.
Goss, who works in ParenteBeard’s forensic and litigation servicesgroup, is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 35 years experi-ence in the audit and accounting fields, including a variety of fraud andforensics investigations for manufacturing companies throughoutNorth America and overseas. He also has conducted compliance-typeaudits related to sales incentive and warranty cost areas.
Certified in financial forensics, Goss is a member of the AmericanInstitute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute ofCertified Public Accountants, the Association of Certified FraudExaminers and the Institute of internal Auditors.
Five honored with alumni awardsThe long-time director of BU’s Quest program and four alumni receivedawards from the Alumni Association during Alumni Weekend in April.
The honorees are Roy Smith, director emeritus of BU’s Quest andCorporate Institute, honorary alumnus award; Grace Coleman ’86/’87M
and Kathryn Guyer Tuoni ’82, distinguished serviceawards; and Vincent Urick ’01 and Bonnie Adams’96, young alumni of the year awards.
- Smith, of Bloomsburg, retired last year asdirector of BU’s Quest Program and CorporateInstitute, programs that have provided hands-onleadership experiences to hundreds of BU students.
- Coleman, of Aliquippa, executive director ofCrisis Center North: Domestic Violence Counselingand Education Resource Center, received twofederal and state Congressional citations andsecured more than $3.8 million in grants since1995 to support domestic violence education andprotection services.
- Tuoni, of Garnet Valley, president ofInternational Direct Response: Direct ResponseMarketing and Promotional Agency, is the chairand co-founder of Power of Pink Inc., a non-profitorganization that promotes awareness, educationand research on women’s health care issues.
- Urick, of Alexandria, Va., unit head, U.S. NavalResearch Laboratory, is the author of 52 technicalpublications, including 19 journal articles and threepatent applications. He received the 2007Department of the Navy Top Scientists of the YearAward and a 2007 Navy Meritorious UnitCommendation Award (see story page 16).
- Adams, of South Easton, Mass., senior staffsystems engineer at Lockheed Martin Corp., wasrecognized by Cambridge Who’s Who forProfessionals in 2009 and has received 13 recogni-tion awards for professional achievements. Sheholds one U.S. patent and has submitted a relatedpatent application.
The honorary alumnus award recognizes indi-viduals who have played a significant role at BU.The distinguished service award and young alumniaward, for someone who graduated within the last15 years, honor those who have excelled in at leastone of the following areas: professional accom-plishments, service to Bloomsburg University or theAlumni Association or contributions to humanity.Adams
Smith
Coleman
Tuoni
Urick
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
husky notesCONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
CONTINUES ON PAGE 28
27S P R I N G 2 0 1 0
SUPERBOWL 2010. Sigma Iota Omega (SIO) brothers who gath-ered for a Super Bowl Party are, left to right, Greg Lawrence ’80,Bob Reitz ’80, Dan Confalone ’79, Al Bowen ’79 and Dale Reitz ’85.
SANKOFA. Alumni who participated in the 16th annual SankofaConference include, left to right: Lance Collier ’06; Joe Morris ’04;Madelyn Rodriguez ’95/’98M, BU’s director of multicultural affairs;Shawn Munford ’01; Lynette Luckers ’01, assistant director ofdiversity and retention; Kristin Mock Austin ’02, assistant director oforientation; Mitch Lee ’99; and Javius Galan ’09.
CAPITAL ALUMNI NETWORK. Alumni living in the Harrisburgregion held a recent mixer attended by more than 40 alumni andfriends including, left to right, Jake Miller ‘05, guest Devin Ackerman,A.J. Geiselman ’05 and Mark Roda ’04. The Capital Network will holdan annual alumni picnic on June 10 and a tailgate before the Huskiesfootball game against East Stroudsburg University on Oct. 2.
STUDENTS IN FREE ENTERPRISE. Duane Greenly '72, presidentand CEO of Ames True Temper, center of front row, spoke to membersof Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) about business success and the12 commandments of personal and professional ethics. SIFE mem-bers and advisers shown left to right with Greenly are, front row:Kelsey Weist, president, and Sayeem Karim, vice president; and backrow: Ruhul Amin, adviser; Jonathan Ohn, co-adviser; Gerard Barile,team manager; Brian Welch, treasurer; Kristyn Swingle, Erica Kuhlesand Jeff John, members; and Andrew Driver, secretary.
the LINEUPREUNIONS, NETWORKING, AND SPECIAL EVENTS
ON THE WEB WWW.BLOOMU.EDU
LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP. Twenty BU students received $700Alumni Legacy Scholarships for spring 2010 from the BU AlumniAssociation. Shown left to right, are, front row: Greg Bowden ’01,alumni board vice president; Amy Chronister ’05, board member atlarge; Christina Smith ’10; Emily Young ’11; and Devon Mills ’12;and, back row: Daniel Sheaffer ’11; Ryan Starrick ’13; BrendanClark ’12; Brian Fetterman ’12; Ryan Pohle ’11; Mike Strouse ’11;Chris Beadling ’94, alumni board president; and Lynne Homiak ’83,alumni board secretary. Alumni may apply for Legacy Scholarshipson behalf of their children who are current BU students by contact-ing the Alumni Office at (570) 389-4058 or [email protected] are chosen by random drawing each December.
28 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
JenniferWhitmer is a fourth-gradeteacher at the Selinsgrove IntermediateSchool.
2008Navy SeamanAshley L. Deprisco com-pleted basic training in Great Lakes, Ill.
Staff Sgt. MatthewMehalick serves withthe 193rd Special OperationsWing,Pennsylvania Air National Guard, as abioenvironmental engineering technicianand an occupational safety and health spe-cialist.
Navy SeamanAlicen R. Slygh completedbasic training in Great Lakes, Ill.
2009Vanessa Bucher completed an internshipat Hershey Entertainment and Resortsand is continuing her career inmanage-ment at Enterprises, Pottsville.
Colleen Kegerreis is a teacher and assis-tant coach at the HamburgArea SchoolDistrict, Berks County.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26
29S P R I N G 2 0 1 0
Mabel F. Belles ’33Anna Edwards Lindenmuth ’34John J. Butler ’35Julia Schlegel Clemons ’37Helen Derr Price ’39KathrynA. Hess ’43Col.William J. Davis, USMC (Ret.), V12 ’44-’45HaroldW. Swisher ’47EugeneM. Brady ’47Alvin E. Lutz ’49John C. Brown ’50Franklyn I. Geist Sr. ’52JohnM. Gembusia ’53Douglas I. Hayhurst ’53Theresa Charney Spiess ’53Edgar Berry ’54Alvin J. Davis ’56Joseph Keefer ’56FrankM. Kaminsky ’57RandallW. Arbogast ’58Mary Fritz Bower ’58LoisM.Miller ’59Paul A. Luzenski ’61Edward J. Fetzko ’62Delbert S. Fisher Jr. ’62Gary R. Kahler ’62John. E. Green ’63Barrie L.White ’65Roger H.Williams ’65
BIRTHS OBITUARIESTheresa VonTobel McGrath ’94 and hus-band,KevinMcGrath ’93, a son, John Kevin,Jan. 8, 2010
Jacquelyn Giles Dillersberger ’95 andhusband, Andy, a son, Andreas Liam,July 24, 2009
Rebecca Lehman ’95/’97M, and husband,Aleksandar Radovic, a son, Aidan Jovan,Oct. 8, 2009
ChristinaMurphy Sweeny ’95 and husband,Charles, a daughter, Faith Genevieve,June 26, 2008
Melissa Redmond Trala ’95 and husband,Thomas, a son, Lucas James, June 1, 2009
Kristin SnyderWest ’95 and husband,BrianWest ’96, a daughter, Alyssa Corinne,Nov. 6, 2009
Christy Shaffer Lusk ’96 and husband,Christopher Lusk ’95/’01M, a son,Cade Isaiah,March 16, 2009
Heather Sabol Russell ’97 and husband,Trigg, a son, Timothy Douglas,Jan. 20, 2010
BrendaMarshallWahlers ’98 and husband,BrianWahlers ’97, triplets, Chase Brian,DelaneyMay and EllaMargaret,Nov. 19, 2009
Cara Evangelista DeCicco ’99 andhusband, Joseph, a daughter, EllianaMarie,Nov. 3, 2009.
JenniferMarinari Kiley ’00 and husband,Bill, a son, GavinWilliam, Oct. 12, 2009
Susan BerrymanMoyer ’01 and husband,StevenMoyer ’99, a son, Shane P.,Aug. 7, 2009
Melinda Hill Einsla ’02 and husband, Brian,a son, RusselMartin, Jan. 6, 2010
Angela Pearly ’02 and husband, Robert, ason, Robert Lowell Jr., Oct. 21, 2008
Eric Kolva ’03 andwife, Carrie, a daughter,Peyton Olivia, July 14, 2009
Kathryn Lenker Yost ’66Rocant “Rocco” Gentele ’68Robert F. Deitrich Sr. ’69Bruce E.Wray II ’71James J. Horan Jr. ’72WilliamA. Bates ’73Joseph J. Gavel ’73John L. James ’74EdwardA. Kamenas ’75David J. Germano ’76Eileen Chissler Sabatino ’78Elizabeth O’Dell Spotts ’78Mark S. Brouse ’81Jean LindemanMarsicano ’81Laura Sioma ’81Daniel P. Bower ’85JamesWardHughes ’85Jeffrey S. Ellis ’86Connie Seidel Shoop ’88Jane Burger Hardy ’89/’02MChris Case Shultz ’90June E. Seeley ’95Matthew J.Monahan ’06Brock E. Choate ’08
Find more HUSKY NOTES online atwww.bloomualumni.com
Send information to:[email protected] AffairsFenstemaker Alumni HouseBloomsburg University of Pennsylvania400 E. Second StreetBloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815
A Tiffany skylight is illuminated above Carver Hall’sKenneth S. Gross Auditorium.
overthe shoulder
CommencementA Tradition at Bloomsburg for 140 Years
–––––––––––
by ROBERT DUNKELBERGER , UN IVERS ITY ARCH IV I ST
ONE OF THE most enduring traditions at any academicinstitution is commencement, when graduating seniorscelebrate the successful completion of their studies.The first officially recognized graduation ceremony atBloomsburg University was held on June 23, 1870,when the first normal school students received theirteaching certificates.
Spring commencements have been celebrated onevery day of the week and as early as May 2 (in 2009)and late as July 18 (in 1876). The first ceremony was asimple affair organized by Principal Henry Carver andmodeled after those previously held by the institution’spredecessor, the Bloomsburg Literary Institute.Graduating seniors read essays to demonstrate their
skills and knowledge,interspersed with musi-cal performances. Thefestivities soon expandedto almost a week’s worthof events featuring read-ings, music and presen-tation of the senior classhistory, prophecy andsong; a tree planting;concerts; an alumnireunion; athletic exhibi-tions; and baseballgames.
For the first 26 cere-monies, the number ofessays varied from 10 to20. Some were eliminat-ed due to the length ofthe ceremony and, whenclass size topped 100,only a small percentageof student essays could
Members of the Class of 1947 wait as commencement speaker, foreigncorrespondent Louis P. Lochner, left, and college president Harvey A.Andruss proceed to Carver Hall for the ceremony on May 26, 1947.
30 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
31S P R I N G 2 0 1 0
be read. In 1896, commencement essays were replacedwith an address by a commencement speaker, a tradi-tion which continues today. The majority of speakershave been educators, clergy or political figures, withnews correspondents and commentators in greatdemand during the 1940s. Notable speakers haveincluded Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who spoke at thecombined graduate/undergraduate winterceremony in 1996, andformer Pennsylvaniagovernors RaymondShafer, 1964; GeorgeLeader, 1974; RobertCasey, 1987; and MarkSchweiker ’75, 1995 and2003. Current VicePresident Joseph Bidenspoke to graduates in1977 and actor HughO’Brien delivered thecommencementaddress in 1991.
Two early com-mencement traditionshave fallen out offashion — the bac-calaureate sermon andIvy Day. PrincipalDavid J. Waller Jr., an ordained minister, presented thefirst baccalaureate sermon in 1879. This tradition con-tinued for more than 100 years, first featuring local andnationally known clergy and, later, coordinated by theProtestant and Catholic campus min-istries. Ivy Day, a tradition from 1906 to1964, featured a ceremony with music, aspeech and the planting of ivy next to acampus building to create “ivy-coveredhalls.”
Most students have graduated fromBU during the spring, with just one com-mencement ceremony held each yearuntilWorldWar II.Winter commence-ment was added in 1948, shifting fromJanuary to December in 1972 with achange in the academic calendar. A sepa-rate ceremony for the graduate collegebegan in 1995. Summer commencement,instituted in 1963, continued until 1992.
Acceptable attire for graduates haschanged since the normal school days. Dark suits formen and dresses in white or muted colors for womenwere in vogue in the 1800s. Eventually, graduatesadopted caps and gowns similar to those worn today,
preceding the faculty who first dressed in academicregalia for the 1927 ceremony. Likewise, the types ofgifts seniors leave behind have changed from personalitems for individual faculty members — such aswatches, tea sets and, even, furniture — to class gifts tothe institution, including books, scholarships, fountains,flags andmemorials.
Commencement was held in the auditorium inInstitute Hall, now Carver Hall, from 1870 through1956. With growing class sizes, the venue changedthree times over the following 12 years: Centennial
Hall, Haas Center for the Arts andthe grandstand at the BloomsburgFairgrounds. The fairgrounds werehome to the event from 1969 until2005, with the exception of the 1973ceremony at Nelson Field House.Graduation came back to campus in2006, whenmorning and afternoonceremonies were held in RedmanStadium to allow for an unlimitednumber of guests. The AcademicQuadrangle became the location forthe undergraduate spring celebra-tions in 2008, with Haas Center’sMitrani Hall the longtime home forall graduate ceremonies and winterundergraduate commencements.
The ceremony and its traditions will change witheach generation. But, as BU President David Soltz tellseach graduating class, commencement will always be abittersweet time of beginnings and endings. •
Graduates descend the Class of 1912 memorialsteps on their way to a winter commencementceremony in the early 1960s. Students used SeniorWalk for more than 50 years until it was removedfor the construction of the Scranton Commons.
Activities and Events
Academic CalendarSUMMER 2010Session I – May 24 to July 2Session II – July 7 to Aug. 13Session III – May 24 to Aug. 13
New StudentActivitiesSummer Freshman OrientationTuesday, July 6
Act 101/EOP OrientationTuesday, July 6
Fall Freshman PreviewMonday through Thursday,June 7 to 10, and Mondaythrough Thursday, June 21 to 24
Transfer OrientationWednesday and Thursday,July 14 and 15
Non-Traditional/ACE OrientationSaturday, Aug. 28
Welcome WeekendThursday through Sunday,Aug. 26 to 29
Alumni EventsVisit www.bloomualumni.com fordetails or to register to attend.For information, contact theAlumni Affairs office at(570) 389-4058 or (800) 526-0254,or [email protected]
Harrisburg Region AlumniSummer PicnicThursday, June 10West Shore Elks Picnic Pavilion,Carlisle Pike, Camp Hill
Stratford ShakespeareFestival 2010Monday to Friday, July 19 to 23
Philadelphia Phillies Alumni DayTuesday, July 27, 7:05 p.m.Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Alumni Bloom @ the BeachSaturday, Aug. 7, 7 to 9 p.m.Seacrets, Ocean City, Md.
Special Events46th Annual Reading ConferenceThursday and Friday,May 13 and 14
Trash to TreasureSaturday, May 22, 9 a.m. to noon;early birds, 8 a.m.; Kehr UnionMulticultural Center and FiresideLounge; benefits the ColumbiaCounty UnitedWay. SponsorsincludeWHLM-Radio and BU.
Math and Science CampsSummer Experience, sixth-through eighth-graders,Monday to Thursday,June 21 to 24.For more information,[email protected] (570) 389-4508.
Athletic Hall of Fame InductionFriday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m.Kehr UnionCall (570) 389-4413 for ticketsand information
Homecoming WeekendSaturday and Sunday,Oct. 23 and 24
Parents and Family WeekendFriday to Sunday,Oct. 8 to 10
Fourth Annual HuskyLeadership SummitSaturday, Nov. 13, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.Kehr Union Ballroom
Sports CampsFor more information, call KevinWood at (570) 389-4371 or go towww.bucamps.com. All dates aresubject to change.
BaseballBaseball Rookie Camp,July 12 to 15Baseball Camp 1, July 19 to 22Baseball Camp 2, July 26 to 29
BasketballBasketball Day Camp,June 14 to 17Girls Keystone State Camp,June 20 to 24 or July 31 to Aug. 4Boys Keystone State Camp,June 27 to July 1 or July 6 to 10
Field HockeyField Hockey CampWeek 1,Aug. 1 to 4Field Hockey CampWeek 2,Aug. 8 to 11
FootballFootball Youth Camp, June 7 to 9Football Team Camp, July 25 to 28
SoccerWomen’s Soccer Showcase,May 15 and 16Men’s Soccer Showcase,May 22 and 23UK Elite Boys’ Soccer YouthTournament, June 5 and 6Soccer Plus Camp (Boys andGirls), June 20 to 25Boys’ Soccer Youth Camp,July 12 to 16UK Elite Boys’ Soccer Camp,July 18 to 22
SoftballPitching Clinics, TBA
TennisWeek 1, June 19 to 23Week 2, July 24 to 28
WrestlingParent/Child 1, June 18 to 20Parent/Child 2, June 25 to 27Big Brother, June 25 to 27Senior High Team Camp 1,July 11 to 17Senior High Team Camp 2,July 18 to 22Intensive, July 11 to 17Junior and Senior HighTechnique Camp 2,July 18 to 24Husky Training Camp Special,July 11 to 22
For the latest information on upcoming events, check the university Web site, www.bloomu.edu.
BU’s Student Dance Ensemble performs in Haas Center for the Arts.
CaLENDaRActivities and Events
32 B L O OM S B U R G U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A
THE UNIVERSITY STOREBLOOMSBURG MEMORIES
WWW.BLOOMU.EDU/STORE
“Everymemory of looking out the back door, I have thephoto album spread out onmy bedroom floor. It's hardto say it, time to say it, goodbye, goodbye,” sang the rockgroupNickelback in 2005. The band’s song “Photograph,”written about reflection, could also sum up the bitter-sweet emotions students experience as they leave collegeto enter the “real world.”
The University Store offers items all Bloomsburggraduates canwear, display and enjoy as they hold on towarm collegememories. Consider giftware or clothing,like an alumni cap, T-shirt, sweatshirt, travel mug,license plate frame or decal for a special graduation gift.Or, perhaps, a diploma frame, BU afghan, stadiumblanket or chair. BU insignia gifts, from T-shirts, sweat-shirts and caps to pennants, glassware and stuffedanimals, are great gifts for all ages, including the specialhigh school gradwhowill soon become a BU freshman.Can’t decide? Gift cards are available in any amount.
TheUniversity Store offers the convenience of shoppingonline for hundreds of items at www.bloomu.edu/store.For a traditional shopping experience, the UniversityStore is open seven days a week during the academicyear andMondays through Fridays during the summer.Stop by in person or online for everything BU.
TH E U N I V E R S IT Y STO R E400 East Second Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815General Information: (570) 389-4175Customer Service: (570) [email protected]/STORE
Monday through Thursday: 7:45 a.m. to 8 p.m.Friday: 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Sunday: Noon to 4:30 p.m.SUMMER HOURSMonday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Closed on Saturday and Sunday
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
P A I D
CLEVELAND, OH
PERMIT NO. 1702
CELEBRITY ARTIST SERIES PRESENTATIONS
1011050113Office of Communications400 East Second StreetBloomsburg, PA 17815-1301
PARENTS AND FAMILY WEEKENDFriday to Sunday, Oct. 8 to 10Boogie Wonder Band, Saturday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m.
HOMECOMING WEEKENDSaturday and Sunday, Oct. 23 and 24Eagles tribute band, Hotel California, Saturday, Oct. 23, 8:30 p.m.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CELEBRITY ARTIST SERIES AT WWW.BLOOMU.EDU/CAS OR (570) 389-4409.
