FALL 2020
PHOTO: JASON JONES
A global pandemic may have set the stage for a time of upheaval and disruption, but it also ushered in an atmosphere in which creativity and innovation flourished. In that spirit, this issue of our Juniata magazine is unlike any of its predecessors and we are sure you will enjoy it! We’ve selected two of our feature stories to share with you here in our printed digest version, and you can enjoy the entire Fall 2020 issue digitally by visiting juniata.edu/magazine. You’ll find inspiring articles featuring Juniata students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as our faculty achievements and class notes to keep you up to date on the activities of your friends and colleagues. We also pay tribute to five esteemed members of the Juniata community who we’ve lost over the past year. Above all else, as you flip or click through the pages of the magazine, remember we are #JuniataStrong when we are #JuniataTogether. About the Cover: Colorful butterfly ornaments were placed on the quad in observance of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, each one representing a life lost on that tragic day. The day opened with a brief service, after which students designed posters and wrote notes of encouragement for members of the wider Huntingdon community. PHOTO: CANDICE HERSH
From the beginning of the pandemic, Juniatians have responded to the challenges brought about by COVID-19 by stepping up, following health and safety guidelines, and by remaining “Juniata Strong” for the security and wellbeing of our community. As you will read in the inaugural, digital edition of the Juniata magazine and in the pages of this print companion, Juniatians have been tireless in their efforts to help each other and their communities throughout this unparalleled season.
PHOTO: MEGAN BRENNEMAN
Dear Friends,
James A. Troha The resilience of our community was evident as we trohaj@juniata.edu adapted to a remote learning environment during the @juniataprztroha spring semester and again as students, faculty, and staff moved to the Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) model that has enabled both a residential and remote experience for the fall semester. The determination and unified effort displayed by our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families are both laudable and a hallmark of what it means to be a Juniatian. Juniata’s mission to provide students with an engaging, personalized educational experience has remained resolute since our founding in 1876. This foundational purpose led the decision to welcome students back to campus for the fall semester. Our students have risen to the occasion and have been cooperative in adjusting to new policies, procedures, practices, and expectations for the common good of the entire campus community. Throughout it all, the BELIEVE: The Campaign for Juniata College has continued to make outstanding progress thanks to your generosity. Gifts from this campaign benefit every single person who sets foot on our campus and make possible the best of what we do and what we value. Your gifts make Juniata everything it is and will be in years to come. Sincerely, PHOTOS: (LEFT TO RIGHT; TOP TO BOTTOM): OLIVIA MARIE MAST ’23, JASON JONES, RAKSHAN SADASIVUNI ’23, OLIVIA MARIE MAST ’23, OLIVIA MARIE MAST ’23, JASON JONES (BOTTOM 2-4)
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Leveraging Commitment, Taking Chances, and Promoting Creativity By: April Feagley, assistant director of communication The return to campus for the spring 2020 semester was routine, until a global crisis intervened.
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ive weeks into classes, Juniata’s chief academic officer, Provost Lauren Bowen, led Juniata’s faculty members and support staff in the Herculean effort to move to remote learning as COVID-19 began its spread across the U.S.
in the event we are not holding classes on campus, it’s time to get one ready,” Bowen wrote in a March 10 email to faculty, “We are endeavoring to keep our community safe as we also need to provide a Juniata education to our students. Your cooperation is key to these efforts.”
“We knew in February that coronavirus would affect us because of our commitment to international learning,” said Bowen. “We started convening an emergency operations team. By March 4, we knew we needed to be prepared to teach. Even so, we had no way of knowing only a week later we would suspend operations.”
The move to emergency remote delivery necessitated shifting classroom work to Zoom, a video communication platform.
Conditions were shifting rapidly. Bowen worked with College administrators to extend spring break as a time of preparation and planning.
“We were using Zoom with our graduate program faculty and had purchased licenses (before COVID-19),” said Anne Wood, assistant vice president, and chief information officer, who added that Justine Black, director of digital learning, had actively been offering faculty trainings. “We knew it would be a simple enough solution for people to understand and run with.”
“It is increasingly likely that we will need to offer spring courses remotely for some amount of time in the coming weeks. If you haven’t already developed a plan for how you will deliver your courses
Juniata’s Campus Technology Services (CTS) provided the technological infrastructure necessary to allow operations to take place from home offices, dining rooms, kitchens, and decks.
PHOTO: RAKSHAN SADASIVUNI ’23
“Provost Bowen led the charge as we moved to remote learning,” Wood said. “She was in front of it in a very proactive way. She could see beyond where we were in that moment, knowing it wasn’t going to get better quickly.” Over the extended spring break, an intensive training program began. “There were lots of trainings. Not all of our faculty were well invested in online teaching or technology,” said Black. “There were also some really strong online teachers for whom the transition was easier.” Delivering classes online was one part of the preparation, delivering the Juniata experience online was another.
“Our goal was to keep faculty present and keep their personality alive while making the transition,” Black said. Juniata’s virtual campus footprint would need to circle the globe. “It was quite a shift because of technical issues and access issues and the fact that the world is in the midst of a profound public health crisis,” Bowen said. “More of the teaching shifted than simply the mechanism through which we engaged them.”
“We knew in February that coronavirus would affect us because of our commitment to international learning.” — Lauren Bowen, provost and professor of politics
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“Students come to Juniata for the small classrooms and the faculty who work to build a learning community within their classes throughout the semester,” said Black. “There was a concern that the experience would be lost. We are particular about making the experience true to Juniata.”
One-on-one consultations were held with faculty members to help adapt their teaching style to a remote platform.
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An email to faculty March 11 expressed appreciation for the incredible effort displayed. “I encourage you to be patient with yourselves as you experiment with different ways of teaching, with your students as they endeavor to adapt to this learning environment, and with all your colleagues who are striving to be responsive and helpful,” Bowen wrote. “Kindness and good humor have always been a hallmark of the Juniata community. We’ll need to call on those traits in the coming weeks.” All involved in the academic enterprise going into the revamped spring semester were encouraged to embrace the mantra, “The perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of the good.” By March 16, operations were suspended on campus and faculty were no longer able to access their labs, classrooms, or offices,
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PHOTO: CANDICE HERSH
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and classes were set to resume remotely March 23. “I am impressed by the degree to which you have embraced new technological tools and have endeavored to learn the intricacies of Zoom and develop greater sophistication with Moodle,” wrote Bowen in a March 22 email. “Your efforts and your creativity and your willingness to try new things have been awe-inspiring.” Students, newly returned to their homes, found themselves adjusting to remote learning—all while acclimating to life during quarantine and the accompanying stressors. “The essence of Juniata is meeting our students where they are and providing support,” said Bowen. “As we worked to help them weather the pandemic, that support became so much more palpable and poignant.”
CTS staff partnered with the directors of the James J. Lakso Center for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) at Juniata College, Kim Roth, professor of mathematics (spring 2020 semester), and Ursula Williams, associate professor of chemistry (fall 2020 semester). “It was a huge shift. Not all of the faculty are tech-savvy, some had never used Moodle or Zoom prior to the shutdown,” Roth said. “They had no online presence in their classroom.” Distance created relational connectivity difficulties and internet connectivity proved an obstacle difficult to surmount. “The home connectivity that some faculty and students had or didn’t have was our biggest hurdle. Some live in extremely rural areas, and because of COVID, there weren’t many solutions. You can’t go to a library for the internet,” Wood said.
“Students really did struggle. I know some faculty members came to campus and worked in their cars.” Roth added that several faculty members would work from the parking lot behind Good Hall. The work of CTS was—and continues to be—vital to providing the Juniata experience to students on and off-campus during the pandemic. “We were here and were able to leverage the technology available as fully as possible. The work we do typically was well received and much-needed,” said Wood. “It is satisfying to see resources being used to the fullest.” Along with navigating the technological components of emergency remote learning, faculty members were attuned to both the academic and emotional needs of their students.
IT support specialist TJ Anderson assists a student at the Technology Solutions Center (TSC). Technology plays an integral role for students and faculty engaged in both remote and Hybrid Flexible (HyFlex) learning and teaching.
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“It was an incredibly busy and rewarding summer. Our faculty have been so invested. Their commitment and dedication to teaching are amazing. They are doing it all for the students.” — Justine Black ’08, director of digital learning “Some students were not very responsive when we moved to remote learning,” said Roth. “Students were dealing with all sorts of conditions in the spring—internet problems, family dynamics, or taking care of younger siblings.” Altering syllabi and reordering expectations were unexpected challenges for faculty members accustomed to face-to-face contact with their students. “These adjustments are not a sacrifice of quality and rigor,” Bowen wrote. “They are a recognition of the humanity and lived experiences of our students and of ourselves. Modifications to our expectations will, I believe, strengthen rather than compromise what our students learn.” Partnering with their students, faculty worked to ease the transition from oncampus to remote learning.
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“Learning online is a very different skillset,” Roth said. “It was rough, but we all pulled together. It was a lot of work for the faculty and tiring, but it worked out as best it could under the circumstances. The spring was an example of a lot of people helping people.”
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COVID-19 impacted Juniata’s Summer Online Program as well. Course offerings
were expanded, with two one-credit courses, Solving the COVID-19 Crisis, offered as a free opportunity for incoming first years. “The program has been growing year after year, and this year there was tremendous growth,” Black said. “The COVID-19 class was an opportunity for incoming students to learn the ways COVID-19 impacted everything around them.” In preparation for the upcoming fall semester, CTS deployed new wireless service to provide students with more seamless access to WiFi on campus. This infrastructure would be critical for the next phase of academic delivery at Juniata—HyFlex, a hybrid flexible model of instruction. “We wanted to be thoughtful in our planning and knew we were not going back to the way things were. There was a radical reset,” said Bowen. “We wanted to bring the best of what we learned forward while being contemplative and adaptive. It was a profound, transformative moment for higher education as we examined both how we teach and how we learn.” Preparing for delivery of the HyFlex model for the fall 2020 semester, CTS once again worked with SoTL to prepare faculty for the simultaneous delivery of in-person and remote coursework. “We started talking about HyFlex at the beginning of April as we wanted to be prepared for the uncertainty,” Bowen said. “We knew that even if the pandemic ended, we needed to be prepared to accommodate immunocompromised students and international students.” Black collaborated with SoTL director Williams to create 20 training opportunities for over 400 participants.
“It was an incredibly busy and rewarding summer. Our faculty have been so invested. They make me love my job and Juniata even more,” said Black. “Their commitment and dedication to teaching are amazing. They are doing it all for the students.” Many of the challenges facing faculty members in the spring loomed again for the fall. To aid in the transition to the HyFlex model of instruction, the members of the Innovative Education Initiatives (IEI) committee, led by Paul Schettler, Charles A. Dana Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, offered grants to help faculty adapt to the new mode of delivery. Schettler’s philanthropy provided funding for these grants. Leading with a gift of his own, Paul’s goal was to sustain more permanent shifts in the teaching and learning environment. “A challenging part of HyFlex is navigating two challenges at once. Juniata College prides itself on relational education, and we think our students are so much better for that,” Williams said.
“In HyFlex, if we have some students in person and some remote, we want them all to feel like part of the class and to retain the Juniata component—the community building—even while social distancing.” Williams explained that her research indicates HyFlex requires more focus and energy from students and faculty alike. “Having technology involved and having students participating from different places, everyone has to think a little harder about dialogue and facial expressions,” said Williams. “Face-to-face teaching can give cues, so online, you need to be more deliberate about giving those cues.” The hard work of everyone involved in delivering Juniata’s individualized education to students reflects their deep commitment. “They understood the urgency and knew the impact would be devastating if we were not ready. Everyone leaned in and worked hard this summer,” Bowen said. “They’ve taken risks, they’ve taken chances, and creativity has come with it.”
PHOTO: JASON JONES
The use of video conferencing technology has become commonplace for faculty members like Kathy Baughman, Swigart Associates Associate Professor of Business and Economics, as they teach students learning from home, from residence halls, and in the classroom. 2020 Fall | 7
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The flexibility displayed by not only students enjoying an outdoor yoga class but by all of those organizing campus activities that provide safe and healthy opportunities for connection has been outstanding. New traditions may be in the making through the creativity and innovation of students, faculty, and staff.
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PHOTO: OLIVIA MARIE MAST ’23
Semester Interrupted: Finding Connection in Community By: April Feagley, assistant director of communication Spring break. Normally, it marks the halfway point of the spring semester and a welcome respite from the routine of classes. That didn’t happen in 2020.
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never would have thought something like this would happen in my lifetime, especially during college,” said Rohan Bandekar ’22 from Pune, India. Awareness of the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, began to rise in the U.S. at the end of January as coverage of the outbreak took on a new tenor. “It seems like a lifetime ago,” said Samantha “Sam” Hong ’21 from Chalfont, Pa. “I remember hearing about COVID-19 on social media and in the news. I never thought of it becoming as big as it became. It was a news story.” For Rohan, COVID-19 was both very remote and very close to home.
“The news was filled with reporters and doctors from China, Italy, and other countries expressing their concern of what they were calling the coronavirus,” said Alanna, who is studying biology. “Over spring break we got the amazing opportunity to spend a whole day at the Keystone Ski Resort before heading back home. However, I was unaware at the time that this moment would impact me immensely. Days after the ski resort I returned back home to enjoy my last few days with my family before heading back to Juniata. I immediately received an article about corona from my aunt which stated that 13 people tested positive at the same resort I was in, on the same day. It was only the beginning of the pandemic.”
2020 Fall |
“When I first heard about COVID-19, I was not very concerned and it seemed like a faraway problem—something that wouldn’t reach or affect me,” he said. “However, when I started seeing countries shutting down their borders, including my own country, I realized this was bigger than what I thought it would be.”
Alanna Leidig ’21 from Tyrone was preparing for a trip to Denver, Colorado, with her boyfriend and her cousin to visit family.
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PHOTO: CANDICE HERSH
Jim Tuten, professor of history, meets with a student on the quad. Additional outdoor seating has been provided throughout campus to allow members of the community to enjoy spending time together.
Sam had been keeping in touch with her friends as she spent her spring break at home and knew that international trips had been canceled. How the rest of the semester would go was a frequent topic of discussion. The prospect of not returning to campus seemed extremely unlikely.
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Rohan was volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in West Virginia. Focused on their project, it never occurred to him or the other students on the trip that COVID-19 would impact their return to Juniata. News of colleges shutting down and emails from the College changed that assumption.
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“We were placing bets on what was going to happen,” said Sam of her conversations with her friends. “I was still of the mindset that there was no way we would be learning remotely. We were expecting to go back.”
Spring break was extended from one week to two, with a tentative return date communicated with the advisory that plans were subject to change as conditions progressed. Since many other colleges were setting similar plans into motion, Alanna followed the messaging from her boyfriend’s college and gained insight from his aunt, who is a faculty member at another institution. “Their universities were planning to move to remote learning due to the virus. This is when I first realized that our spring 2020 semester was coming to a halt,” she said. “After the announcement of Pittsburgh University and Pennsylvania State University to go virtual, I knew Juniata would soon follow, along with other campuses.” The move to remote learning was anxietyinducing and left students mourning the spring semester they had hoped to enjoy.
“It was crazy to see all of the potential we had for the rest of the year fall away,” Sam said. “It was pretty sad.”
Emphasis (POE) combines biology and sociology. “I had to remind them that I needed time to do work for school.”
Many students, like Sam and Alanna, were already home when they learned they would begin remote study. The situation for those students who were unable to return home was difficult.
Sam found support from faculty and friends, eked out time to work early in the morning and late at night, and learned to adapt and multitask, making space in her basement to take part in classes via Zoom.
“I didn’t have a place to stay. My country was shutting down its borders and the college was closing its residence halls,” said Rohan, an Integrated Media Marketing student. “One of my friends invited me over to his house to stay. Living with strangers—who became my family, finding a work-friendly space for classes in someone else’s house, and managing classes, work, and personal life during a disruptive time were some of the challenges.”
A heavy credit load and getting used to new ways of participating in group work and discussions—which included accommodating classmates in varying time zones—added complexity to the academics.
Stable internet service was a vital component of remote learning and in high demand once nearly everyone was working and studying from their homes. “It was challenging to share the Wi-Fi with the family. My mom had to work from home and my sister was a senior in high school who also had to switch to remote learning,” Alanna said. “We experienced all of the Wi-Fi problems possible, from lagging Wi-Fi, to slow Wi-Fi, to the ‘connection lost’ Wi-Fi. It was a challenge in itself for months.” Students shifted gears from being at home on break to being at home and at school simultaneously and trying to balance the demands of family and college coursework.
The pain of being 8,000 miles away from home during a global pandemic with international borders closed was eased by Rohan’s best friend’s family and his Juniata family.
“I never would have thought something like this would happen in my lifetime, especially during college.” — Rohan Bandekar ’22, integrated media marketing
2020 Fall |
“I’m the oldest daughter in an immigrant family, so it was hard to balance schoolwork with fulfilling my responsibilities to my parents, grandparents, and siblings,” said Sam, whose individualized Program of
“It took weeks to come to the realization that we weren’t going back. I watched my close friends have games and seasons taken from them,” Alanna said. “I watched my family members and friends sit in front of a television screen to turn their tassel. The virus kept progressing but adapting to the new ‘norms’ was the only way to work around the challenges faced.”
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“I knew I wasn’t alone, so the challenges didn’t seem so challenging after all,” he said. “I consider myself so lucky to have spent quarantine at my friend’s house, with his family, their dog, Bruno, two really cute cats, and a snake named Slinky. They became my family, my support system, and there was not a single day during the quarantine that I felt lonely thanks to them.”
“One of the best parts is being back on campus as a senior. In the summertime, my friends and I were afraid of missing out on this experience,” said Sam. “It’s great to be back, to be together, and to have some kind of normalcy. Juniata is a community. We care about each other deeply and we create connections with our fellow students and the faculty. If I had to be anywhere, I’m glad it’s Juniata.”
An unexpected upside to quarantine and lock-downs was the opportunity to grow closer to family members and to enjoy simple pleasures.
Testing protocols, social distancing, and changes to campus life instilled confidence as well.
“Little things became heartwarming and special,” said Sam. Faculty members went above and beyond to help students succeed, offering encouragement and support round the clock. “There were so many staff members, professors, and friends who reached out to me personally, offering to help with anything,” Rohan said. “My parents back home were obviously worried, but they knew I had people here who cared, loved, and supported me through everything. I am grateful.” The disrupted spring semester drew to a close and it was announced that in-person classes would resume for the fall.
“The best part about being back on campus is the community. I believe Juniata has done the best job out of the Pennsylvania campuses in regard to safety. The guidelines put in place are concise and help provide us with access to in-person education,” Alanna said. “Through all this hardship, our community still presents itself with a welcoming atmosphere and support. I’m thankful to be back on such a beautiful campus with such beautiful people.” The return to campus felt like a homecoming after so many months. “Juniata is made up of people, and being around these people again makes me feel strong, supported, and loved,” said Rohan. “I love this place, and I love the people who make this place home. It’s good to be back.”
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PHOTO: RAKSHAN SADASIVUNI ’23
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Li Shen, assistant professor of marketing, teaches a sociallydistanced class in person, while also instructing students who are learning remotely or through the Hybrid Flexible model of instruction.
Like what you read? Check out the Juniata magazine in its entirety online at juniata.edu/magazine. You’ll find the articles mentioned below, as well as class notes, faculty notes, and more.
Historic Campaign Inspires Confidence in Extraordinary Era BELIEVE: The Campaign for Juniata College was historic in its $115 goal, and COVID-19 has brought about greater determination and creativity to see the campaign through to a successful conclusion. PHOTO: J.D. CAVRICH
Alumni-Founded Company Steps Up Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Learn how Juniata alumni Juniata Wright ’14 and Alexander Shope ’12 are providing clinical diagnostic testing through their company, Contamination Source Identification® (CSI®). PHOTO: J.D. CAVRICH
Problem Solving and Partnership Provides Companionship Companionship and connection are vital for residents in long-term care facilities, so Evan Bair ’20 found a high-tech way to enrich the lives of residents with an assortment of robotic pets. PHOTO: JASON JONES
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Lacrosse player, Aiden Duran ’24 (left) and Nathan Norbo, men’s lacrosse coach (right) kick back in some of the comfortable Adirondack chairs scattered throughout the quad to encourage outdoor conversation and outdoor relaxation while remaining socially distant and responsible.
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