Review Quarterly Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Communication April 2016
President’s Office
Building a better campus community This semester’s faculty town hall meetings and informal discussions with members of the campus community have demonstrated the need to take a deeper look at the environment in which we work every day. As the next step, you and other full-time faculty, staff and administrators received an invitation from Ruffalo Noel Levitz to participate in an employee satisfaction survey focused on campus culture and policies, institutional goals, planning and decision making and work environment. Your confidential responses will identify the opportunities and challenges facing Bloomsburg University as a whole and within individual divisions and colleges. Your feedback will also help us to learn the specific issues that are most important to the campus community and how they fit with the goals and initiatives of our strategic plan. I strongly encourage you to click on the link at the bottom of the message and complete the survey before May 4, 2016. Results will be tabulated by Ruffalo Noel Levitz and all responses are held confidential by Ruffalo Noel Levitz and reported in aggregate form. Your name or email will not be included in any report; no identifiable information is included in the reports. The information provided will be invaluable as Bloomsburg University moves forward. Thank you, in advance, for participating in the Bloomsburg University Employee Satisfaction Survey. If you have questions, please write me at president@bloomu.edu. Sincerely,
Office of the President Carver Hall Bloomsburg University 400 E. Second St. Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301 Email: president@bloomu.edu Blog: bupresident.blogspot.com www.bloomu.edu/president ON THE COVER: James McMenamin ’01, an actor known for his work in live theatre and his role on TV’s Orange is the New Black, speaks to students at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) first biennial symposium, Breaking Ground: Building Careers through the Arts. The symposium, held March 17, aimed to help students in art, art history, English creative writing, mass communications, music, dance and theatre understand how their arts education can develop into a career. It included keynote speakers, alumni panels, and a reception for an exhibition of alumni panelists at the Gallery at Greenly Center.
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David L. Soltz, Ph.D. President
Bloomsburg University is an AA/EEO institution and is accessible to disabled persons. Bloomsburg University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, or veteran status in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and university policies.
Three collaborative research projects received a total of $112,000 in 2015 President’s Strategic Planning Grant Awards as part of the ongoing initiatives of Impact 2017: Building on the Past, Leading for the Future. • Bloomsburg University Center for Strategic Communication Services; project leader, Kristie Byrum; grant award, $20,000. • English-Spanish Summer Enrichment (ESSE) Program; project leaders, Betina Entzminger, Christopher Donahue, Kim Cardimona and Kailyn Stewart; grant award, $43,000. • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Research in Collegiate and High School Student Athletes; project leader, Joseph Hazzard; grant award, $49,000. More information in Vision: President’s Report 2015.
New programs introduced Bloomsburg University introduced new programs designed to meet the workforce needs of the commonwealth. These include: COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
Academic Affairs
President’s Office
Strategic planning grants awarded
Interdisciplinary Studies major: An individualized program of study, directed by Scott Lowe, that enables students to tailor a major to their personal and professional interests or apply credits already earned to design a customized major. Professional Writing minor and certificate: An 18-credit minor and 30-credit certificate program, administered by the English department, based on the concept that employees are required to write more often and at a higher level as they advance in an organization. Graphic Design concentration: A concentration designed to provide students majoring in art studio with an interdisciplinary art background, theoretical understanding and practical experiences in graphic design, under the direction of Sue O’Donnell and Dave Kube. COLLEGE OF BUSINESS Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management minor: A program designed to help students understand the creation and management of a business. Specialization in Professional Selling and a Professional Selling minor: The only sales programs among PASSHE schools will prepare students to take advantage of changing labor dynamics and the increasing demand for professional salespeople. The programs are administered by the marketing department. COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring (IONM) graduate certificate: IONM encompasses the application of a wide variety of electrophysiological methods to monitor the functional integrity of neural structures during surgery.
Academic Affairs
New department name: Mathematical and Digital Sciences The Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics is now known as the Department of Mathematical and Digital Sciences. The change is designed to better represent the increasingly diverse and multifaceted programs within the department, including the digital forensics program. The potential abbreviation, “MADS,” or “MAD Science” provides an interesting way to start conversations with prospective students and other interested stakeholders.
Reverse transfer agreement with HACC Bloomsburg University recently signed a reverse transfer agreement with HACC: Central Pennsylvania’s Community College. The agreement will allow eligible students to transfer up to 30 degree-related BU credits back to HACC to apply toward completion of the school’s associate’s degree. To be eligible for the reverse transfer program, students must have successfully completed a minimum of 30 credits at HACC and be in good academic standing.
BASTL program in Philly Bloomsburg University and Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) signed a program-to-program guaranteed admissions agreement that allows CCP graduates of technical associate degree programs to enter BU’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Leadership (BASTL) degree program with at least full junior standing. Similar to existing programs BU offers at other community colleges, the entire BASTL degree program may be completed at PASSHE Center City.
Daniel Pany
Cyber Defense Club competes regionally Putting its network, security and hacking skills to test, the Bloomsburg Cyber Defense Club recently reached unprecedented success in the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition against 33 other universities in the Mid-Atlantic Regional qualifier. Bloomsburg University advanced to the regional finals for the first time ever. Competing with team captain Daniel Pany were fellow digital forensics majors Mike Frauenhoffer, Jesse Mancuso, Kyle Mumper, Ben Tice, Dylan Sperber, Erik Josuweit, Josh Meyers, Megan Haggerty, Mike Martino, Joe Oriel and Vince Phan. According to Pany, the team has kept busy this school year by competing in the CSI CyberSeed, GrrCon Social Engineering and Hacking competitions, as well as participating in BU’s first vulnerability assessment of a company, “The Textron Project,“ this past fall and its inaugural BloomCon last month.
MBA Philadelphia program starts in fall Bloomsburg will offer its MBA program to Philadelphia starting in fall 2016. A unique class structure allows students to complete a course every two months. Courses will combine online work with face-to-face classes every other Saturday in downtown Philadelphia at the State System, Center City Campus. Students will be able to complete their degree in one year. Bloomsburg will also offer an eight-month graduate certificate program and part-time option in Philadelphia. Additionally, on-campus Bloomsburg’s MBA program has been structured so students earning their bachelor’s degree at Bloomsburg can complete their MBA with one additional year of study.
The new seven-floor, suite-style residence hall being constructed at the site of the former University Store Building is set to open in August 2017. The multiuse building will feature services for the entire campus community, including the University Store, two new dining venues, the mailroom, an integrative learning center for tutorial services and the university writing center. The new dining venues, Chick-fil-A and Qdoba, will address the unmet demand for non-meal plan dining options offering quality food at a reasonable cost.
PA Liquor Control Board pilot program The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has selected Bloomsburg University as one of three institutions (including Millersville and Gannon universities) to participate in a nine-month pilot program designed to strengthen campus and community cooperation and coordination in the prevention of underage and dangerous drinking by college students. The program, overseen by PLCB professionals and the Bureau of Alcohol Education, includes training sessions, data analysis and action plan development. The PLCB was awarded grant funding from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.
Enrollment Management
Student Affairs
New residence hall and dining options
Lapos named admissions director Chris Lapos has been named director of admissions after a national search. He previously served as interim director for the past two years. Lapos came to BU as a Latino student recruiter in 2001 and also served as the transfer coordinator and functional lead for MyHusky implementation. Earlier in his career, Lapos worked in admissions at Northern Illinois University and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s from Ohio University.
Ruffalo Noel-Levitz consultant guiding Strategic Enrollment Plan BU has recently engaged in a three-year consulting initiative with strategic enrollment management consulting firm Ruffalo Noel-Levitz to develop a comprehensive strategic enrollment planning process. The goal is to align BU’s mission, vision and values with the shifting market needs and expectations of students. Five working groups formed in March to concentrate on the areas of graduate programs, undergraduate programs, marketing and recruitment, student success, and finance and financial aid, are working to complete a situation analysis. The analysis will show what Bloomsburg University is currently doing and what we must do to enhance student success. More information.
Enrollment update BU’s overall spring headcount enrollment totaled 9,008, a 2 percent drop compared to last spring. Undergraduate enrollment totaled 8,427, a 1.5 percent drop compared to last spring, and graduate enrollment dropped from 640 to 581 from 2015 to 2016.
Construction is in progress on the pedestrian bridge across Lightstreet Road. Completion of the project is scheduled for September 2016. The PennDOT projected work schedule for the Town of Bloomsburg’s Lightstreet-Country Club Road intersection project is summer 2017.
Safety at the forefront Campus safety initiatives this spring include a mobile app, campus lighting and security cameras. Prospective vendors for the safety app were evaluated in February, with a goal of implementation late in the semester. In addition, the university is conducting a campus-wide survey to measure the outdoor lighting levels on campus. The measurement survey will identify areas of inadequate lighting, for which projects will be generated over time to improve the lighting.
University Advancement
Administration and Finance
Construction update
From left: management faculty Chris Granzol and John Granzol, College of Business Dean Jeffrey Krug, business students, President David L. Soltz, and Giuffre family members Nick, Kathy, Nicky, Charlie and Natalie.
Gift establishes Giuffre Center
Nicholas J. Giuffre ’78 recently contributed a $2.5 million blended gift to the BU Foundation and the university’s It’s Personal campaign – the largest gift in Foundation history. The gift establishes the Nicholas J. Giuffre Center for Supply Chain Management within the College of Business. The gift also endows the Nicholas J. Giuffre Distinguished Professor in Supply Chain Management to support the university’s supply chain management major and experiential learning opportunities for students. It is the first endowed professorship in the College of Business.
It’s Personal raises $41.6 million By the time the public phase of BU’s It’s Personal campaign kicked off last October, 14,800 individual donors had contributed nearly $37 million toward the $50 million goal. As of March 31, the campaign has reached $41,693,151 to benefit academic and athletic scholarships, faculty support and Professional U. Learn more at itspersonal.bloomu.edu.
Ficca named Breiner Professor of Nursing Michelle Ficca, the chairperson of the nursing department, is the recipient of the first Breiner Family Endowed Professorship for Nursing. The professorship is supported by a gift of $1.9 million from Edward and Julianne (Miller) Breiner, who graduated from BU in 1977. The Breiners established the university’s first endowed professorship a year ago in support of an exceptional teacher, mentor and leader.
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