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News RealMom Simulations Offer Enhanced Training for Nursing Students RealMom mother and baby manikins from Real Operative have been added to the core of resources available to Holy Family University Nursing students. Featuring lifelike skin and tissue and an all-natural active birth canal, RealMom delivers a realistic birthing experience, providing learners and practitioners at Holy Pictured (left to right) are members of the Family University with a trueNewtown faculty, Simulation Laboratory to-life learning environment Coordinator Joeann Hall ’86, MSN, RN; to train and prepare for any Jinsy Mathew DNP, MSN, RN; Monica eventuality or emergency in the Drayton MSN, RN, CRNP; and Gina labor and delivery room. The Gordon ’10, MSN, RN. manikins were made possible through an $80,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust and funding from the CARES Act.

Holy Family University received a second multimodal grant to support pedestrian and vehicle safety around the perimeter of the Philadelphia campus. The grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) for $559,448 will be combined with an earlier grant for $868,000 from the Multimodal Transportation Fund Program.

The University was the only non-profit in the state and one of only two private institutions to receive the grant from PennDOT. “It’s crucial for us to work with our community partners, like Holy Family University,

to help them achieve their goals,” said Senator Sabatina. “The new entrance, pedestrian setbacks and sidewalks, bike lanes and the rest of the improvements not only make students and staff safer, they make the community safer. This is what can happen when we work together. I can’t wait to see what the project will look like.”

R.O. Kwon, bestselling author of the nationally acclaimed 2018 novel The Incendiaries was the second speaker in the 2020 Holy Family University Distinguished Writers Series.

Born in South Korea, Kwon’s family emigrated to Los Angeles when she was three years old. Raised in a Christian household, she experienced a selfdescribed “crisis of faith” at age 17, and stopped believing in God, the event that inspired her debut novel.

Named one of the best books of the year by Buzzfeed, The Today Show, NPR, The Atlantic, PBS Books, Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, BBC, and Newsweek, the novel’s popularity has resulted in numerous translations around the world. Even before the book’s release, Kwon was called one of “four writers to watch” by The New York Times.

The partnership between the School of Education and Alpha House has been recognized as the 2020 recipient of the Exemplary Service/ Partnership Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (PAC-TE).

This award recognizes the development of partnership programs that connect institutions of higher learning with basic education and community partners and recognizes activities that provide service to the field of education. The partnership is led by Mary Becker M ’11, Director of Alpha House, and School of Education faculty member, Maria Agnew ’90, PhD. With input from the entire Partnership Committee, Trish Joergensen, EdD led the effort to write and submit the application for the award, which was recognized prominently during the virtual PAC-TE annual conference in October. Members of the Partnership Committee that plans and oversees joint activities between the School of Education and Alpha House include Becker, Agnew, Joergensen, Claire Sullivan, EdD, Kim Heuschkel, EdD, Janet McNellis, PhD, and Geralyn Arango, EdD (retired).

In addition to the Exemplary Service/Partnership Award, PAC-TE also bestows an annual Distinguished Research Award and Outstanding Dissertation Award. The 2020 Exemplary Service/Partnership Award marks the second consecutive year that School of Education faculty and staff have been recognized for their outstanding work. Joergensen and Jennifer Fisler (Messiah College) were the co-recipients of PAC-TE’s 2019 Distinguished Research Award for their study, “Realistic vs. Effective: An Analysis of Traditional and Co-Teaching Models of Student Teaching.”

The School of Education received a grant from the Public Health Management Corporation for $52,350 to support its work in creating articulation agreements with regional community colleges and developing degree and certification completion programs for community college transfer students.

As a result of a $2 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the University began construction of a Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in the midst of the pandemic, which has now been completed. As a campus hub, located on the second floor of the Library, the CTL partners with faculty and staff from across the campus to enhance student support with the goal of increasing student success in all its myriad forms. The CTL works collaboratively with other offices to provide Mission-centered student services, combining tutoring with student success counseling and career coaching. The Center will also augment co-mentoring opportunities for faculty and staff.

Following a year-long process, the University unveiled its new fi ve-year strategic plan. Developed by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and informed by the broader University community, this ambitious plan, approved by the Board of Trustees in Fall 2020, sets forth a road map designed to elevate the University’s Mission-driven approach, and advance key areas of priority to position Holy Family University for a transformational future. To read the full plan, visit: holyfamily.edu/strategic-plan.

Th e Independence Blue Cross Foundation Nurses for Tomorrow Grant Program awards grants to nursing schools in southeastern Pennsylvania to fund scholarships for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing students. Th is year saw a 70 percent increase in nursing students who received fi nancial support.

“Over the years, the monies received for nursing scholarships from the Independence Blue Cross Foundation’s Nurses for Tomorrow Grant Program have been instrumental in supporting students entering the profession of nursing and in advancing their education at Holy Family University,” said Cynthia A. Russell, PhD, RN, FAAN, ACC, Dean of the School of Nursing & Allied Health Professionals at the University. “Th is year the scholarship program assisted 47 individuals at all levels including Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice students in meeting the cost of their tuition. Th e impact of the Foundation’s work cannot be overstated in supporting the development of nursing students throughout the region.”

Michael Markowitz, PhD, Vice President for Academic Aff airs at Holy Family University, has been invited to serve on the Chief Academic Offi cers Task Force for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). Th e CIC is an association of nonprofi t independent colleges and universities that has worked to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of private higher education’s contributions to society. His three-year term began in January and will run through December 2023.

Th e Task Force is made up of nine chief academic offi cers who help develop plans for the Institute and provide advice on other key initiatives at CIC, including the Workshop for Department and Division Chairs. Markowitz is the fi rst Chief Academic Offi cer from one of the eight Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education institutions to be invited to serve on this Task Force.