Theatre 282 is a hands-on training course in which students work on all aspects of preparing a production. Each fall it is presented as Children’s Theatre, based on folk tales from various cultures.  This year the campus has its international focus on South Asia. For these folk tale productions, the students act as narrators, walls, props, and scenery. The actors begin preparing each story by creating physical actions for each scene using pantomime, followed later by dialog and narration. The audience members are encouraged to use their imaginations to help create the visual elements of the stories.

The Penn State Greater Allegheny theatre class has performed for hundreds of local school children, often in coordination with the PEPP program. For more information on South Asian Folk Tales or other Penn State Greater Allegheny theatre productions, contact Dr. Jay Breckenridge at 412-675-9464 or jxb17@psu.edu.

• Tuesday, January 8, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 16, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Monday, January 21, 10 a.m. to noon (Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday)*
• Monday, February 4, 6 to 8 p.m.

* Students who bring their transcripts that day may apply to Penn State Greater Allegheny and have their $50 application fee waived.

A number of Financial Aid Workshops will also be held at local high schools for those parents and students within the district:

• Monday, January 7 at Taylor Allderdice High School at 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 9 at Elizabeth Forward High School at 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, January 10 at Oliver High School at 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, January 15 at Thomas Jefferson High School at 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, January 17 at Westinghouse High School at 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, January 19 at the Westin Hotel in Pittsburgh sponsored by the Pittsburgh Recruitment Center and Urban League of Pittsburgh
• Wednesday, January 23 at South Allegheny High School at 6:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 30 at Perry High School at 6:30 p.m.

Register by calling 412-675-9010 or e-mailing psuga@psu.edu.

Penn State Greater Allegheny will host its fall commencement on Thursday, December 20, at 7:00 p.m. in Wunderley Gymnasium.  Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D. will preside as diplomas are conferred to forty individuals receiving baccalaureate and associate degrees.

Keynote speaker will be Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce president, Barbara A. McNees, who has served the organization, an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference of Community Development, since 1997.  The Chamber represents more than 500 businesses with more than one million employees across a 10-county area.  Under her leadership, the Chamber has sharpened its focus on the innovation behind the Pittsburgh economy and broadened the voice of the Chamber membership in Harrisburg and Washington, DC.

She is the lead strategist for regional lobbying efforts to improve the business climate and increase economic development and has played a lead role in local government reform. The first female president in the 126-year history of the Chamber, she has launched a Federal Advocacy Initiative to secure more federal dollars for the Pittsburgh region and created the Regional Advocacy Council, bringing together 27 business membership organizations from 10 counties to plan and pursue a shared advocacy strategy to improve the regions competitiveness and quality of life.

McNees is a member of the US Chamber Committee of 100, the Board of Directors of ACCE, and is a Director of Sky Bank. She chairs the Port of Pittsburgh Commission and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority for the City of Pittsburgh and has been honored for her leadership by the US Small Business Administration, Junior Achievement of Western PA, the Girl Scouts Trillium Council and the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh.  She also serves on the Board of Trustees of Robert Morris University and is a member of the Internal Women’s Forum and Past Chair of the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta.

McNees holds a B.A. in Independent Studies from Geneva College and certificates from the Institute for Organizational Management, University of Delaware and the National Development Council in Washington, D.C.  

For more information, contact Penn State Greater Allegheny at 412-675-9180.

The newsletter can be found here: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/news/newsletters/interview2007.html (select the December 3 issue).

The Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society hosted its nineteenth annual "Breakfast with Santa" on Saturday, December 8 from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the campus’ Student Community Center. The Society hosted nearly 100 children from Mon Valley area youth services agencies.

Fun filled activities and entertainment were provide throughout the morning. Children enjoyed a delicious breakfast, a visit with Santa, and a keepsake photo. Plenty of holiday magic memories including toys, candies, games and more for the little ones. Funding for this event was made possible through donations from local area businesses, alumni, advisory board members, staff, faculty, and friends of Penn State Greater Allegheny.

A crowd of 225 alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff gathered in the campus’ Student Community Center on Saturday, November 10, 2007 for the Advisory Board of Penn State Greater Allegheny’s fourth annual “All That’s Jazz” scholarship fundraiser. In just four years this event has raised more than $158,000 for student scholarships.(View photos from the event.)

At the close of the evening, Master of Ceremonies Sheldon Ingram of WTAE-TV announced that the event had raised $46,870.  The total continues to climb each day as additional gifts are added to the fund. “Everyone who worked on this event should be extremely proud,” said Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D. “We are going to help many students at a time when help is even more necessary and appreciated.”

Two student speakers Christopher Curtis of Lawrenceville, Ga., and Bradley Baldwin of McKeesport, Pa., told the crowd about how scholarship support helps take away some of the financial burden of attending college and allows them to concentrate on their studies and the co-curricular experiences offered on campus.

The highlight of the evening was the performance of jazz guitar greats John “Bucky” Pizzarelli, and Joe Negri. A musical quintet made up of David Pellow, Benny Benack, Jr., Craig Davis, Lenny Pruszynski and Benny Benack III, also wowed the audience with their performances on the William A. Seifert, Jr. Stage. Tom Roberts entertained guests on keyboard in the Robert and Elizabeth Ostermayer Room.

The Student Community Center was transformed into a sophisticated jazz nightclub. Featuring stunning flower arrangements and elegant table decor designed by The Tim Condron Design Group. Tabletops were adorned with candlesticks with blossoming fresh flowers. The Ostermayer room featured a dramatic centerpiece flower arraignment on a pedestal table that nearly touched the ceiling while cascading to the buffet table below. Spectacular flower displays decorated the entire building. Guests enjoyed delicious cuisine prepared by the campus’ Housing and Food Services staff.  A lavish display of hors d’oeuvre and delicacies were enjoyed by all. A live auction featuring autographed sports memorabilia, a new theme silent auction and the Blue and White “mystery” auction netted nearly $9,900 for the scholarship fund.

Assisting Event Chair Jacob Skezas, Advisory Board president in leadership roles were: Sponsorship Co-Chairs Joseph M. Hohman, Nancy Traina, and Clifford Wise, along with Host Committee Co-Chairs Mary Del Brady, and Pastor Earlene Coleman. They were joined by Nicole Lobaugh, chair of the Auction Committee, and Nancy Seifert and David Pellow, Entertainment co-chairs.  These volunteers are supported by Advisory Board members, community leaders, alumni, friends, and faculty and staff, all working to make the event a success.

Honorary Committee members supporting the event included: Arthur L. Baldwin, Suzy and Jim Broadhurst, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Davenport, Sr., Franco Harris, Tom Hollander, The Honorable Dan and Shelly Onorato, Brandon Short, Bill and Rose Strickland, and William E. Trueheart and Carol A. Word.

All That’s Jazz underwriters included: Entertainment and Decorations Underwriter Nancy Seifert, and Supporters at the Patron level include Caseys Materials LLC, Directed Electronics, Gulf Materials, LLC, Ruth Hunt, and Nancy and John Traina.

Members of the Chancellor’s Circle included: Lou Anne Caligiuri, Dorothy and Ed Datemasch, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Ford Business Machines, Inc.-James M. Garlow, Mark R. Gruskin, Curtiss E. Porter, H.B. South Printers, Patty and Vic Orler, RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc., Resource Development Management, Inc., Margaret L. Signorella, UPMC McKeesport, Pat and Jay Winter, and Clifford and Barbara Wise.

Sponsors also include event Ambassadors: Mrs. Nadine E. Bognar, Tom and Judy Bruney,  Jendoco Construction Corporation, E. Carter Jones, Dr. and Mrs. Michael Kutsenkow, Nicole Lobaugh, Ross J. Nese, David J. Pasternak, Jill and Brian Pepka, Penn State Greater Allegheny Faculty and Staff Fund, The President’s Discretionary Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, Sharon and Gary L. Thomas, Tube City IMS Corporation, and Kirk and Charlene Urey.

All proceeds from the benefit will be added to the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship fund. Currently 80% of students enrolled at the campus depend on financial aid (mainly loans) to pay for their education.

“The event was successful in raising awareness of the importance of providing more scholarship assistance to our students,” said Pat Quinn Winter, director of development. “We are grateful to all our supporters who helped us reach our goal and are providing our students with the gift of education.”

Anyone interested in donating to the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship Fund can learn more by calling the Office of Institutional Advancement at 412-675-9048.

One of the two pieces, "Nebulous: Spasm: I," is the winner of the Leon A. Arkus Memorial Award. The work, shown below and to the left in a photograph by Hepner, consists of 12 separately framed prints, spanning an area 100 X 90".

The second, above and to the right and also photographed by Hepner, is called "Fallacious: Effigies." Its 12 separately framed pieces cover 140 X 42". 

Hepner will be a featured speaker on December 2, 2007 at the Heinz Galleries in the Carnegie. She will be addressing her "work and artworks in the related historical exhibition, the Popular Salon of the People" (http://www.cmoa.org/programs/exh.asp#gallerytalks).

Penn State Greater Allegheny's summer schedule is now posted online.

The online Summer 2008 schedule is updated nightly (http://soc.our.psu.edu/soc/summer/mk/index.html). 

All summer scheduling across the University begins Monday, February 11, 2008.

Students from any Penn State campus can schedule a summer course at Penn State Greater Allegheny using eLion. 

Non-Penn State students with a high school diploma can also schedule after completing a nondegree student application and submitting to the Campus Registrar's Office, 102 Frable Building, Penn State Greater Allegheny, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport, PA, 15132 (412-675-9170; PSUGA-Registrar@psu.edu).

High school students interested in taking a summer class should follow the instructions at http://www.ga.psu.edu/Admissions/dualenrollment.htm .

The course schedule has been designed to offer the most sought after courses by our students during the summer break. Highlights of the summer schedule include:

• Several accelerated sessions allowing students to earn credits in an expedited manner. 
• English, IST, psychology, kinesiology and other courses offered via the web, allowing students to work at home for added convenience. 
• Biology and chemistry offerings that include general education courses as well as those that satisfy requirements for a variety of majors, includng pre-med. 
• IST support of option courses: PSYCH 100, and PSYCH 221 (web based). 
• Courses available to foster multicultural understanding and satisfy the University and B.A. diversity requirements. 
• Selection of general education courses to appeal to a variety of student interests. 
• An assortment of courses to fulfill requirements for Business, IST, and Psychology majors.
• Math offerings with small class sizes for more individualized attention.

For more information, contact:
Academic Affairs Office
104 Frable Building
412-675-9140
PSUGA-academics@psu.edu

For more about Soulsby's background and interests, view the video of her welcome reception.

Dr. MaryEllen Higgins, associate professor of English, introduced the campus to her new book, the Historical Dictionary of French Cinema, during a book signing and reading in Kelly Library on November 13. The book, which Dr. Higgins co-authored with Dr. Dayna Osherwitz from Southern Methodist University, was published by Scarecrow Press.

The reading by Dr. Higgins included a general overview of the book, and selections from two entries. The first entry, whose primary author was Dr. Osherwitz, was on Alice Guy (1873-1968). The authors argue that Guy, a director and screenwriter, should be credited with making the first narrative film. The second entry, primarily authored by Dr. Higgins, was on the 1980s-1990s: "Heritage, Plurality, and the Look."

This presentation is part of the campus focus this year on South Asia.

Penn State Outreach for Fall 2007 has an article about the partnership between the campus and a local company.

The article features both the successful internship program for Greater Allegheny baccalaureate engineering students and the associate degree program in partnership with the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC).

The interns, shown in the picture to the right, worked on site for two semesters and also took courses in management, resulting in a credit certificate in Precision Manufacturing Management. Their experiences are detailed in a Penn State Live article.

Students in the associate degree program take three semesters at CCAC and one semester on site at Maglev, Inc., taking Penn State courses in precision manufacturing.

Please join us on Veteran's Day, Monday, November 12 anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to complete your Penn State Greater Allegheny Application.

Students are encouraged to bring official copies of their transcripts, which will expedite the processing of the applications.

The workshop will be held in the lower level of the Crawford Building in Computer Lab 001. The Crawford Building is located behind the Student Community Center.

To register for the workshop or for more information about applying to Penn State, call 412-675-9010 or e-mail psuga@psu.edu. Be sure to bring a friend!

World renowned classic jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and Pittsburgh’s own Joe Negri will headline Penn State Greater Allegheny’s fourth annual All That’s Jazz scholarship benefit on Saturday, November 10, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. in the campus’ Student Community Center.Proceeds will be added to the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship Fund.

In just three short years the event has provided almost $111,000 in student aid. This year the Penn State Greater Allegheny Advisory Board hopes to raise $60,000 for student scholarships. Event Chair Jacob Skezas and the All That’s Jazz Committee are planning an exciting evening of classic jazz, delicious food, a live auction, the new silent “theme auction” and the popular Blue and White “mystery” auction. Check out some of the LIVE AUCTION items!

Assisting Jacob Skezas, Advisory Board President in leadership roles are: Sponsorship Co-Chairs Joseph M. Hohman, Nancy Traina, and Clifford Wise, along with Host Committee Co-Chairs Mary Del Brady, and Pastor Earlene Coleman. They are joined by Nicole Lobaugh Chair of the Auction Committee, and Nancy Seifert and David Pellow Entertainment Co-Chairs.  These volunteers are supported by Advisory Board members, community leaders, alumni, friends, and faculty and staff, all working to make the event a success.

HONORARY Committee members include: Arthur L. Baldwin, Suzy & Jim Broadhurst, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Davenport, Sr., Franco Harris, Tom Hollander, The Honorable Dan Shelly Onorato, Brandon Short, Bill & Rose Strickland, William E. Trueheart and Carol A. Word.

All That’s Jazz underwriters include: Entertainment and Decorations Underwriter Nancy Seifert, and Supporters at the Patron level include Directed Electronics, Gulf Materials, LLC, Ruth Hunt, and Nancy and John Traina.

Members of the Chancellor’s Circle include: Lou Anne Caligiuri, Dorothy and Ed Datemasch, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Ford Business Machines, Inc., Mark R. Gruskin, Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D., H.B. South Printers, Patty and Vic Orler, RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc., Resource Development Management, Inc., Margaret L. Signorella, Ph.D., UPMC McKeesport, Pat and Jay Winter, and Clifford and Barbara Wise. Sponsors also include event Ambassadors: Mrs. Nadine E. Bognar, Tom and Judy Bruney, Jendoco Construction Corporation, E. Carter Jones, Dr. and Mrs. Michael Kutsenkow, Nicole Lobaugh, Ross Nese, David J. Pasternak, Jill and Brian Pepka, Penn State Greater Allegheny Faculty and Staff Fund, The President’s Discretionary Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, Sharon and Gary L. Thomas, Tube City IMS Corporation, and Kirk and Charlene Urey.

Proceeds to Benefit the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship Fund

All proceeds from the benefit will be added to the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship fund. Currently 80% of students enrolled at the campus depend on financial aid (mainly loans) to pay for their education.

“Scholarship funds have become increasingly important to our students and their families. These funds can make the difference between students staying in college or having to make some hard decisions about their futures,” said Penn State Greater Allegheny Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, Ph.D. “By supporting the scholarship fund, we are helping the next generation of leaders achieve their educational and personal goals.”

The public is invited to join in the festivities to help support this worthy cause. Tickets are $75 each and 10 for $600. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Information on tickets and sponsorships can be obtained by calling Penn State Greater Allegheny at 412-675-9048.

As Dr. MaryEllen Higgins, associate professor of English and one of the Teaching South Asia leaders, described the event, "student competitors give a 5-10 minute interpretation of the story....This interpretation can be a painting, a poster presentation, a reading of a short paper, a theatrical performance, etc. The presentations are judged based on the sophistication of the analysis, creativity, clarity, research, preparedness,  and attention to the details of the story."

For example, Dr. Mildred Mickle had the students in her ENGL 003S, Traditions in American Literature, discuss the gender relations, the meaning of the Hindu goddess Durga, and the idea of rebellion against societal conventions that hinder individuality and that are inherently illogical, among other things. Students compared the protagonist's rebellion with situations they encountered in their own lives. We then went on to compare and contrast "Good Girls Are Bad News" with Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a satire on the American Revolution and the events that followed in the first 100 years of America's nationhood as well as a critique of societal conventions that hinder individuality and critical thinking.

On October 11, three student teams participated (view competition slide show). The judges were Sara Ahrens, campus civic engagement coordinator, and Dr. Richard Frushell, professor emeritus of English and comparative literature.

The winning team was Alyssa Fine and Shaina Ott.

Also winning a prize was Dr. Doretta Whalen, adjunct music instructor, for having the most students attend the competition.

Penn State Greater Allegheny qualified to host a chapter of Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology. The chapter was installed on Monday October 22, 2007 and the first students were inducted into the chapter.

Inducted and also assuming office were Jessica Rybar, President; Erika R. Thornton, Vice President; Elyse N. Walsh, Secretary;  and Theodore J. Werner III, Treasurer. The other students inducted were Tiffany K. Ball, Todd J. Berta, Ramesh K. Palepu, Lacey J. Richards, and Stefanie H. Vigar.

Psi Chi was founded on September 4, 1929, during the Ninth International Congress of Psychology held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The Society’s purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship, and to advance the science of psychology. Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the world. Since 1929, Psi Chi has installed more than 1,050 chapters and inducted more than 500,000 members at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. These chapters not only recognize academic achievement by granting membership in the Society, but also sponsor programs that augment the regular curriculum, offer service to the campus and the community at large, develop leadership skills, and provide fellowship through affiliation with the chapter. For more information about Psi Chi and its grants, awards, and service programs, go to the Psi Chi website at http://www.psichi.org/. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and an affiliate of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.

Each fall, Penn State Greater Allegheny welcomes prospective students and parents to explore the campus and get a first-hand look at what life is like at Penn State Greater Allegheny. This year, our PENN STATE DAY will be Monday, October 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Registration will occur at 8:45 a.m. Come meet our faculty, staff, and students and learn about our 160+ majors, the admission process, financial aid, scholarships, athletic programs, student clubs and much more. To register for the event, call 412-675-9010, e-mail psuga@psu.edu, or use Penn State Greater Allegheny's visitation site.

Penn State Greater Allegheny will be on the road this fall and looks forward to meeting you! You can catch us at high school visits in the Pittsburgh area, Alabama, and Philadelphia. Also, be sure to visit us at college fairs in the Pittsburgh area, Alabama, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Baltimore. Use the links above to check out our complete schedule.

HIGH SCHOOL VISITS
Pittsburgh Area High School Visits

• Baldwin, Sept. 17 
• Bethel Park, Sept. 18 
• Brashear, tba 
• Brentwood, Sept. 17 
• CAPA, tba
• Carrick, Sept. 21 
• Central Catholic, tba
• Clairton, tba
• Derry Area, Spet. 20 
• East Allegheny, Sept. 19 
• Elizabeth Forward, Sept. 25
• Ellis, Oct. 3 
• Gateway, Sept. 25
• Greater Latrobe, tba
• Greensburg Central Catholic, Oct. 11 
• Greensburg Salem, Oct. 10 
• Hempfield, Oct. 4 
• Immani Christian Academy, tba 
• Jeannette, Oct. 5 
• Keystone Oaks, Oct. 4
• Laurel Valley, tba
• Ligonier Valley, Oct. 5 
• McKeesport, Oct. 10 
• Mt. Lebanon, Oct. 2 
• Norwin, Sept. 27 
• Oakland Catholic, tba
• Peabody, Oct. 3 
• Penn Trafford, Oct. 2 
• Ringgold, Oct. 12 
• Schenley, tba
• Serra Catholic, Oct. 11 
• Seton LaSalle, Sept. 20 
• South Allegheny, Oct. 4 
• South Park, Sept. 19 
• Steel Valley, Sept. 27
• Taylor Allderdice, tba
• Thomas Jefferson, Sept. 17 
• Upper St. Clair, Oct. 2 
• West Mifflin, Oct. 24 
• Wilkinsburg, tba
• Wilson Christian, Oct. 4 
• Winchester Thurston, Oct. 2 
• Woodland Hills, tba
• Yough, tba

Alabama High School Visits

• A. H. Parker, Sept. 13
• Carol B. Hayes, Sept. 11
• George Washington Carver, Sept. 12
• P. D. Jackson-Olin, Sept. 13
• Riggins Alternative School (TOAR), Sept. 10
• Ramsay, Sept. 10
• Vestavia Hills City Schools, Sept. 14
• Wenonah, Sept. 12
• West End, Sept. 10
• Woodlawn, Sept. 14

Philadelphia High School Visits

• tba

COLLEGE FAIRS
Pittsburgh Area College Fairs

• Community College of Allegheny County, Allegheny (transfer day), tba
• Community College of Allegheny County, Boyce (transfer day), Oct. 31 
• Community College of Allegheny County, South (transfer day), Oct. 24
• Duquesne University, Sept. 16
• Elizabeth Forward High School, Sept. 25
• Keystone Oaks High School, Sept. 18
• Oakland Catholic, Oct. 18 
• Peters High School, Sept. 25
• Westmoreland County Community College, Sept. 19
• Westmoreland County Community College (transfer day), Oct. 10
• Woodland Hills High School, Sept. 18

Alabama College Fairs

• Junior League of Montgomery at the Garrett Coliseum, Sept. 17

Philadelphia College Fairs

• Philadelphia Convention Center, Nov. 4

Washington DC College Fairs

• Washington Convention Center, Nov. 8

Baltimore College Fairs

• Baltimore Convention Center, Nov. 12 & 13

Galen Grimes, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State Greater Allegheny, was recently published in the Communications of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), the journal of the ACM, an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to advancing the art, science, engineering and application of information technology.

Grimes article, "Compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003," was the summation of his research study to test overall compliance with a Federal law in existence since 2003.  The law, Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003, was a governmental attempt to eliminate or reduce unsolicited commercial emails (UCE).  Grimes' article was one of several featured in the February, 2007 edition of the journal which was devoted to spam and the battle for the inbox by online advertisers.

Grimes designed his research study with the use of five different email accounts in 2004, the author's university and personal accounts , plus three additional accounts set up through Yahoo Mail.   Another, but smaller study of email messages was done in 2006 using only the author's university and personal email accounts.  

Grimes' study focused on those areas of the CAN-SPAM act which would indicate compliance with the law from the perspective of a typical email user.   Those areas examined were:
• Subject line content -- could the email message be determined by examining the subject line?
• Address of sender…did the email contain the physical address of the advertiser? (A POB not permitted)
• Opt-out - did the email message contain a functional way for the email receiver to remove himself from the database of the spam sender?
• Sexually explicit message -- was the email message identified as containing a sexually explicit message?

Grimes research concluded that compliance with the CAN-SPAM act six months after its passage was very low with only 14.3% of spam messages meeting the very limited standards laid out in the study.  Two years later, the rate of compliance had dropped even further to 5.7%.  

The article states that although U.S. authorities have attempted litigation in more than 50 instances, the threat of litigation has not been a strong deterrent, with the amount of spam continuing to increase yearly.  Grimes concludes that while the CAN-SPAM act receives criticism, it may be only the first step to controlling spam with additional amendments to the law needed to strengthen the legislation.

Grimes has been teaching at Penn State Greater Allegheny since 1999.  He became a tenured member of the University's faculty in 2007.   His research focuses on spam and network security.

Join Penn State Greater Allegheny in celebrating its past and for a special convocation of the University community examining new models for the region's future on Monday, Oct. 22. Activities begin with a reception at 6 p.m. in the Student Community Center's U.S. Steel Corp. Concourse, followed by a presentation at 7 p.m. in the Robert and Elizabeth Ostermayer Room.

Keynote speaker will be Dr. Lakshman Yapa, professor of geography and known for his work on poverty alleviation, economic development and outreach scholarship, will share lessons learned from his work with The Philadelphia Project at 7:30 p.m. in the Ostermayer Room. His presentation will be "Public Scholarship and the Responsibility of the University to Society." 

Dr. Yapa teaches courses on poverty, economic development, and outreach scholarship. He is the director of the project titled, "Rethinking Urban Poverty: Philadelphia Field Project," a course in outreach, service learning and public scholarship. He has won several university and national awards for his work on poverty alleviation. In 2006 he won the President's Award  for Excellence in Academic Integration of Teaching, Research, and Service.  In 2002 he won the National Association for Multicultural Education Program Award and in 2000 he won the Faculty Outreach Award for his work on urban poverty in Philadelphia.

The presentation will be on Tuesday September 18 from 12-1:30 p.m. in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center.

Dr. Clothey focuses on myth, symbol, and ritual in his research, the role of religion in politics, identity-formation and resurgent nationalisms, and the character of religion in contemporary South Asia and among expatriated South Asians. He has edited Experiencing Siva (1984) and Images of Man (1983: Essays on Religion and Historical Process in South Asia). His current research is culminating in two books: Religion in India: A Historical Introduction (forthcoming) a textbook for undergraduates; and Ritualizing on the Boundaries (forthcoming), a study of the role of ritual amongst overseas Tamils. He has also produced six documentary films that highlight the festival experience in South Asia including Yakam: A Fire Ritual in South Asia, Skanda-Sasti: Pankuni Uttiram: A Festival of Marriage, and Skanda-Sasti: A Festival of Conquest.

Santora was a member of the Fall 2007 Orientation Committee and led a student team that produced an introductory video for the new students. She has also worked on several new media projects as part of the Communications curriculum.

Each fall, Penn State Greater Allegheny hosts an Open House and welcomes prospective students and parents to explore the campus and get a first-hand look at what life is like at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Meet our faculty, staff, and students and learn about 160+ majors, the admission process, financial aid, scholarships, athletic programs, student clubs and much more. The event will be held:

Monday, October 22, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Ostermayer Room, Student Community Center
Visitor parking is available in the Red Lot directly across from the Student Community Center

Information for visitors can be accessed here. To register for the event, call 412-675-9010, e-mail psuga@psu.edu, or use our online visitation site.

Join us for an exclusive workshop just for parents of high school juniors and seniors focusing on the basics of applying and paying for college. This workshop is a service of Penn State Greater Allegheny and will include general information to help you understand what colleges and universities require and look for in making admission decisions and awarding student financial aid. The event will be held:

Wedesday, September 12, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Ostermayer Room, Student Community Center
Visitor parking is available in the Red Lot directly across from the Student Community Center

Read our 2007 For Parents Only Newsletter.

Information for visitors can be accessed here. To register for the event, call 412-675-9010, e-mail psuga@psu.edu, or use our visitation site.

Penn State Greater Allegheny is ready to welcome all new and transfer students during our "Something New...Something Great!"  Orientation program, August 24 and August 25, 2007.

New students will move into the residence hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday August 24^th and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday August 25^th. In addition to the students moving in, there will be 5 student resident hall assistants, as well as residence hall staff and student orientation leaders on hand to help students and their families during the move in process.   Students who arrive on Friday will be able to join their fellow Penn State students in the region for the annual Gateway Clipper dance cruise. Tickets for the New Student Boat Ride/Dance are available on a first-come, first serve basis.  Buses will transport Penn State Greater Allegheny students to the Station Square dock at approximately 5:30 p.m.

During move-in, Penn State Greater Allegheny will have the following services available for students and their families: Academic Advising, Financial Aid, Housing and Food Services, Computer Services, the Bookstore, and Police Services. Campus offices will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to Noon on Saturday.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday August 25^th, orientation activities formally begin with a General Welcome in the Wunderley Gymnasium.  Activities for students include College meetings which will provide more information about majors and the college.  At noon there will be an all campus picnic, accompanied by music and dance from India. The picnic will take place on the Buck Green in front of the Student Community Center.  Meetings with advisers and team-building/leadership sessions are also planned for first year students. For parents, an academic information session is planned, aimed at answering common questions. The day will conclude with an ice cream social hosted by the PSUGA Alumni Society.

Classes begin on August 27^th, and welcome activities for both new and returning students will continue. Activities currently scheduled for the week of August 26 include a luau and picnic games for residence hall students, a movie on the lawn, a volleyball tournament, bowling, a welcome back picnic for the entire campus community, an activities fair and a welcome back mixer for all students. 

Please contact Marlene Hetrick at 412-675-9052 or psuga-academics@psu.edu for more information

Five Penn State Greater Allegheny Faculty received promotions effective July 1, 2007.

Promoted faculty pictured are (left to right) Dr. Clifford Manlove, Associate Professor of English; Dr. Verónica Montecinos, Professor of Sociology; Dr. MaryEllen Higgins, Associate Profesor of English; Dr.  Jay Breckenridge, Professor of Theater Arts; and Galen Grimes, Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology.  Manlove, Higgins, and Grimes were also granted tenure by the University.

Greater Allegheny had the distinction of having more faculty promotions than any University College campus for the 2007-08 academic year.

Galen Grimes joined the University as an instructor in 1999 and was moved into a tenure track position in 2001.  The first new faculty member hired for the campus's four-year Information, Sciences, and Technology program, Grimes has been instrumental in establishing the IST curriculum and in the development of new classes for the program.  A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh communications program as an undergraduate, Grimes continued his graduate studies at the school, receiving an M. S. in Information Sciences.  Research interests include network security and the  influence of spam on the computer user.

Both Dr. Higgins and Dr. Manlove became members of the campus's English Department in 2001.  Dr. Higgins completed her graduate studies at the University of Texas, receiving her Ph.D. and M.A. in Comparative Literature.  She earned a B. A. in English from Providence College.  Currently the Campus Department Coordinator for English, Higgins has been involved with the coordination of Short Course Study Abroad opportunities for Penn State Greater Allegheny students and the organization and funding for the Tournees Film Festival at the campus.  Her book, Historical Dictionary of French Cinema, was recently published by Scarecrow Press.  Research interests include African literature and cinema. 

Dr. Manlove received his B. A. in English from Drake University, studied abroad for a year concentrating in Welsh Literature at Trinity College in Wales, earned an M.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire and completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of Missouri.  Manlove is involved in the campus's international program and has been instrumental in planning trips abroad for campus students to Wales in 2004 and the upoming 2007-08 trip to Ireland.    Manlove has published works in postcolonial literature and reggae culture.   Current work includes editing and compiling for publication a comprehensive volume of the material which has appeared  in the Stars and Stripes, America's independent military newspaper,  during its 146 year history.

Professor Breckenridge has served the Unviersity since 1971.  Heading the Theatre Arts Department at the campus, Dr. Breckenridge adapts and directs two plays a year in which his students become involved in all aspects of the production from stage design to acting in the final work.  One presentation every year focuses on children's theatre.  These productions are performed by Penn State Greater Allegheny students at local elementary schools.  Breckenridge's D.A. was earned at Carnegie Mellon University, his M. A. was received from Penn State and undergraduate studies were completed at Thiel College.  Still active in the Greater Pittsburgh theatrical community, Breckenridge is on the Board of Directors and is the technical director for the Heritage Players of Bethel Park, a community theater.    Since 2005 he has been instrumental in capturing the oral history of the steel industry from Mon Valley residents.  Through research at the Rivers of Steel archives and recordng the words of local storytellers, Breckenridge is planning to mount the folk drama for presentation in Mon Valley communities.

Dr. Verónica Montecinos achieved the rank of Professor of Sociology, effective July 1.  Having joined Penn State in 1990,  Professor Montecinos has served the University and Commonwealth Colleges as Division Head and Discipline Coordinator for Social Sciences and Education from 2002 to the present.  Montecinos completed her undergraduate studies at the Institute of Sociology, Catholic University, in Chile.  Her M. A. degrees in Political Science and Sociology and her Ph.D. in Sociology were earned at the University of Pittsburgh.  An international scholar, Dr. Montecinos has been invited to present her work at conferences throughout the world.  Her research has focused on economics in the Americas and has been published in both English and Spanish.  Montecinos had led the campus's succesful internationalization of the curriculum campaign and is working to recruit students to the campus from other countries. 

Penn State Greater Allegheny has hired three new faculty to supplement its teaching staff.   Joining the PSUGA faculty ranks in 2007-08 are (in photograph left to right): James Pritchett, Instructor in Mathenmatics; Lori Hepner, Assistant Professor of Integrative Arts; and Johnathan White, Instructor in History. 

Ms. Hepner completed her M.F.A. in Digital Media from the Rhode Island School of Design.  She received her B.F.A. in Professional Photographic Illustration from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Hepner also completed studies to earn a Collegiate Teaching Certificate at Brown University and completed courses  in photography and sculpture at the University of Chicago. 

While at the Rhode Island School of Design, Ms. Hepner received the 2005 President's Award for Teaching and at the Rochester Institute of Design she was awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholarship Award. 

Since 2005, Ms. Hepner has been an Assistant Professor of New Media Design at the State University of New York College at Cortland. Previous teaching experience includes instructing at the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University.   Her creative works have been selected for invited and juried exhibitions both in this country and abroad. 

Joining the staff of the Academic and Career Excellence (ACE) program at Penn State Greater Allegheny for the academic year is Instructor in Mathematics, James Pritchett.  Mr. Pritchett joins the ACE staff from a position as associate teacher and mathematics tutor in the Wilkinsburg School District.  Previous teaching experience also includes service as an adjunct faculty member in algebra and fundamental mathematics for the Boyce Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County.

Mr. Pritchett received an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Howard University and completed his undergraduate work in Physics from Alabama A & M University.  He worked for 25 years for Westinghouse Elecgric Company where his duties included core design and safety analysis and as lead training specialist with the Core Technologies Department in the Nuclear Fuel Business Unit. 

Johnathan White, PSUGA's new Instructor in History,  is currently completing his doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh.  White expects to complete defense of his doctoral dissertation, "The 'Riff' Between Us:  An Analysis of Pittsburgh's Black Musicians Union, Local 471," during the 2007-08 academic year. 

Mr. White earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Clark Atlanta University and completed his M.A. in History at the University of Pittsburgh, concentrating in U.S. and African-American history.  An eight-time recipient of Pitt's Minority Summer Research Fellowship, White also received the K. LeRoy Irvin Minority Fellowship and the Provost Fellowship from the University.  Serving as a teaching assistant since 1998, White has taught a variety of college level history courses at the University of Pittsburgh including U. S. History, African-American history, the History of Sport and Western Civilization courses. 

This eleven-day tour will visit five locations—Dublin, Cork, Galway, Derry, and Belfast—and will pass through New Ross, Donegal, and Armagh. Walking and guided tours will take place at each location. Additionally, the tour features lectures on Irish-Anglo history and Irish immigration.
The study-tour is open to all Penn State students, faculty, staff, retirees, and alumni. Family and friends of Penn Staters are welcome to join us.

Penn State students may take the opportunity to earn academic credit for this travel experience by enrolling in one of the following classes: International Cultures through Literature and Film and Modern Irish Literature. The Ireland travel experience takes the place of regular class meetings for the spring semester of 2008. All courses require attendance at mandatory meetings prior to departure.

The cost for students will be approximately $2,200 ($500 Penn State Study Abroad Scholarships are available for qualified students). The fee for adults staying in a double-occupancy hotel room will be approximately $2,500. Which includes round-trip flights from Pittsburgh; all hotel stays in Ireland, motor coach transportation between the airport, hotels, cities, and sites, all guided walking tours, educational lectures, the assistance of Penn State faculty hosts and the EF Tour director, program fees, and taxes. The price does not include gratuities for tour guides and drivers, meals, or medical and travel insurance. Penn State requires that all participants have the appropriate medical insurance abroad.

For more information on the tour and to sign-up, please contact EF Educational Tours either by phone (1-800-457-9023 or 1-800-665-5364) or at their website (http://www.eftours.com/), using our “tour code”: 976564. To see a detailed itinerary, important dates, payment options, and travel tips, click on the orange link “for students and parents,” then select “check out your teacher’s tour” and enter our tour code number. There are a number of payment options; the best prices are reserved for those signing up by August 31.

You may also contact Dr. Manlove at ctm10@psu.edu, or at 724-523-5768. This will be the sixth Penn State Greater Allegheny international study-tour.

Dr. Irene Wolf spoke to students and faculty at the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang, China, on “How to Live the Good Life,” a discussion of virtue in Western culture.  She was introduced by Professor Yafei Wang,  a past visitor to Penn State.  Dr. Wolf was assisted with the interpretation by Enguang Wang with the International Cooperation and Exchange Department at Northeastern University in Shenyang. 

The entry, "Adolescent Social Networking On-Line: Birds of a Feather?," is part of a collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Mazur, associate professor of psychology.

Richards will present the poster and receive the award at the June 29 meeting of the PPA in Harrisburg.

CeCe McWilson, journalism major, will perform a solo dance from Bangladesh.  Dr.  Breckenridge will act as a cast member of the Heritage Players group performing American playwright Romulus Linney’s “Tennessee.”  The play is directed by Carol Schafer, associate professor Theatre Arts, Penn State Beaver.

The day long event is a celebration of the people, culture and languages that have come from around the world to make Pittsburgh their home. There will be several multicultural activities throughout the day. Sample ethnic foods, stop at information booths and review artistic displays. The Senator John Heinz Regional History Museum is the only Smithsonian-affiliated museum in the western Pennsylvania region.

The public is encouraged to attend this prestigious event. General admission to the Heinz History Museum is $7.50. Faculty and students may attend at no charge if they make a reservation with Dr. Choudhury via email at abcc2u@yahoo.com. The subject line should include “POP 26 May”. Students and faculty should also list Penn State name and department.

Spring commencement was celebrated at Penn State Greater Allegheny on Saturday, May 19 in Wunderely Gymnasium. Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter presided. Baccalaureate degrees were conferred upon 49 students. (View commencement photo slide show)

Student marshals for the campus baccalaureate degrees were Andrea Mirro (Business), Leslie A. DeZorzi (Communication), Aaron D. Mazek (Information Sciences & Technology), and R. Kumar Palepu (Applied Psychology). Student marshals carry the highest GPA of all graduates within that degree program.

Several students also were honored with Academic Excellence Awards: Jeremy A. Brubaker, David M. Crouch, Leslie A. Dezorzi, Michael C. Holland, Aaron D. Mazek, Andrea J. Mirro, R. Kumar  Palepu, Nathan R. Polnyj, James W. Strychalski, Kacie L. Thomas, Julie A. Toman. These awards are given to students achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.60 or higher who have attended Penn State Greater Allegheny for four or more semesters and who attend the graduation ceremony. 

Jay Breckenridge, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, performed his duties for the first time as campus marshal.  Dr. Breckenridge has 36 years of service to the University.  Program Marshals included Michelle Hough, Assistant Professor of Business Administration; Delia Conti, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences; Galen Grimes, Assistant Professor of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), and Margaret L. Signorella, Director of Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies

The keynote speaker was Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumnus James M. “Jay” Weitzel, Jr. Weitzel received a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts from Penn State in 1974 and a master of arts degree from Duquesne University, where he was a graduate teaching assistant. He earned his juris doctor degree from the Catholic University of America, where he was an editor of the Law Review.  He is a member of the bar in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

He attended Penn State Greater Allegheny as a freshman and sophomore from September 1970 to June 1972.  He co-founded the current campus radio station and was program director of the station. He also was a member of the Student Government Association (SGA), serving as the student representative to the Faculty Senate and was appointed to the Campus Supreme Court. He was the 1972 campus nominee and the Southwest Regional Finalist for the Eric A. and Josephine Walker Award. At University Park campus he was a member of the SGA and a staff columnist for the Daily Collegian.

Weitzel currently is senior counsel with Northrop Grumman Corporation, where he serves as legal advisor to the Civilian Agencies group of Northrop Grumman’s Information Technology sector. He formerly was deputy general counsel of Litton PRC, Inc.  From 1986 to 1998, he practiced with the Washington, D.C. office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, where he specialized in government contract law and related litigation. He lectures and has written on government contract cost accounting issues and is a vice-chair of the Accounting, Costs and Pricing Subcommittee of the American Bar Association Section on Public Contract Law. Before entering legal practice, he worked for eight years as a contract negotiator for the United States Department of Defense. 

An active alumnus, Weitzel has been a regular attendee at campus events and supporter of campus initiatives. His gift of $25,000 during the Grand Destiny capital campaign allowed the campus to name the radio station booth in the Student Community Center in his honor.  He has been a lead supporter of the campus’ All That’s Jazz event which raises money for the Penn State Greater Allegheny Scholarship Fund and a supporter of the Campus Fund.

He also has served in a number of volunteer community roles. He has been President of the Board of Directors of Residential Youth Services, a community-based non-profit corporation that provides housing and other programs for teenagers who are at risk because they are abused, neglected or abandoned. He is a member of the Executive Board of the Westmoreland-Fayette Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is a past Commodore of the Sailing Club of Washington, D.C., and is a sailing instructor in the club.

Penn State Greater Allegheny is proud to announce its 2007-08 SGA Executive Board:

President – Jose Almonte
Vice President – Dion Harris
Treasurer – Katharine McFarland
Co-Treasurer – Frank Angelone
Secretary – Courtney Davis
Chief of Staff – Tom Mcinnis
Director of Academic Affairs – Christopher Curtis
Director of Student Affairs – Christopher Stinson
Director of Diversity – Brandon Lee
Director of Special Events – Charity Bartko
Director of Information Technology – Nick Gallo
Parliamentarian – Dave Frantz

Jose and Dion, President and Vice-President respectively, have high hopes for enhancing the overall experience at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Together, they wish to get organizations more active by striving to improve communication between the organization leaders and their members. Increasing commuter participation is also a shared platform for Jose and Dion.

President Jose Almonte (Class of 2010) is studying mechanical engineering and was raised in New York City on the upper-side of Manhattan. In addition to his SGA leadership, Jose is an active member of THON Committee, the Information Technology Organization, Programming Club, and Drama Club.

Vice-President Dion Harris (Class of 2008) hails from Vandergrift, PA. He is majoring in corporate communications. Dion is also involved with the Greater Allegheny Collegian (the campus  student newspaper), THON Committee, and serves as a Resident Assistant.

As part of the campus internationalization efforts, Dr. Porter recently traveled to China with a leadership delegation hosted by the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA), an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

“Opportunity China 2007” was part of the region’s long-term strategy to develop partnerships and expand trade with China. In the area of education, there are numerous opportunities for cultural exchanges, recruitment, and academic partnerships.

The picture at the right shows the group visiting a PPG plant in Tianjin, China.

Penn State Greater Allegheny was the only participating educational institution.

The Orientation Committee Chair, Victoria Garwood, has announced our 2007 Student Orientation Leaders:

Cristina Acevez, Jose Almonte, Frank Angelone, Bradley Baldwin, Charity Bartko, Ashley Brooks, Katelyn Camic, Melissa Conley, Dawn Culley, Chris Curtis, Nicklas Gallo, Jassum Gloster, Adam Howells, Chaz Hurlbut, Ashley Kowalski, Linda Mason, Shayne Mattich, Rachel Mihal, Antony Palocaren, Preston Queenan, Jessica Rybar, Lindsey Santora, Laraya Taileur, Michael Wancheck, Marcus Waters, and Theodore Werner.

Our Orientation Leaders are very enthusiastic and have suggested a number of great ideas we hope to implement in this year's orientation. Throughout the summer, they will work with the Orientation Committee on the Communications and Logistics, Activity Planning, FTCAP, and Spirit Teams. Orientation activities begin with our First Year Student Arrivals on Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25, 2007.

A very special thank you to Dr. Delia Conti, Associate Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences, and Ms. Erin O'Malley, Assistant Coordinator, Resident Life/Student Activities Coordinator, for interviewing the orientation leader candidates, nominated by the faculty and staff.

This is an interesting time to be a student. Each decade it seems to get just a little more difficult. The challenges faced are no longer just about which class to take or what major to pick. Students are entering college with more of a world understanding than even I had ten years ago. Global markets, unions and violence have re-shaped our youth and made them aware on a broader level.

Yet with all of the information sources at our fingertips...where anyone with a mobile phone is a photographer and access to YouTube is a director, students are still asking the same fundamental question. What should I be when I grow up? 

I don’t have the answer. I wish I did. I wish I could stand up here and tell you that you will make all the right decisions but we both know you will not. I know I didn’t. I know that after ten years, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

What I can tell you is where I have been and what I would do differently and maybe some part of this speech will make your decisions in education and career a little easier.

I’m a local - McKeesport born and raised. The first time I ever moved out of the house where I was born was my junior year of college. I applied to two colleges – a small Catholic college and Penn State. I chose Penn State because I wanted to be around people less like me. I knew, had I gone to the small college, the exact person I would have become. I wanted to roll the dice a bit so I chose a large public school that wasn’t going to be a guarantee. I spent the first two years of college here and my final two at University Park. People often say public universities are places where you are just a number. I saw that as a challenge - the challenge to stand out in the crowd and make it on my own.

I never really chose a major. Technically I did, but really my major chose me. I always had an interest in history, but I didn’t want to be a history teacher. Instead I chose pre-law. I actually declared pre-law and then was told they were eliminating the major and most students were choosing political science or international politics instead. I really didn’t feel like adding more credits and I am not gifted in languages, so I chose political science. Graduated with exactly the amount of credits I needed and in exactly eight semesters. Last semester was all electives! I also never interned and trashed every e-mail I received from the political science department about jobs in Washington D.C.

Luckily, I worked at Penn State while a student and it was at Penn State that I was offered my first job. I began working in University Development (fundraising) and I stayed at Penn State for four years, half at University Park and the other half here at Penn State Greater Allegheny. It was the sense of family I felt on this campus that motivated me. Nearly every faculty and staff person here I knew by name - had since I was a student. It was the Penn State staff that recommended me for a scholarship that I received my sophomore year and the same wonderful people helped me get my first job. Everyone here always took the time to talk to me and make me smile as a student and as an employee. All I had to do was first introduce myself. I loved the people I worked with and the sense of purpose the job held, but it still wasn’t right. So many of the things I thought I would be doing out of college, I wasn’t. I had lost the passion for my job and I walked away.

Today I am a project manager for a spend management company in Pittsburgh. I took the position to understand the for-profit world. I have been given the opportunity to travel, gain responsibility and succeed in an arena I never imagined. I still, however, wish that I could go back and change some things. Since I can’t, I have decided to pass my wishes onto all of you.

Since so many books these days talk about the 6 steps to this or the 12 steps to that, I have put together the Danielle Auretto Five Steps to Making College Life a Little More Interesting (patent pending).

1. Think twice about your major. In your life, there are things you are passionate about and then there is the reality of growing up. Find a way to blend them. If your passion is music, but the reality is you can’t live off of the money you would make playing your guitar in your parent’s basement. Pick a major in acoustic engineering or music education. You don’t have to give up your dreams to grow up; you just need to make your dreams more of a reality. Most of us will spend more waking hours at their jobs than their homes. Make it worth it from the beginning.

2. Communication is Key. No matter what career you choose, you should know a second (or third) language. It will always make you the more desirable candidate for an employer. This is a global market and you need to be a global player. You also need to perfect the art of social communication. For me, this is a very difficult task and I struggle with it daily. I would much rather IM, e-mail or text someone than actually speak to them and I always prefer the wall to the center stage. Social communication is not about being the center of attention; it is about articulating your thoughts and representing yourself in an everyday scenario. You never know how the person sitting across the room or standing in front of you may someday impact your life. Why let that moment pass?

3. Travel. If you have the means and the permission to go to Daytona for Spring Break, think about going to the Badlands instead. See this country and this world while it will still amaze you. Nothing will teach you cultural respect like immersing yourself in a society that isn’t your own. There is no feeling like walking down a street in Eastern Europe and knowing no one speaks your language nor cares to speak your language. It is a humbling experience. Travel within this country as well and do it by car. There is a world between LA and New York and I promise you it is worth the drive.

4. Be Different. I have interviewed a lot of college graduates. Aside from the occasional anecdote, most of these interviews are the same. Similar resumes, stock answers learned in career explorations classes and similar suits. Look at the person sitting next to you. The people you are sitting near right now are the people you will one day compete for jobs. What makes you unique? What makes me remember you? In the time I have worked with students at Penn State and interviewed recent grads at my current job, there is one type of person that has always stood out. They are not always the leaders in their organizations or academics but they do have a similar trait. In the first five minutes of meeting these individuals, I know that they are dedicated. These are the people that think outside the clichéd box. They are not afraid to ask questions or share ideas. They are not afraid of work. You are going to find that in the next year, you will have a lot more free time on your hands. Classes run at odd times and not always everyday. I want to know what you do outside the classroom as much as what you do within.  

5. Make a Difference. One of the best experiences I have ever had was my sophomore year at Penn State when I volunteered for the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. I am very proud to say I helped a man learn to read. I encourage each of you to volunteer in some way throughout your life. It is so easy to be young and self-involved and believe me I am not judging you for it, but you are sitting here about to begin a new chapter in your life. A chapter many wish they could stay in or do over. Don’t waste this opportunity just sitting in the Student Community Center talking to your friends. Not when there are so many people on this campus willing to help you and so many people that you can help.

I wish you all great success in what you do. My experiences at Penn State have helped shape my life and yours will too. Penn State is a strong network and there will always be people here – faculty, staff and alumni willing support and assist you, but it needs to begin with you.

Good luck and welcome to Penn State University!

The trip included a professionally guided tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, re-enactment groups demonstrating what camp life was like for Civil War soldiers, and a visit to the Civil War Museum.

Studying African cinema has long been a scholarly interest of Dr. MaryEllen Higgins, Assistant Professor of English at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Her 2007 Research Development grant, Hollywood's Africa After 1993, received funding to support her upcoming project of editing a book on the referenced subject.

Hollywood's films about Africa and its continuing crises have often placed Europeans or Americans at the center, a trend recognized by Peter Davis and Daniel Riesenfeld in their 1993 television documentary, In Darkest Hollywood: Cinema and Apartheid. More recently, Hollywood's interest is readily displayed by the various award-winning films produced and distributed since 1993. Examples of these works include Blood Diamond, The Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda, and The Constant Gardener, among others.

Higgins labels the debates the recent films provoke about outside intervention in Africa as "refreshing," but, at the same time, these movies often ignore African perspectives and fall into the same stereotypical characterizations of Africans.

The objectives of Dr. Higgins' proposed work are to:

• ask whether Hollywood's depictions of Africa have adequately represented African perspectives in the post-apartheid period,
• include essays within the book on films that depict sub-Saharan African countries
• recognize the cinematic depictions of American and European commercial and military interventions in Africa
• include the representations of African crises by African scholars and directors working outside of Hollywood.

Dr. Higgins' book will study post-1993 cinema by questioning depictions of African culture and crises. Higgins will also question if the films actually raise the consciousness of the audience or if they continue to repeat tropes which mislead the audience, and why romantic involvement by the lead characters often dominates the narratives.

For an upcoming special session of the Modern Language Association titled "Hollywood's Africa" Higgins has placed a call for proposals for works she hopes to publish in her forthcoming book. To ensure quality pieces, Higgins is soliciting known Africanist scholars across various disciplines to contribute essays for inclusion in the book. Higgins will also author an essay on Blood Diamond and edit the collection of works.

Given the timeliness of the subject and status of many of the African films of the past decade, Dr. Higgins feels the book will have a wide audience of both academics and cinema fans. She expects to obtain publisher interest by Fall of 2007.

Earning a second place prize was Lindsey Santora# and Arlee Scripp# for their entry entitled, "How has the discourse of broadcasting mediums, specifically the Internet, affected the emergence of the current participatory culture?"

Capturing a third place prize was Amanda Maksin, Melvena Davis, Christopher Simko, and Andrae King, for their research on "Title IX's  Rhetoric: How It Affects Higher Education Through an Adversarial Form."

Also participating were Darell Bell, Leslie DeZorzi, and Jason Farino.

"The Culture of India: A Filmmaker's Perspective" will be presented by Harish Saluja.

Harish Saluja is a filmmaker, artist and entrepreneur. His film The Journey (www.newray.com) won several awards, was shown in over 30 film festivals and was distributed by IFC (the Independent Film Channel). He also has a strong business background as a 33-year veteran in the publishing industry. In addition, he is a nationally recognized painter and a co-host of Music From India on WDUQ-FM, the longest running radio program of its kind in the US.

Dr. Choudhury first came to Pittsburgh in 1983 as a student, and fell in love with this region. After obtaining her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon, she taught for several years at the University of Pittsburgh, before making the decision to become a stay-at-home mom. She has kept her love for mathematics alive by private tutoring, mainly in Calculus, volunteering in the schools, and through ABCC, the Association for the Betterment of our Community Cooperative. For the past 11 years she has been an active member of the Pittsburgh Federal Executive Board's Asian American Heritage Committee, which organizes the Outstanding Asian American Student Awards. Dr. Choudhury is also the Executive Director of POP, the Power of Pittsburgh: World Language and Humanities Fair, held at the Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh.

The Office of Admissions at Penn State Greater Allegheny will host high school juniors and their families for a Spring Open House from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center. The agenda includes an Admissions presentation, an exploration of Penn State's 160-plus majors, academic breakout sessions, campus and residence hall tours, and a free lunch. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from financial aid, athletics, health services and housing. Students may register for the event by calling 412-675-9010 or visiting http://www.psu.edu/admissions/visits/visitorsguide/mckeesport.htm online. Walk-ins are welcome, too!

Historically, the Stars and Stripes is a series of newspapers published independently for the United States military.  The publication first appeared during the Civil War, in Bloomfield, Missouri, and currently exists to report information on conflicts in Iraq and elsewhere as well as to provide a daily newspaper for our military worldwide.  The newspaper is free of censorship and currently appears in five separate editions:  Mideast, Europe, Japan, Korea and Okinawa,

The book being proposed, according to Dr. Manlove, should have a wide audience, attracting readers with an interest in military history and journalism, as well as those with an interest in cultural and American studies.  As the book's editor, Manlove would be responsible for organizing its contents as well as authoring its introduction, annotating material selected for inclusion, and the head notes for each of the book's seven chapters.

Manlove's research program at Penn State Greater Allegheny has been geared to postcolonial studies and transatlantic culture of the twentieth century. In this regard, the Stars and Stripes is a significant historical document, chronicling the development of America in terms of its culture and its overseas military and colonial involvements.  According to Manlove's proposal the military newspaper is "not only a measure of the health of independent journalism over time, it also marks American attitudes towards other cultures."

Manlove's work on the anthology will require travel to the Stars and Stripes Museum and Library in Bloomfield, MO and to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.  Additional support for the project is being sought from other sources.

With the rapid advancement of digital technologies, newspapers have seen a decline in readership as the population turns to television and the internet to obtain their information through real- time imagery and on-the-spot reporting. A major problem with this form of communication, however, is a decreased credibility as opportunities for unethical transmission of information become more prevalent. Brown's proposal calls for transforming the COMM 260W course into a vehicle for teaching Greater Allegheny students the skills and tools necessary for responsible journalism.

As a forerunner to the current project, Brown and the Penn State Educational Partnership (PEPP) under the direction of Darrell Thomas worked with McKeesport Area High School during the Spring semester of 2005. The partnership sponsored the participation of 12 high school students in a learning experience with Penn State, giving the high school students the opportunity to write community news articles for publication in the Penn State Greater Allegheny newspaper. Through online methods such as Penn State's ANGEL online classroom format, live "chat" sessions and email messaging, the high school participants and their college counterparts collaborated as they reported news online and used convergent media for that purpose.

Brown's currently funded project takes the 2005 partnership to the next level. During the Spring 2007 semester the COMM 260W course is being presented as a fully integrated, online course, employing video and audio pod casting. The course will also focus on how the new technology impacts socialization of the emerging ethical standards that shape the professional practices of online media reporting. The project will also continue the University's partnership with the local high school students through PEPP.

The technology received through the grant includes iPod Nanos, Mac computers, microphones, and more. The students in COMM 206W will broaden media horizons by using this technology to become “real-time street reporter[s].” They will be using the iPods and microphones to conduct interviews coinciding with the course. These interviews will then, with the help of Penn State staff, be created into iPodcasts. For class submission, the Podcasts will be uploaded to the Internet giving students the opportunity to blog comments and critiques to further improve their learning.

To take the Podcasts one step further, Brown’s COMM 471 class, a class focusing on public relations media and methods, will use the technology along with video cameras to help students understand communications from a broadcasting point of view. With the help of Penn State staff, COMM 471 students will be producing iMovies. Eventually, if time permits, the iMovies may also be uploaded to the internet and discussed critically through a controlled blogging site.

ETS funding secured for Brown's proposal is being used to purchase iPods, equipment for setting up a podcasting studio, digital and video recorder-cameras, software, iTunes music store cards and a web application necessary to host the ETS servers. Penn State Greater Allegheny is joining in the support of the project by covering travel expenses, course supplies, training and technical assistance, space for a studio and office, and hosting an awards luncheon. The campus will also provide the evaluation assessment and research tools necessary to study and assess the initiative.

Mazur's proposal requested funding to continue data collection for her study, "Explorations of Identity and interaction in Adolescent Web Logs." The second part of Mazur's proposal was to complete data analysis and manuscript preparation for her study on "Positive and Negative Life Events of Parents with Acquired Physical Disabilities and of Their Adolescent Children."

Dr. Mazur's published research on using adolescent web logs (“blogs”) for the teaching of adolescence (PSYCH 412) already has gained national attention. Although about 4 million young Americans have created a blog and 8 million young people read them, she is one of the first researchers to study web logs as a new and popular place for adolescents to explore and play with their identities.

In her study completed last semester, to be presented next August with a student coauthor at the meetings of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Mazur and her research team of undergraduates analyzed and described the content of 124 adolescent blogs. They focused especially on bloggers’ presentation and exploration of identity, their extension of friendship into the “blogosphere,” and on readers’ responses. One of the unexpected findings were the racial and gender differences in use of the blogs for social networking.

Thus, this semester, Dr. Mazur, with a new undergraduate research team, is extending the study into adolescents’ interaction on the hugely popular social networking site MySpace. Building on previous research on racial divisions in students’ friendships, they will determine whether social interaction on MySpace is simply an extension of adolescents’ local inter- or intraracial friendships (for example, a replacement for phone or email) or whether MySpace members are forming new social networks with those outside of their local communities. Also, are these “friends” similar or different to the adolescents in terms of race, sex, and age?

The second part of Dr. Mazur's research proposal is to study the positive and negative events experienced by parents with acquired physical disabilities and by their adolescent children ages 12-17. Nineteen local families were recruited for two telephone interviews during which participants rated the frequency of disability-related events during the previous month and whether they perceived those events as positive, negative, or neutral. Parents and adolescents also reported on their psychological adjustment on standard measures. Contrary to what is called the “medical model of disability,” positive events were reported more frequently than negative, and participants varied widely in how they interpreted the events they experienced. Dr. Mazur's preliminary analysis has been accepted for presentation at the Society for Research in Child Development.

Purdue University has funded the Peles proposal, Population Genetics of the Allegheny Woodrat in Indiana.  During a two- year period, 2006 through 2008, Peles will be responsible for providing tissue samples from Allegheny woodrats to Purdue University.  Samples collected from a three county area in Western Pennsylvania will be used to:  (1) Compare the woodrat population's genetic structure in Pennsylvania to woodrat populations in Indiana, and (2)  Assess the woodrat's rangewide population genetic variation.  Peles will use live trapping to secure the woodrats so that tissue samples can be obtained, preserved, and sent to Purdue University within a two- week period of the animal's capture.   Peles is also facilitating  contacts with collaborators in the eastern United States who will also join in the collection of the tissue samples for the Purdue study.  

A research development grant (RDG) from Penn State Greater Allegheny has also been secured by Peles to support his research proposal,  The Association of protein heterozygosity with metabolic rate and metabolic scope in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Peles' grant will be used for supplies and chemicals necessary for the study. 

Peles's research will build on the investigative studies which have been done  to date on the influence of genetic structure in different locations within the chromosome (loci)i and how that structure affects on metabolism in warm blooded species.  The possibility exists that genetic structure may impact metabolic rate during an increase in energy demands during  both stressful and non-stressful conditions. 
The research culminating from the RDG proposal will result in a presentation at the American Society of Mammalogists meeting in June, 2008, a publication within the Journal of Mammalogy. and baseline data for a grant proposal which will be submitted to the National Science Foundation in February, 2008.

Those who chose to participate were individually interviewed by phone, and these interviews were coded to develop two comprehensive lists (positive and negative events) of all topics discussed for each scale (Adolescent and Parent). Positive events were those that participants considered helpful, and negative events were those participants considered difficult or challenging.  

Mazur’s study found that the events most frequently nominated by participants as positive for the parents included the parent attending a support group for people with the same or similar disability; child and spouse each assisting with household chores, parent discussing the disability with the child, and the parent spending enjoyable free time with one’s child.    Participants most frequently nominated the following experiences as negative for physically disabled parents:  being unable to participate in an activity with one’s child, such as playing sports, fishing, and roughhousing; a household chore taking more time to complete than before the disability or than it would for a nondisabled person; the parent being unable to take the child to a desired place or activity; and the parent asking another adult for assistance

The events most frequently volunteered as positive for children who lived with a parent with a physical disability included discussion of the disability between the child and the parent, meeting families of persons with similar disabilities as the parent’s, the child reading about the parent’s disability on his or her own, and the child writing a paper about the disability for school.  The experiences most frequently nominated as negative included the child doing a household chore; and the parent with physical disability struggling with an everyday task,  being unable to take the child some place he or she wanted to go, needing help from the child for daily personal tasks, and being unable to participate in a physical activity with the child.  

This study was the first to look closely at the daily hassles and uplifts, or what some disability activitists call “disabling” and “enabling” process, in the lives of parents with physical disabilities and of their adolescent children.  There has been little research on this topic, and contrary to common misperceptions of disability as tragedy, parents with acquired physical disabilities and their adolescent children do not appear besieged by aversive disability experiences, though all but one study participant volunteered at least one negative event.  In fact, overall, participants identified more positive than negative experiences related to parental physical disability.  

Mazur’s research was made possible by both a direct Penn State Research Development Grant to pay participants and for materials and by student stipends for undergraduate researchers, who conducted all interviews, coded the data, and helped analyze the results via computer.  

Profoundly wise and an exceptional motivator, Dr. Kim is a commanding presence who connects with audiences in a way most speakers only dream of. Her empowering sessions are often described as “life-changing” and “transformational” as she encourages you to think in extraordinary ways - and dares you to take your life in bold new directions.

With the funding obtained through this proposal, Penn State Greater Allegheny hopes to engage students in interaction with faculty, staff and the community; a tactic which research suggests can lead to improved student retention. Although the campus has co-curricular programs which promote student involvement, most of these programs are currently focusing on the upper-level student. With the new proposal and accompanying funding, the campus hopes to expand the involvement of students at the freshman and sophomore levels.

The project, slated to start during the Spring, 2007 semester, will expand efforts to provide students with community service opportunities through a network of contacts and the necessary support needed by faculty to involve more students in community service projects. The Career Services office, under the direction of Ms. Cooper, will house the initiative and supervise a part time Project Coordinator to oversee the program as well as an online database programmer responsible for a database of community partners and class project ideas. All of this database information will be available online to Greater Allegheny's students.

Penn State Greater Allegheny plans on having the service learning projects matched on the basis of participant needs. Organizations will be matched with courses offered at the campus and the instructors of those courses. If a faculty member requests a service learning project, the same process will work in reverse. After an assessment of the faculty member's needs, the appropriate organizational contact will be sought to match the needs of the faculty member's request. Faculty will also be given assistance in integrating service learning into their course curriculum and objectives. As the first phase of the project, faculty participants are currently being recruited for Spring and Fall, 2007 with priority being given to either first-year seminar classes or courses that have a majority of students of freshman or sophomore standing.

Effectiveness of the project will be determined by (a) increases in first and second year student participation in serving learning projects; (b) increases in the numbers of classes in which service learning opportunities are available to students; (c) student retention (comparing students participating in service learning vs. those not participating); and (d) student academic success (GPA: comparing those in at least one service project class vs. those students who have chosen not to participate).

Penn State Greater Allegheny will support the initiative by funding travel expenses and providing office supplies and staff support for the project.

Attention all high school seniors, transfer students, and adult learners: it's not too late to apply to Penn State Greater Allegheny for the Fall 2007 semester. So why wait any longer? Apply today to one of our nation's finest institutions. After all, everyone knows and trusts the BLUE and WHITE degree.

You can access Penn State's convenient online application at www.psu.edu/admissions. If you have questions during the online application process, please do not hesitate to contact the admissions office at 412-675-9010 or psuga@psu.edu. Once your online application is complete, you will need to forward your high school transcripts along with any post-secondary transcript(s), if applicable, to Penn State. Additionally, SAT or ACT scores are required for those students who are 24 years of age or younger. Once you have a complete application on file, you will receive a decision from the university within four weeks or less.

If you are interested in learning more about Penn State Greater Allegheny, please visit our Quick Facts site. To explore Penn State's more than 160 some majors, visit www.psu.edu/admissions.

“We are grateful to the United States Steel Foundation for its continued support of the campus. This partnership will provide seed money to fund student–faculty–community collaborations that will help to ‘Make Life Better’ in our region,” said Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter. “This fund adds value to the academic experience and will help develop students’ social awareness and their outlook regarding social responsibility.”

Funding from the United States Steel Program Fund is available for spring, summer, and fall semester projects. Faculty grant co-authors Jeanna Cooper and Kathleen Taylor Brown will evaluate faculty mini-grant proposals for experiential education initiatives that focus on technology, business, or engineering. Typically, proposals will involve a classroom project that allows students to work with non-profit organizations to solve a problem or to enhance services.

A general fund will also be available for students and faculty requiring smaller grants to complete projects.  All projects will be publicized on the campus website and through media outlets. 

“Currently there are a number of campus–community partnerships that would benefit from funding,” said Dr. Margaret Signorella, director of Academic Affairs, and another grant co-author. “The campus recently added a new Civic and Community Engagement minor to our curriculum and students who are participating in United States Steel Program Fund projects will be encouraged to apply those credits toward earning this minor. This grant was instrumental in helping us obtain a University grant to fund a part-time program manager who will work with organizations to develop projects that provide experiences for students and provide benefits to area non-profits and businesses,” she said.

United States Steel Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., manufactures a wide variety of steel sheet, tubular and tin products; coke, and taconite pellets; and has a worldwide annual raw steel capability of 26.8 million net tons. U.S. Steel has several domestic primary steel operations, two seamless tubular mills, coke-making facilities, and iron ore mining and taconite pellet production facilities. U.S. Steel has steelmaking operations located in Slovakia and Serbia, participates in several joint ventures and is involved in a number of other businesses including transportation and real estate development. Guided by a new vision for its second century of business, U.S. Steel remains committed to making steel, its core focus for more than 100 years; strengthening its position in the global marketplace to remain world competitive; and building value for its stakeholders.

Penn State and U. S. Steel have a longstanding relationship. The company employs more than 150 Penn State alumni and the most notable alumnus is John Surma, Chairman and CEO.  The company’s Mon Valley Works—comprised of the Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, the Irvin Plant in West Mifflin and the Clairton Works in Clairton—is located in the heart of the Penn State Greater Allegheny’s educational service area.  The two organizations have collaborated on numerous Continuing Education programs over the years and many U. S. Steel employees and retirees along with members of their families have studied at the campus. In August 2003, Penn State McKeesport received a $75,000 grant from the U. S. Steel Foundation for its new Student Community Center. The gift helped fund the upper level concourse in the $5.5 million, 25,000-square-foot facility.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the campus at its current location. Penn State Greater Allegheny offers baccalaureate degrees in six disciplines and provides the first two years of instruction for more than 160 Penn State academic programs.  The campus also offers associate degrees, baccalaureate minors and certificate programs. For more information, contact Penn State Greater Allegheny at 412-675-9048.

The article, "The globalization of the labor market for health-care professionals," focuses on the growing shortage of doctors and nurses throughout the world and the migration of health care professionals from underdeveloped to developed countries. 

Funded through a grant from the Africana Research Center, Dr. Stewart, Professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations and African and African American Studies;   Dr. Paul Clark, head of Penn State's Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, and Darlene Clark, Instructor in Nursing for the University, joined in writing the article.  Since its initial publication, the article has been published in three languages, been the focus of a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and has been featured on the website of the AFL-CIO.

Dr. Stewart's research has included the globalization of workers and how migration to developed countries has particularly impacted African workers and their families.  His interest includes the African worker's adaptation to his/her new work environment in a post-industrial country context.

As the population of a country ages, there is a growing need for health care workers to care for that aging population.  Currently there is a shortage of health care workers globally and competition for their services is high.   Developed countries are able to pay more, provide better and safer working conditions, and offer expanded career opportunities.  Coupled with political stability and a better quality of life for their citizenry, developed countries have the attributes necessary to attract and hire health care professionals.  This practice creates a "brain drain" of trained workers from impoverished countries.  Especially successful in recruiting health care workers are those countries that have a nationalized health care program; i.e., the United Kingdom.  These countries better understand the needs of their health care system and can pinpoint target areas of concern.   Countries with decentralized systems; i.e., the United States, are not as well equipped to gather information and develop an overall recruitment plan. 

The migration of workers from underdeveloped countries can also cause a downward spiral of pay and working conditions for health care professionals overall as workers migrating to developed countries are more willing to accept contractual or part time employment.  This makes it increasingly difficult for health care workers to lobby for better benefits and higher pay, depressing wages and worsening employment conditions for all.   

Some countries, like the Philippines, are training and deliberately outsourcing their health care workers.  Providing trained employees to developed countries has become a business which contributes significantly to the Phillipine economy.  Most underdeveloped countries, however, are forced to develop policies to stop the drain of those health care professionals they have trained and educated with increasingly scarce resources.   Policies to stop the attrition have included imposing taxes on those countries which recruit health care professionals from the underdeveloped country, "bonding" policies which requires repayment by the worker for a period of time to compensate for the training received, as well as inter-country agreements which limit the number of recruits which can leave for employment elsewhere..

It is interesting to note that local hospitals currently have similar "bonding" programs in place for their nurse trainees.  Both Shadyside Hospital and Mercy have nurse training programs which require the nurse to become an employee of the hospital for a three-year period after training is completed.

Global and regional health organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) have documented the minimum need of trained professionals for even the most basic of care (20 doctors for every 100,000 people).  Using this benchmark most underdeveloped countries are critically understaffed.  As an example, Liberia has only 2.3 doctors for every 100.000 people. 

When questioned on the role that global organizations could play in solving the migration of workers from underdeveloped nations, , Dr. Stewart stated that organizations like the WHO "could get a handle on the problem at large, could  inform and impart the best practices of all nations,  and could develop multi-level agreements between nations which might minimize the harm while maximizing the benefits of training and supplying health care professionals as needed."  As stated in the article, however, regulations could also impede the rights and needs of the individual worker.  The problem is complex, but must be examined and remedied in order to ensure the safety of the world's population and the containment of serious disease.  

The authors (Clark, Stewart, and Clark)  received funding for the article as part of a competitive process through the Africana Research Center.  The Center was part of the outgrowth of concerns that African-American students voiced to Penn State in the early 1990's.  The Center encourages and supports programs and interdisciplinary work to researchers who focus on issues of critical concern to those of African descent.  Dr. Stewart has served on the Advisory Board of the institution since its inception.    It is his hope to create active satellite operations of the center throughout the state of Pennsylvania in areas where larger populations of African Americans exist.

ABSENCE advisors, Dr. Clifford Manlove, Assistant Professor of English, and Marissa Sinisi, Instructor in English for the ACE Program,  invite faculty, staff, and students to submit their poetry, short fiction, essays, photography, graphic art, etc.  A "blind submission" policy is used by the student editorial committee to evaluate each work.  Each submission, therefore, should be accompanied by a cover page with identifying information about the artist/author submitting the work.  Members of the campus community may submit a maximum of six items.  Electronic submissions are encouraged and may be sent to: ctm10@psu.edu. 

Additionally, each submission is eligible for consideration for the 2007 Chancellor’s Award for the the Best Literary and the Best Visual Arts submissions ($100 each).  The Chancellor's Award was instituted in 2006 to promote the growth of an active creative community in and around Penn State Greater Allegheny.

The student editorial staff and faculty advisors review submissions; final decisions about publication rest with the student Editor-in-Chief.  ABSENCE is published in April of each academic year, and is unveiled at its annual Reading and Reception, which features the work of each year’s authors and artists.  The publication is supported by: the Chancellor's office, Academic Affairs, ACE, Institutional Advancement, Admissions, the Student Government Association, and Student Affairs.

Penn State alumni Ann E. and George R. Kemp have pledged $100,000 to create two undergraduate scholarships at the University. The Wallace and Zelda Bland and Kemp Family Trustee Scholarship will support students at Penn State Greater Allegheny (formerly McKeesport) with demonstrated financial need, and the George R. and Ann E. Kemp Scholarship in the College of Agricultural Sciences will support students with high academic achievement who were home-schooled.

The Kemps met while students at the University. Ann began her studies at Penn State Altoona, completed her degree in elementary education in 1953, and taught in the primary grades for 20 years. George started at Penn State Mont Alto and received a bachelor’s degree in forestry from what is now the College of Agricultural Sciences. He later earned a civil engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University and opened the Kemp Group, which provided land planning, civil engineering and landscape design services for more than four decades. The Kemps also founded and operated a bookstore, The Fishers of Men, for 28 years.

The Kemps are long-time volunteers on Penn State’s behalf and have a wide range of interests, including the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Penn State Greater Allegheny and Mont Alto campuses. George is president of the College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society and a member of the Penn State Greater Allegheny campus’ advisory board. The couple also serve on committees and as volunteer ambassadors at University events.

The Wallace and Zelda Bland and Kemp Family Trustee Scholarship recognizes the donors and the Blands, Ann’s late aunt and uncle, who had ties to education and business in the McKeesport area.

Trustee Scholarships are designed to keep a Penn State education accessible to all qualified students, regardless of their financial means. Launched in 2002, the program has a unique matching component—the University matches 5 percent of each gift annually and combines these funds with income from the endowment to increase the financial impact of the scholarship. The matching funds become available almost immediately to scholarship recipients. Last year, more than 80 percent of Penn State Greater Allegheny campus students received student aid, most of it in the form of federal student and parent loans.

“This generous gift will have an immediate and significant impact,” said Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter, “supporting talented business students who need help to achieve their educational goals. Armed with a Penn State degree, they will be in a better position to excel in their chosen fields and serve society.”

The donors were inspired to create the George R. and Ann E. Kemp Scholarship in the College of Agricultural Sciences through interactions with families who have chosen to school their children in the home as well as their own personal experience. 

“Families who home-school are often at a financial disadvantage,” George Kemp said, “for they sacrifice one parent’s income in order to accomplish their desired educational goals for their children.”

Robert D. Steele, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, said, “We are excited about the Kemps foresight in creating this scholarship. This is the first scholarship at Penn State focused on this particular group, and we are hopeful that it will help us increase the enrollment of home-schooled students in our College.”

This latest gift builds on the Kemps’ previous philanthropy to the University. During Penn State’s Grand Destiny campaign, they designated Penn State Greater Allegheny and the College of Agricultural Sciences as a percentage contingent beneficiary of an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). These planned gifts are designated for student scholarships and internship programs.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the campus at its current location. Penn State Greater Allegheny offers baccalaureate degrees in six disciplines and provides the first two years of instruction for more than 160 Penn State academic programs.  The campus also offers associate degrees, baccalaureate minors and certificate programs. For more information, contact Penn State Greater Allegheny at 412-675-9048.

Please allow me to make this historic announcement: As of 1:45 p.m. on January 19, 2007, the Penn State campus formerly known as Penn State McKeesport became PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY.

It is historic that this change marks 50 years in our current location and harkens to another 50-year future and beyond.  We thank the President, the senior leadership and the Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania State University for their roles in this historic event.  We also thank the hundreds of people, including the leadership of our faculty, alumni, students, staff and our community-based Advisory Board.

PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY commits itself to a future of success and growth for its students and communities. We are a global campus. The PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY campus services 31 school districts in the region, as well as students from across the Commonwealth, our nation and the world.  We are the only Penn State campus in Allegheny County. We serve portions of Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Washington County. We pledge ourselves to be the greater academic choice for the region and the communities we serve.

The new sign was introduced at 4 pm at the main campus entrance on O'Neil Boulevard. (See the video of the event [wmv format].) Among other events, PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY will hold a formal convocation in the Fall of 2007 to further commemorate the name change. 

Approved Jan. 19 by the University's Board of Trustees, the name change is intended to support the campus' regional presence, facilitate an expanded vision and evolving mission for the campus and raise general awareness of the campus.

The new name also is expected to give campus alumni and Penn Staters living in the Greater Allegheny County region an understanding of the campus' position as the only Penn State campus in the county. More than 22,000 Penn State alumni live in Allegheny County -- the largest concentration of alumni residing in any one county in the nation -- and approximately 4,000 Penn State students hail from the county.

"The mission of this campus has evolved," said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. "Although never limited to serving the city of McKeesport, the campus is now involved much more in the Pittsburgh region and in Allegheny County. Students arrive from all nearby boroughs and cities, from throughout the Commonwealth and the nation, and increasingly, internationally. The change in name will more readily describe the region served, more accurately reflect the 21st century mission of the campus and more precisely identify one of the three significant Penn State assets in this region."

Together, Penn State Greater Allegheny, Penn State Beaver and Penn State New Kensington serve more than 2,344 students in the region.

Penn State McKeesport, founded at its current location in 1957, offers baccalaureate degrees in six disciplines, and provides the first two years of instruction for more than 160 academic programs at the University. It also offers associate degrees in five areas as well as several certificate programs.

Before reaching the University's Board of Trustees for consideration, the proposal for the new name was approved by the McKeesport Faculty Senate, the McKeesport Advisory Board and the campus chancellor.

http://live.psu.edu/story/21790

• If Penn State McKeesport is you first choice campus, we will waive your $50 application fee.
• You are encouraged to bring an official copy of your transcipts, which will expedite the processing of your application.