Cal U Journal - Sept. 23, 2013

2013sept23journaldraft1.qxp:03-24-08 CAL U JOURNAL.qxd 9/17/13 8:50 AM Page 1

California University

Volume 15, Number 20 SePT. 23, 2013 Read the JouRnal online: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal

Trustees Applaud News of $5.8 Million Surplus

“A

wesome!”

That was the consensus among members of the Cal U Council of Trustees when interim President Geraldine M. Jones announced that the University has closed the books on the 2012-2013 fiscal year with a surplus of $5.8 million.

A summary of the audited report was presented Sept. 4 at the council’s quarterly meeting, held in Old Main. This is the first time in five years that Cal U has ended the fiscal year in the black.

“I want to let you know that this was a combined effort on the part of the administration, the faculty and the staff to balance the budget,” President Jones told the Trustees.

“I’m excited to share this good news about last year’s budget, but we are still facing financial challenges for the 2013-2014 budget year. We must take responsible steps to secure the gains we have made this year. We must continue to act if we are to put this University on solid financial ground.

Approximately $2.3 million of the surplus will be added to University fund balance, which President Jones compared to “a family’s emergency fund.” An additional $1 million will be set aside for the New Science building project, a capital project that requires matching funds. The remaining surplus will be used for deferred maintenance and building life-cycle upgrades.

When President Jones was asked to lead the University, in May 2012, Cal U faced a projected budget deficit of nearly $12 million.

The nearly $18 million turnaround in just 15 months was met with applause from the Trustees.

“This is nothing less than remarkable,” Trustee Robert Miner Jr. said. “I tip my hat to you.”

The council’s vice chair, Annette Ganassi, pronounced the news “awesome.”

“We have a lot of good things going on. Things are clearly moving in the right direction,” said Lawrence Maggi, the council’s chairman.

In his quarterly report Robert Thorn, vice president for Administration and Finance, said the University anticipates ending the 2013-2014 fiscal year with a surplus of about $4 million.

Another $1 million will be earmarked for the planned science complex, and $1.6 will be set aside for life-cycle

S

Interim President Geraldine M. Jones says a combined effort on the part of the administration, the faculty and the staff has turned a projected budget deficit of nearly $12 million into a surplus of $5.8 million.

upgrades and building repairs.

“By reallocating our resources and making cuts to items not directly related to our core mission of educating our students, we are strengthening the University for many years,” Thorn said.

— Continued on page 3

Social Equity Director’s Door Open

C

al U’s new special assistant to the President for EEEO wants to roll out the welcome mat for the entire campus community.

“I want this office to be an office of justice, wisdom and tranquility, where people can come even without a problem,” said Dr. John Burnett, who began his new duties at the start of the fall semester.

“I want people to feel like I’m approachable, which I always am. I want them to feel they are always respected, and their opinions do matter. We are all co-workers here.”

Burnett brings nearly 30 years of experience to his new position as director of the Office of Social Equity.

For the past four years he was the director of compliance at the University of Texas A&M Kingsville, and for the previous seven years he served as director of equal opportunity and affirmative action at the University of

Internship Takes Senior to Attorney General’s Office

Dr. John Burnett brings nearly 30 years of experience to his new position as Cal U’s new special assistant to the President for EEEO.

Nevada-Reno.

In addition to working at public universities, Burnett also has dealt with

state and local governments. That work includes 11 years as an investigative — Continued on page 4

enior Jenna Ratica is working in the state Attorney General’s office in Harrisburg as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

A political science major with minors in leadership and philosophy, Ratica is one of 14 students participating in The Harrisburg Jenna Ratica Internship Semester (THIS) program, which gives students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester’s worth of credits.

THIS invites students from each of the 14 PASSHE universities to participate. Raitca and her fellow THIS participants will attend academic seminars and complete an individualized research project as part of the program’s requirements.

Ratica, of Brownsville, Pa., is a 2010 graduate of Beth-Center High School. She expects to graduate from Cal U in May. After leaving Cal U, Ratica said, she plans to continue her education by attending either law school or a graduate program in governmental affairs.

She met State Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane on her first day as an intern.

“She’s amazing, a kind-hearted and nice person,” Ratica said. “She was genuinely interested when asking me about my life and plans with the internship.

“I’m very fortunate.”

More than 500 students from PASSHE universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the offices of the governor, speaker of the House of Representatives and attorney general.

Students may obtain information about the THIS program by contacting the Cal U Internship Center, or by calling the Dixon University Center at 717-7204089. More information on the program also is available at: www.passhe.edu/this.

2013sept23journaldraft1.qxp:03-24-08 CAL U JOURNAL.qxd 9/17/13 8:50 AM Page 2

SePT. 23, 2013

Page 2

‘Ripper’ Helps Online Students Sharpen Skills

A

rmed with newly acquired investigative skills, nine graduate students in Cal U’s online master’s degree in applied criminology program assessed crime scenes, identified their men and made their cases Aug. 21 as their capstone projects came to an end.

Their task was to solve a 125-year-old mystery: Who was “Jack the Ripper,” a still-unidentified killer who murdered at least five women in London’s Whitechapel district in the 19th century?

For their capstones, the nine students — members of the program’s first 23person cohort — traveled to London in July. There they studied under Dr. John Cencich, a professor in the Department of Justice, Law and Society and director of the Pennsylvania Institute of Criminological and Forensic Sciences.

The students worked directly with the London Metropolitan Police, and responded to stabbings, assaults and a home invasion. While at crime scenes, they honed the criminal investigative practices they learned in the online program, which is designed to prepare graduates for careers related to violent crime analysis and criminal investigations and to enhance the skill sets for those already working as homicide detectives, crime scene investigators, psychologists, sociologists and more.

They also explored present-day Whitechapel, examining the areas where Jack the Ripper’s victims were found.

“The degree is behaviorally-based, and this trip gave our students a great opportunity to apply what they have learned,” said Cencich said.

He noted that the capstone course allows students to take what they have learned about behavioral crime theory,

Dr. John Cencich and graduate students in Cal U’s online master’s degree in applied criminology program enjoy visiting New Scotland Yard in London this past summer.

criminal investigative analysis and equivocal death analysis and apply those advanced skills to real situations.

The students attempting to solve the

Jack the Ripper case analyzed offender traits and characteristics; “victimology,” or what the information about victims can reveal about perpetrators; and the

geographic profile, or what the spatial patterns at crime scenes can tell investigators about potential suspects.

Two teams then each presented a case against one of the suspects most commonly assumed to be Jack the Ripper.

“It provided an experience unlike anything you could get in a book,” said Melissa Kyper, a Pennsylvania State Police investigator. “We went to the areas (of Whitechapel) where all the victims were found, which made you think about what the victims might have been seeing or feeling at the time of the murders.”

Several of the students mentioned the value not only of riding along with the police force, bit also of the international experience in general.

“If you have a chance to take a trip, do it,” said Caleb Tyson. “What caught my eye was how professional the police were in every situation. In the midst of every situation, they maintained their professionalism. You can see why the department is so well respected.”

The London trip also was the first time the students in the online graduate program had met in person.

“I was excited to go but a little bit nervous,” said Tori Collins, who presented with her group via Skype from Georgia. “I met my group for the first time at the airport on the way to London, but everything was so thorough and flowed so smoothly.”

As for the true identity of Jack the Ripper, those listening to the presentations were split.

“This means the professors who taught in this program did their jobs,” Cencich said. “Both teams were equally prepared to present their cases methodically, scientifically and convincingly.”

Meet Cal U’s ‘First Gentleman’ EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally was shared with first-year students and their families on Move-In Day.

M

any colleges and universities have a “first lady.” At Cal U, the University president’s spouse is the “first gentleman,” Mr. Jeffrey Jones.

He and the former Geraldine Johns — now Cal U’s interim President, Geraldine M. Jones — were childhood friends who attended the same church in Brownsville, Pa. They started dating in 1971, when she was a student at California State College, and the couple married in 1974.

As an executive, Jones enjoyed a successful, 30-year career in strategic business development, marketing and sales in the information technology sector, with a primary focus on the state and local government marketplace. Over the years he worked for companies such as Unisys, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and HewlettPackard.

In 2010, Jones retired from corporate sales and marketing turned his passion for photography into a second career. He now is the owner and president of Capture Inc., an art gallery, framing shop and photographic services studio in Brownsville.

When his wife was selected to lead the University last year, Jones found himself in a new role, too.

The PASSHE Chancellor officially appointed him as a volunteer, a position authorized by Board of Governors Policy 1991-04-A. His appointment runs concurrently with President Jones’ tenure.

“Whatever she needs, I try to support her.

I consider it an honor, and one that I take

Voter Drive Tuesday

C

Cal U students might spot Jeffrey Jones, Cal U’s ‘first gentleman,’ at Herron Recreation & Fitness Center or on the tennis or basketball courts. He also takes part in campus events: Last year he coached the Steelers basketball team against the interim President’s Cal U All-Stars, spoke to the Cal U Men United mentoring group and took part in a 2-K race on campus. He and President Jones also played mixed doubles with the women’s tennis team as a fundraiser for student scholarships.

very seriously,” he said. “Anybody who knows us as a family knows that Cal U is a big part of our lives.”

Although he says there is “no manual” defining the role of the President’s spouse, Jones believes that his career experience positions him well.

“Having worked for more than 20 years as a solutions provider in the state and local government marketplace gives me particular insight into the formalities of government agencies,” he says. “Sometimes I just help out and, in those instances, I pay my own way. Other times I accompany Gerri to events, gatherings and meetings as an official volunteer for Cal U.” He has assisted the President in hosting alumni gatherings and meetings with

University friends and scholarship donors.

“Like any good spouse, he’s by my side, always willing to lend a helping hand,” President Jones says.

Later this year the couple is planning to move from their house in Brownsville to the official President’s Residence in South Hall.

They look forward to living at Cal U, as the presidents do at other PASSHE universities.

And they plan to host visitors in the historic dwelling.

They plan to showcase the building’s history by decorating with artifacts that “tell the University’s story,” and by displaying artwork created by faculty and students.

“This is the University’s home,” Jones says, “with a history that will be recognized and valued by all who visit.”

al U will mark National Voter Registration Day with a voter registration drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Tuesday in the courtyard outside the Natali Student Center.

An “open mic” will be set up, so the University community can express their views on the importance of voting and policy concerns.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the student center lobby.

The program is sponsored by the American Democracy Project at Cal U. Co-sponsors are the Office of the Provost/ Academic Affairs, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of History and Political Science, the Women’s Studies program, the Frederick Douglass Institute, and APSCUF, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Professors.

2013sept23journaldraft1.qxp:03-24-08 CAL U JOURNAL.qxd 9/17/13 8:50 AM Page 3

SePT. 23, 2013

Page 3

Trustees Applaud Surplus — Continued from page 1

Vulcan Band Ready Freshman Emma Hammaker plays her tuba as the Cal U Marching Band debuted its 2013 field show Aug. 22 on the campus Quad. Under the direction of Marty Sharer, the band will take its show to Adamson Stadium’s Hepner-Bailey field for Homecoming on Oct. 12 and perform during the football team’s divisional game against Clarion. Watch for the pre-game show before the 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

Greek Life Director Wins Award

T

he Sigma Tau Gamma Board of Directors has named Joy Helsel ’83 the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Interfraternal Leadership Award.

The campus Greek adviser to Sigma Tau Gamma’s Beta Iota Chapter, Helsel is employed by the Student Association Inc. at Cal U as director of fraternity and sorority life.

She accepted the award last month at the fraternity’s Stan Musial Strategic Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Mo. Sigma Tau Gamma, a fraternity established shortly after World War I, created the award to recognize “a campus-based professional who advances the quality of fraternity and sorority involvement.” The organization has nearly 3,000 undergraduate members and chapters at 65 college and university campuses nationwide.

“I am overwhelmed and honored by this award,” Helsel said. “It’s hard to put into words how much it means to be recognized by people and an organization that have come to mean so much to me, and to be recognized for something that I love to do!”

Joy Helsel is the inaugural recipient of Sigma Tau Gamma’s Distinguished Interfraternal Leadership Award.

A member of the Sigma Kappa sorority, Helsel has a long history of working with fraternity and sorority members, and with the Sigma Tau Gamma organization.

She was instrumental in reopening the Beta Iota Chapter on campus in 2008 and obtaining its

charter in 2011. Beta Iota was among Cal U’s first fraternities, chartered originally in 1959, but its charter had lapsed. Today the chapter is one of the largest fraternities on campus.

During her career in Student Affairs at Cal U, Helsel also has received the Theta Xi Educational Foundation of Pittsburgh Distinguished Service Award and the Northeast Panhellenic Conference Award of Excellence, Outstanding Advisor Award.

She is a member of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) and chair of the Student Affairs Conference Committee for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

She has made presentations at conferences including the AFA annual meeting, the Theta Xi Allegheny District Leadership Academy, the PASSHE Student Affairs Conference and the PERSA Conference.

In addition to her work with Cal U’s Greek organizations, Helsel oversees production of the University yearbook and other special publications.

Campus BRIEFS Professor’s Novel Debuts

Student Convocation Thursday

Professor Margo Wilson, chair of the English Department, will hold a reading and book-signing event to introduce her new novel, The Main Ingredient, from 2-4 p.m. Friday at the Cal U Bookstore in the Natali Student Center.

The festivities continue from 7-9 p.m. Saturday at a public reception, signing and reading at the Center in the Woods, off California Road near the University’s upper campus.

Wilson’s experiences as both a newspaper food editor and a Wisconsin restaurant owner inform the novel about three women who open a restaurant in their Wisconsin hometown. When the restaurant burns down, they must track down the arsonist — and in the process, they uncover secrets about their pasts. (They also perfect their recipe for lake perch.)

In addition to her duties as department chair, Wilson teaches courses in English and journalism. Her book, published by Ramsfield Press, will be available for purchase at the readings. It also is available from the publisher at www.ramsfieldpress.com.

Cal U Interim President Geraldine M. Jones will host the fall 2013 Student Convocation Sept. 26 in the Performance Center. Open to all current Cal U students, the convocation will be held during the University’s common hour, beginning at 11 a.m.

One-Acts Spotlight Students The public may attend “An Evening of One-Acts,” a series of creative short plays directed by students and presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance.

Curtain time is 8 p.m. Oct. 3-4 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Oct. 5. All performances are in the Gerald and Carolyn Blaney Theatre in Steele Hall. Subject matter may not be suitable young children.

Cost is $12 for adults, seniors and children. Students with valid CalCards are admitted free; they must leave a $5 deposit that will be returned if they attend performance. For ticket information, or to order tickets (with a credit card) by phone, call the Steele Box Office at 724-938-5943.

In other news: • Acting Provost Dr. Bruce Barnhart reported on enrollment, predicting a decline of about 4 percent when the student headcount is finalized after the 15th day of classes.

However, freshman enrollment has increased by 26 percent, he reported — a positive signal that admissions and marketing strategies have been effective.

“We have worked very hard and are trying different approaches to attract new students,” Barnhart said.

• Dr. Nancy Pinardi, interim vice president for Student Affairs, focused her area’s report on University housing, both on the main campus and at Vulcan Village.

Residence halls are filled to 99 percent of capacity, and Vulcan Village occupancy is at 85 percent in Phase I and 74 percent in the Phase II apartments.

Pinardi reported that the former on-campus Housing and Residence Life Office has become an all-encompassing University Housing Office, to better represent both the main and upper campuses. She also credited the residence hall staff for offering educational programming, service activities and leadership opportunities.

• Craig Butzine, vice president for Marketing and University Relations, said his area is spending less money but leveraging it better.

He cited the long-term success of last spring’s BotsIQ finals, a robotics competition that brought more than 400 prospective students to the University. Through a broadcast agreement with KDKA-TV, a 30-minute television show recapped the contest and introduced Cal U’s new mechatronics engineering technology program.

Several BotsIQ competitors now are enrolled in the mechatronics program, and Cal U has purchased and branded a BotsIQ “battle arena” that will travel to high school competitions. In addition, production begins next month for Technology Today, a quarterly program on KDKA-TV. The first show will feature a segment with President Jones, who will discuss the connection between technology and education.

“These are real results,” Butzine said.

• In his role as interim vice president for University Development and Alumni Relations, Butzine reported that gifts and commitments for the Campaign to Build Character and Careers now total more than $33 million, or 95.5 percent of the $35 million goal.

He described several major and planned gifts, as well as a series of highly effective alumni engagement events.

“I am very pleased with our fundraising efforts,” he said. “We are doing a variety of things which will help the University grow.”

• Dr. Charles Mance, vice president for University Technology Services, reported on the new print management system, which was implemented to decrease both waste and printing costs. During the first week of classes, he said, students printed 30,000 pages in Noss Hall, an 80 percent reduction in pages compared to the same period last year.

Mance also reported that faculty members and UTech Services staff visited the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center in Oakland with the aim of improving Cal U’s student information database. He said the center’s super-fast computing and big-data storage are of great interest to Cal U’s Institutional Research group.

The Trustees are scheduled to meet again on Dec. 4.

2013sept23journaldraft1.qxp:03-24-08 CAL U JOURNAL.qxd 9/17/13 8:50 AM Page 4

SePT. 23, 2013

Page 4

Students Mix Music at Pro Tools Workshop

A

rea musicians and recording engineers sharpened their skills in Cal U’s first Pro Tools workshop this summer in Gallagher Hall.

Pro Tools is a computer software program that has become the industry standard for recording, editing and mixing digital music and sound.

Under an agreement signed last spring, Cal U is the only Pennsylvania university certified as an AVID Learning Partner, an education provider for AVIDbrand products, including Pro Tools.

Nearly all of the 20 available seats were filled for the first week of training, and 11 students continued with a second weeklong session so they could receive certification in the software.

“It was a real nice turnout for our first time,” said Greg Davis, an instructor in Cal U’s commercial music technology program. “There were high school students, former Cal U students, local teachers and a few industry professionals.”

Many of the former Cal U students who enrolled in the workshop were recent graduates who did not have the opportunity to learn Pro Tools.

Training in the software is a new highlight of Cal U’s popular bachelor’s degree program in commercial music technology, which prepares students for Pro Tools certification as part of the curriculum.

“Having this certification always looks good on a resume,” says workshop attendee Amanda O’Brien ’13.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to complete the Pro Tools certification when I was enrolled at Cal U. Some of the information was a review for me, but I still learned new techniques and I am now certified.”

Cal U music technology instructor Greg Davis trains Cal U alumnus Kirill Tyulkov ’12 during this summer’s Pro Tools workshop in Gallagher Hall.

Davis hopes to make the Pro Tools workshop an annual event at Cal U, and he intends to keep the training current, so both students and professionals can benefit.

My Door is Open, Says Social Equity Director — Continued from page 1 specialist with the Florida Commission on Human Resources and four years as a discrimination investigator for the Mayor of Orlando, Fla. “I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Burnett to California University as the special assistant to the President for EEEO,” said interim President Geraldine M. Jones. “He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this important position, and I know he will be an asset to the University community.”

Throughout his career, Burnett has worked to address discrimination complaints. Education is crucial, he said.

“Employees must know what their rights are, so they can be more active and engaged when these sort of things happen.”

Although he was born in Waycross, Ga., Burnett said his family has ties to Florida that date back seven generations. He earned his bachelor’s degree in financial management at Florida Southern College, a master’s degree in human resources management at the University of North Florida, and

his Ph.D. in American history with a minor in business management at Florida State University.

He served as a faculty instructor at both Florida Southern and Hillsborough Community College in Florida.

Despite their Southern roots, Burnett said that he and his family are thrilled to be living in Pennsylvania.

“My wife (Cathy) and I are very interested in this area’s history, and we are all looking forward to colder weather and experiencing all four seasons.”

In addition to their interest in history, the Burnetts are avid gardeners, active with their church and eager to become involved in their new community.

Their son, John Edward, is an Eagle Scout, and daughter Amy — who plans to attend Cal U this spring — speaks fluent Chinese.

“It’s a beautiful campus,” Burnett said. “Cal U is a very classy-looking institution, and the people are extremely nice to me, which is real important. In meeting the students, they truly seem like they are enjoying it here.”

“Pro Tools is an industry standard,” Davis explains. “The program and certification will adjust to the music industry, and our participants will always have knowledge of the latest trends and techniques.”

GRANTS AWARDED The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (OSPR) reports that: • Christine Crawford, chair of the Department of Academic Development Services, has been awarded continuation funding in the amount of $269,861 for Student Support Services from the U.S. Department of Education.

• Dr. Tom Mueller and Dr. Kyle Fredrick, both of the Department of Earth Sciences, have been awarded a grant for nearly $86,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mining Programs. The funding will be used for geo-referencing and digitizing mine maps. Mueller received a sub-award from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System for nearly $27,000 as part of a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation for his work with the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence.

• Drs. Kate Mitchem and Kalie Kossar, both of the Department of Special Education, have been awarded continuation funding in the amount of $53,139 from the U.S. Department of Education. This funding is for their project titled HQ-TEEMS (Highly Qualified Teachers in Exceptional Education, Math and Science).

• Kelly Hunt, of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Center & Student Incubator, has been awarded $8,300 from PASSHE for the Student Business Plan Competition.

The sub-award is part of a $120,000 grant provided to PASSHE by the state Department of Community and Economic Development to assist with establishing Entrepreneurial Leadership Centers and conducting annual business plan competitions.

• Mueller and Dr. Mario Majcen, also of the Department of Earth Sciences, have been awarded a $5,750 grant from NASA through Penn State University. This funding will continue Cal U’s participation in the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium.

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research serves faculty and staff by providing comprehensive resources related to external funding for sponsored projects. The OSPR provides support in developing proposals for funding from federal, state and local grants, contracts, foundations and related associations.

The California Journal is published weekly by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Geraldine M. Jones Interim University President

Robert Thorn Vice President for Administration and Finance

Dr. Nancy Pinardi Interim Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Bruce Barnhart Acting Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Craig Butzine Vice President for Marketing and University Relations/ Interim Vice President of University Development and Cal U for Life

Christine Kindl Editor

Dr. Charles Mance Vice President for University Technology Services

Office of Communications and Public Relations

250 University Avenue

California, PA 15419

Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff Bender Writers 724-938-4195

wald@calu.edu