Nittany News Spring 2011

A Message from the Chancellor

State budget cuts hit home O

ne of the themes you will see in this issue of Nittany News is the broad diversity we have on campus among faculty and students. With our new designation as a campus approved to recruit and support international students, we are busily preparing for their arrival this fall. Some of our Admissions Office staff members have made multiple recruiting trips to the Caribbean islands, which have generated a great deal of interest in Penn State, including Beaver campus. With our years of experience in travel-abroad programming for our students, as well as our multicultural faculty, we are excited about the prospect of further internationalizing the campus.

After years of discussion, identifying and securing funding, and completing the facility design, we held a ground-breaking ceremony for our campus Wellness Center on March 17.

Unfortunately just days after this celebratory event, the project, along with many other building projects throughout Penn State, was put on hold in response to newly elected Governor Tom Corbett’s budget proposal. I strongly believe the Wellness Center will be completed.

However, it could be delayed from a matter of weeks to as long as a year as budget deliberations play out during the coming months.

Governor Corbett has proposed a 52.4 percent reduction in the state allocation to Penn State. Similar cuts have been proposed for the other state-related and state-system universities.

At this point there is a tremendous amount of

concern from our faculty, staff, and students about the impact that a cut of this magnitude might have on our campus, as well as the entire University.

Currently, the state allocation represents approximately 8 percent of Penn State’s overall budget. However, because a large portion of our budget is related to dedicated grant funding and the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, neither of which can be used to offset a reduction in state funding, this cut actually represents a much higher portion of our instructional/education budget. Penn State President Graham Spanier has stated that a cut of this magnitude represents a significant challenge for Penn State and seems to be moving Pennsylvania toward privatizing higher education. Penn State was established as the state’s land-grant institution with a mission to provide Pennsylvania citizens with affordable access to higher education. The proposed budget further threatens that mission.

President Spanier has stated publicly that the impact of this budget proposal could include program cuts, layoffs, salary freezes, postponement of deferred maintenance, and, ultimately, the possibility of campus closures.

Because the state allocation is primarily used to reduce in-state tuition, the proposed budget would likely lead to a larger-than-anticipated increase in tuition for Pennsylvania residents. It is the issues of campus closures and tuition increases that have generated the greatest concern among our current and prospective students and their families.

In his press releases and presentation to the Senate Appropriations Committee, President Spanier has noted that closing campuses is the last thing he wants to do. In addition, he notes that we will not be asking students to shoulder the entire burden of this cut through their tu-

ition dollars. As a result, our campus will likely see a significant reduction in our budget. We have been planning for this possible scenario and are well-positioned to absorb a budget reduction without dramatically reducing the level of service we provide for our students.

Penn State Beaver has been an important part of our community for 46 years. We provide students with the opportunity to obtain a highly valued Penn State degree. In addition, with the availability of bachelor degrees that can be completed at Beaver campus and with most of those graduates seeking employment locally, we provide a highly educated workforce for southwestern Pennsylvania. Also, Beaver campus generates more than $50 million in economic impact in our area. It is my opinion that Penn State Beaver will still be serving the students of Beaver County and beyond for many years to come.

It is important to note that budget negotiations will be ongoing over the next several months, and many legislators have already expressed their concern about the disproportionately high cut that higher education is being asked to absorb. If you have the opportunity to express your concern to a legislator, I would certainly appreciate your doing so. When the final budget is adopted this summer, I hope and expect that there will be some moderation in the budget reduction being proposed for Penn State. Regardless of the size of the cut, our campus doors will open again for freshmen and all other students in August, and we will give those students the opportunity to join the ranks of proud Penn State alumni.

beaver.psu.edu In January our website got a new look, making it more inviting and useful for prospective students and the community as a whole. Stop by beaver.psu.edu and see how it’s changed. While you’re there, be sure to visit the Alumni & Friends section, where you can get information about the Alumni Association, read profiles of successful alumni, and download back issues of the Nittany News.

Inside this edition spring 2011

cover story 4 Eye on the news. As a TV cameraman, Beaver alumnus Chris Bowyer is 1 accustomed to seeing the world through his lens. He’s not quite so comfortable, however, on the other side of the camera. Find out what Bowyer’s personal paparazza uncovered about him when she followed him around for a day. And get the inside scoop on the one thing no cameraman should ever be without.

world view 4 The global perspective. The University now lists Penn State Beaver on its international application, recognizing the campus’ efforts to become a more diverse place to study. Find out how the international designation will help the campus, and meet some of the members of our international community.

5 JiWoon Kim, South Korea 6 Larissa Ciuca, Puerto Rico

8 Dr. Cassandra Miller-Butterworth, South Africa 9 Dr. Juliette Storr, Bahamas

7 Dr. Chris Wu, China

alumni news 22 Outstanding. Carl Bartuch receives the 2010 Penn State Beaver Outstanding Alumni award.

1 What are Beaver alumni doing now?

2 23 For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students

on campus

12 Campus raises money — ­ and hair — for THON 24 Faculty publications and honors 26 Basketball teams in USCAA Final Four 28 Spring break abroad

on the cover Fax 724.773.3578

Designer Cathy Benscoter

Email amk6@psu.edu

Phone 724.773.3816

AOL IM BrAdmissions

beaver.psu.edu

© 2011 Penn State Beaver

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Photo by Cathy Benscoter

Editor Amy M. Krebs

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TV news cameraman Chris Bowyer carries his equipment back to his satellite truck after covering a news conference.

Follow Bowyer around for a day starting on page 14.

The Nittany News is a publication of the Penn State Beaver Office of Campus and Community Relations, 100 University Drive, Monaca, PA 15061.

Please direct all inquiries about this newsletter to 724.773.3816 or amk6@ psu.edu. This publication is available in alternative media upon request.

U.Ed. BR 11-04

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

10 F rom Iraq to Beaver. Student Ted Froats Jr. spent plenty of time behind the microphone and camera when he was in the Air Force. Now he’s at Penn State Beaver to get a communications degree to back up his experience.

13 Centered on caring. Business instructor Karen Barr draws on the empathy she had as a nurse to help her students succeed.

2 Penn State battles for state higher education money 1

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In pursuit of a more diverse world view, Penn State Beaver is

going global

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iWoon Kim is just like any other student at Penn State Beaver. She chose to come to Beaver to save money. She likes the quiet atmosphere and small class sizes. She plans to spend two years here and finish at Penn State University Park. And she’s even

living away from home for the first time. Far away. Because unlike other students at

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Penn State Beaver Nittany News

Penn State Beaver, Kim’s home is in South Korea.

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While Kim is one of a handful of international students to have studied at Beaver campus in recent years, that number may soon increase.

That’s because Penn State Beaver was added to the University’s international application for the fall 2010 semester, a step that will help the campus create a more diverse environment for its students.

Admissions Counselor Rebecca Mulholland said it’s the University’s responsibility to raise global awareness among students. “We want to graduate students who are prepared to be in a global environment.”

Director of Student Affairs Dr. Chris Rizzo agreed. “For me, it’s all about the enhancement of the educational environment,” he said, adding that international students can make for a

Stories by Matt Jones ‘10 Com

“unique dynamic in the classroom.”

But while the advantages of attracting international students to the campus are numerous, accommodating the students is a major project.

Mulholland said Penn State Beaver first requested to be added to the international application last spring. As a part of that process, the campus had to show that it was able to meet the unique needs that international students would have.

This included ensuring housing during holiday breaks, meeting dietary needs of students, accommodating cultural needs such as religion, providing a means of communicating with loved ones, and handling any emergencies that might arise. continued on page 6

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Photos by Cathy Benscoter

South Korea JiWoon Kim

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iWoon Kim had a goal set firmly in her mind when she began looking for colleges.

“My dream was to become an accountant and work in the same company as my dad,” she said.

Kim, whose father works for Samsung, could have easily followed her older sister’s path and gone to school in her native South Korea.

But Kim had other plans.

“I actually wanted to make some changes around me, like the environment.”

For Kim, that change of environment was Penn State Beaver. Although she considered attending Penn State University Park, Kim wanted a campus where she could transition to life in the United States.

“They told me it was quiet,” she said in describing Beaver campus.

In addition, Kim said she wanted an environment where she could more easily concentrate on her studies as an economics major while making friends at the same time. Beaver, she said, provided both, and it was more affordable than Penn State University Park.

That affordability helped, because in addition to having an older sister in college, Kim also has a younger sister. Despite the costs, Kim said her family has been supportive of her decision to come to the United States. Even her older sister, who had to get a part-time job when Kim started school, encouraged her to study abroad.

Adjusting to life in the United States was difficult, Kim said. In addition to speaking a different language, she also had to adjust to the time difference and get used to eating different foods. But those differences were worth it because she has direction in her life.

“I have clear goals, well, much clearer than them,” she said of her friends in South Korea.

And despite leaving her family in South Korea, she said the environment at Penn State Beaver is family-like. Her experience in the United States has been so good, she’s not even sure she would go back to South Korea.

“If I ever got a chance to get a job and stay here, I would definitely do that.”

JiWoon Kim gets a giggle out of a conversation in her painting class.

continued from page 4

Larissa Ciuca talks with sophomore Kenny Aurich about his plans for the future.

Puerto Rico Larissa Ciuca

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igher education and community are things that have always been important to Larissa Ciuca.

So when she came to Penn State Beaver in 2007, it was a perfect fit.

Ciuca is the campus’ personal and career counselor, and she draws on her prior experiences working with students at Duquesne University and La Roche College to help students at Beaver campus deal with life during and after college.

Ciuca said she always felt drawn to higher education. “That’s truly the environment and population I feel I can best support,” she said.

At first glance, Ciuca appears no different than the hundreds of born-andraised Pittsburghers among the faculty, staff, and students on campus.

But when you listen to her talk, you might notice a slightly more rapid speech pattern that hints at something different.

And if you get the opportunity to hear her speak Spanish to a Spanishspeaking student, well, you just know that Ciuca is not originally from western Pennsylvania.

Ciuca is actually from Ponce, Puerto Rico, and came to the Pittsburgh area 11 years ago to attend Duquesne University.

“I was from a different culture,” she said, adding that everything was different, from the language to the climate.

But even though she’s spent time in places around the world, Ciuca said she still likes the small, community environment that she’s found at Penn State Beaver. People on campus are so close that Ciuca joked it takes her half an hour just to walk down the hall and get a cup of coffee because she stops and talks to everyone along the way. ”It’s truly just such a close-knit community.”

However, Penn State Beaver wasn’t going at this project alone. In addition to Beaver, 15 other campuses are listed on the Penn State international application. The campus also worked with the Global Pittsburgh Education Partnership (GPEP), which is part of Global Pittsburgh, a non-profit group of universities in the area that work together to attract and accommodate international students in the Pittsburgh area.

Rizzo said Global Pittsburgh can help in areas that include finding a place for students to stay over extended breaks and giving advice on dietary needs.

In addition to GPEP, Rizzo also said the campus can rely on other parts of the Penn State network. For instance, Jeremy Linder ’99 H&HD, ’00 Bus, director of Housing and Food Services at Beaver, is able to access menus from all other campuses that may feature different international food items.

Opening the campus’ doors to international students isn’t just to the benefit of Penn State Beaver. The students who choose to come to Beaver also benefit.

One way they benefit is financially, Mulholland said. Like other out-of-state students, international students who study at Penn State Beaver save more than $8,000 a year compared to tuition at University Park.

Additionally, Mulholland pointed out that students receive more one-on-one attention at Beaver because the campus is smaller, while still receiving the high-quality academic experience they would at University Park.

Mulholland was also quick to say that international students who choose to come to Beaver campus are well-informed before making a decision. Students want information about how diverse the campus is, the type of grading system used, and whether the school operates on semesters, trimesters, or quarters, she said.

Those factors generally play in favor of the campus, especially diversity. Though the campus doesn’t have many international students yet, faculty are another matter. Of all Penn State campuses, Beaver has the third most diverse faculty after University Park and Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

Dr. Juliette Storr, assistant professor of communications, said that domestic students at Penn State Beaver have already received international exposure from the faculty alone. She also said the students at Beaver seem to be open and receptive to international students.

Dr. Chris Wu reviews a quiz with students in his calculus class.

China Dr. Chris Wu

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continued on page 8

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he earned his bachelor’s degree from Guizhou University and his master’s degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu.

Wu said coming to the United States was a difficult adjustment, but it was made easier because he was mature, having already earned two degrees.

“I got a scholarship from the University of Arizona, so I went there for my Ph.D.,” he said.

In 1992, Wu took a job at Penn State Beaver.

He was promoted to full professor in 2003, making him one of only a small number of campus faculty to achieve that status.

Yet despite the high acclaim he’s received for his research, Wu remains humble and dedicated to his work in the classroom. Faculty, staff, and students have all described Wu as engaging and entertaining when teaching.

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

r. Chris Wu has a small office tucked-away in a corner of the Laboratory Classroom Building on the Penn State Beaver campus.

The soft-spoken, genial professor of mathematics gladly answers questions about Beaver campus or his classes, but shies away from questions about himself.

Everything about Wu seems to indicate he’s a humble, quiet man.

Everything, that is, except his research.

Wu was the first Penn State Beaver faculty member to receive a National Science Foundation grant. He earned the grant for a project he started in 1998 that uses mathematical models to predict the spread of events like wildfires and epidemics.

Since then, he has remained a leading expert in his field, and his research has been cited in multiple scholarly journals.

Wu is originally from China, where

Storr can relate to international students in more ways than one. In addition to being an international faculty member from the Bahamas, Storr was once an international student. She started her undergraduate studies in Canada at the University of Windsor when she was just 16 years old.

Storr said there are benefits for international students who start at Beaver before moving on to University Park.

“I think it would be better for them to be on a smaller campus to begin,” she said, citing the relative size of the campus to University Park.

Dr. Cassandra Miller-Butterworth, assistant professor of biology, said it’s important for students to be exposed to different world cultures. “I think just general awareness of other cultures would be a good thing, and that fosters tolerance.”

Miller-Butterworth, who came to Penn State Beaver in 2008, is originally from South Africa. She said that getting used to the area can take some time, but attracting more international students to the campus and creating a more diverse environment would help everyone at Beaver campus.

“I think awareness of diversity is very, very important,” she said.

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Dr. Cassandra Miller-Butterworth reviews biology homework with freshman Jules Bacon.

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South Africa Dr. Cassandra Miller-Butterworth

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Listen to Dr. Cassandra MillerButterworth speak, and it quickly becomes clear that she’s not from the United States.

Sometimes she’s asked if she’s from England. Other times, people ask her if she’s from Australia.

“I very rarely have somebody say, ‘You’re from South Africa,’ ” she said.

Miller-Butterworth, an assistant professor of biology, moved with her husband to the United States in 2003.

Her accent might not make that clear, but the decorations she surrounds herself with do. Stepping into her office is like leaping into a National Geographic magazine, with pictures of wild animals covering the wall.

After working at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Md., MillerButterworth spent time doing research at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2008, she came to Penn State Beaver, where, she said, she can experience “the best of both worlds” by being at a big-name school like Penn State while still spend-

ing time in a smaller environment.

Miller-Butterworth came from a very different environment in South Africa, and adjusting to life in the U.S. took some time.

In addition to cultural differences, she had to adjust to the U.S. school system, which varies from the British system she was used to.

In the British system, academic courses are more concentrated, so she had to adjust to only seeing her students three days a week when she came here.

Miller-Butterworth said she likes Penn State Beaver because it gives her the opportunity to teach and work on her research, in which she’s extensively studied white-nose syndrome in bats.

And she’s even gotten used to the U.S. school system.

One thing she hasn’t quite adjusted to, however, is winter in the Pittsburgh area.

“It’s much colder here than it is in South Africa,” she said with a chuckle.

continued from page 7 Just having the campus listed on the international application, however, is no guarantee that international students will enroll at Penn State Beaver.

That’s why the Admissions Office developed a plan to actively recruit international students, focusing those efforts on the Caribbean region.

Director of Enrollment Daniel Pinchot ’91 Com, ’04 M.Ed said the Caribbean may seem to be an odd choice at first, given that most of the international students in the United States come from China and India.

But Penn State is already recruiting in those countries, and it made no sense to duplicate those efforts, Pinchot said, especially since recruiters must always represent the whole University, regardless of which campus sent them.

Mulholland, who has spearheaded recruitment trips to Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, said the reason for the rule is to prevent confusion among potential recruits. Besides, it’s the Penn State name that attracts international prospects. Once you get their attention, it’s easier to talk to them about Penn State Beaver.

Mulholland has also taken two recruiting trips to Puerto Rico. Though Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, students from there add the same diverse flavor to campus as international students.

As an added bonus, they’re eligible for federal financial aid, which makes it a little easier for them to enroll.

Dr. Juliette Storr, right, discusses customer service in her business and personal relations class.

Pinchot put the status of Penn State Beaver’s international students into perspective.

“International students do not currently represent a large portion of our population in the least,” and being added to the international application isn’t likely to change that demographic significantly, he said.

What Pinchot hopes, however, is that Beaver is able to enroll more than the two or three international students the campus usually has in a given semester.

“What’s important for everyone to remember is that it’s going to take time and effort to grow this population.”

Because of that, the campus hasn’t set a goal for recruiting international students. As of early spring, Beaver had 12 international applicants as well as eight from Puerto Rico. It’s too early to say how many will enroll, Pinchot said, but each student the campus adds makes it a more culturally diverse place.

One thing about Penn State Beaver is certain: The people working to make it more diverse are taking their jobs very seriously.

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth investing the time and the resources to do it right, and I genuinely think it’s worth doing,” Pinchot said.

Bahamas Dr. Juliette Storr something she knows can’t always be done through class lecture notes or textbooks.

For her Intercultural Communications class last year, Storr took her students on a weeklong trip to Trinidad and Tobago to give them a taste of what being in another culture is really like.

Storr said she would like to see more students at Penn State Beaver exposed to different cultures. One way this can happen, she said, is through the campus’ plan to recruit international students, who can then share their culture with students here.

Most students are willing to experience different cultures, she said. I think students are, on the surface, more open.”

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sor in Canada at age 16 for her undergraduate degree, and she received her master’s degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Despite joking about always winding up in cold climates, she wasn’t finished with winter when Ohio University offered her a scholarship to get her doctorate.

Storr thought she’d finally escaped the cold when she took a job teaching at North Carolina State University, but an offer from Penn State brought her back north in the fall of 2005.

Both her academic and work experiences have given Storr a unique perspective in the classroom, and she tries to expose students to different cultures,

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ost people in the United States don’t think about journalism in the Caribbean region.

Dr. Juliette Storr isn’t most people.

The assistant professor of communications at Penn State Beaver has a special connection to journalism in the Caribbean.

Storr, who is from the Bahamas, worked as both a broadcast journalist and newspaper reporter in her country before she came to Penn State.

With that background, Storr’s research has focused on how influential cultures such as those of the United States and the United Kingdom have affected smaller media systems in the Caribbean region.

Storr attended the University of Wind-

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

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Air Force Photographer Jason Epley

Ted Froats Jr., right, works on a story in Balad, Iraq. See “The Story Behind the Picture” below.

ted froats jr. senior communications major

on-the-job training

By Abigail Collins ’10 Com

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ost people earn a degree first, then start a career in the field they’ve studied.

Not Ted Froats Jr. Now a senior at Penn State Beaver, Froats went out into the world and became an accomplished journalist for the Air Force first.

After five years of working mostly overseas, Froats returned to the United States with an honorable discharge from the military and enrolled in the communications degree at Beaver campus to earn the credentials he needs to get hired to do the job that he’s already done for years.

He’s every professor’s dream student.

“One of the great things about returning students is they bring with them a maturity many of the traditional students lack. Ted’s military background shows in a million ways.

He’s always prepared and always has something to offer,” said Dr. John Chapin, associate professor of communications.

nt e d u t s e l i f o r p

The story behind the picture

By Ted Froats Jr. The picture above was taken in Balad, Iraq, in 2008. The person in the traditional Iraqi clothes is a sheik, the religious and political leader of a village. The person I’m talking to (with the mustache and glasses on his head) is a civilian interpreter. He was actually born in Iraq but moved to ­Seattle as a child. He came back to work as an interpreter in the peace process. Civilian government contractors traditionally wear camo uniforms during deployment just like the military. I think the guy in the background is a member of the Army security forces.

In this scene, I am filming a news story about a joint industrial venture

between Americans and Iraqis. The American military built a lot of things in Iraq, including schools and other facilities for the Iraqi people. In this venture, Americans bought a lot of concrete and building materials from the Iraqis, which meant Iraqi concrete manufacturers had to hire more people. That translated into fewer homeless, destitute people who could be convinced by Al Queda or other groups to become suicide bombers in exchange for promises that their families would be looked after.

I am interviewing the sheik through the interpreter to get his opinion on the venture, which was very positive, of course.

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New GI Bill helps veterans get degrees

On interviewing Avril Lavigne for his radio show in South Korea: “I asked her to marry me. … She said yes.

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TV commercials, and became the anchor of a news show.

When Froats returned to the U.S. after a year and a half in the Azores, he was equipped with the knowledge and skills to take on his next mission — deployment to Iraq. He had volunteered repeatedly to go and, in 2008, left California to be stationed at Joint Base Balad.

“I filmed news stories in Iraq that were sent out to different news channels. We provided the news story for free, and they could do whatever they wanted with it,” Froats said.

His work appeared on CNN, ABC, CBS, and MTV. Froats took his work very seriously and, on one occasion, disobeyed an order not to leave the base to get the story.

“There was a story on how the Air Force was taking over security in Iraq from the Army. The story was very beneficial to the Air Force, and to get good video you had to leave the base,” he said.

Although denied permission to leave base, Froats went out because he was determined to show the reality of the dangerous jobs held by many Air Force personnel.

The footage never aired. Froats was caught leaving base but says he was grateful for lenicontinued on page 27

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Ted Froats Jr.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill has opened doors for many military veterans to return to school without the pressure of balancing classroom work with a job.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the new GI Bill provides financial support for education and housing for individuals who served in the military for at least 90 days after September 11, 2001, and received an honorable discharge.

The bill includes 36 months of tuition and fees paid directly to the school, 36 months of a housing allowance up to $1,400 a month for students enrolled at Penn State Beaver, and a non-taxable $500 allowance per semester to pay for books, regardless of the cost.

The bill also allows veterans with at least six years of service who re-enlist for at least four more years to transfer up to 36 months of benefits to a dependent.

The GI Bill pays tuition based on the highest in-state tuition charged by a public educational institution in the state where the school is located. If a student plans to attend an out-of-state school or graduate school, the Yellow Ribbon Program is available.

Colleges and universities involved in Yellow Ribbon, including Penn State, will cover additional costs not paid by the GI Bill.

Rebecca Mulholland, adult and transfer admissions counselor at Beaver campus, said that veteran enrollment has increased significantly since the Post 9/11 GI Bill went into effect. She also noted that Beaver is now enrolling many more female veterans.

Abigail Collins

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

CATHY BENSCOTER

Froats didn’t completely fall into his role as a military journalist. After boot camp, he was sent to Fort Meade, Md., for training on how to write news stories and how to operate video and radio equipment.

After six weeks of training, he was deployed to South Korea for two years.

“My first job in South Korea entailed me doing a radio show from noon to three on the weekdays. I played pop music for the American soldiers stationed there,” Froats said.

Six months later he became the reporter of a 30-minute newscast.

“I filmed people in the Air Force doing their jobs, and I would come up with a story on how they were awesome,” Froats said.

Six months later, a promotion allowed him to direct the first live TV newscast in that area in more than 50 years.

That’s not to say that the broadcast was his most exciting event to occur in South Korea.

Froats had the opportunity to interview several celebrities for his radio show, including Avril Lavigne.

“I asked her to marry me. … She said yes,” Froats said.

He was able to expand his experience when he transferred to the Azores Islands, where he hosted a morning radio show, filmed news and

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Amy green

Dancers Salewa Akintilo, front, and Jesse Bonincontro make their way through the human tunnel at the beginning of THON.

Campus raises money and hair for THON

Dan Trzcianka & Dana Sklack

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enn State students raised a record of $9.56 million this year during the annual THON fundraiser to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

Penn State Beaver students raised more than $7,000.

THON, a 46-hour dance marathon that takes place every February, was started in 1973. The money raised is donated to the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity devoted to researching methods to defeat pediatric cancer.

This year, Penn State Beaver had two dancers, freshmen Jesse Bonincontro and Salewa Akintilo.

“There were hard times and painful times,” Akintilo said. “When you heard the stories (of the families of cancer patients), saw their videos, it was worth it.”

Freshman Natasha Terensky, cochair of the THON committee at Penn State Beaver, said she thinks that what THON does is a great thing.

“THON pays for the medical bills, gas, hotel rooms to visit the kids in the hospital, and a lot of other things,” Terensky said.

Bonincontro said taking part in THON

was very emotional.

“If you go there and hear the stories, your life will be changed,” Bonincontro said.

Also during this year’s THON event, Residence Life Coordinator Jud Sammons was one of 22 people selected to go on stage to donate their hair to make wigs for children with cancer.

Sammons, who donated 15 inches, said one of his bucket-list items was to grow his hair out and donate it.

“Amy Gartley (’90 Com associate director of Student Affairs) told me that my hair was nice, and I told her about wanting to donate it. She came in later with a brochure about the foundation,” he said. “I figured I would do it now, since guys just lose their hair eventually anyway.”

Many people on campus offered words of support and encouragement to Sammons while he grew out his hair, he said.

“The stage and the hype are fun, but the hugs and appreciation are the most meaningful part of the experience,” he said. “It was nice so many people were rooting for me.”

Terensky also donated 12 inches of her hair prior to THON weekend.

Dan Trzcianka and Dana Sklack are communications majors at Penn State Beaver.

State budget cuts go deep

Given a projected $4 billion state deficit, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett presented a budget proposal March 8 that cuts state funding to nearly all public colleges in Pennsylvania by 50 percent, including a $182 million cut to Penn State. The budget also cuts support for basic education by 10 percent.

Penn State President Graham Spanier said Corbett’s budget, if approved, would represent a $660 million decrease in appropriations to public higher education, the largest single cut in state support in history.

“If approved, this budget could fundamentally change Penn State and our sister institutions in the state and have major negative impacts for the citizens of Pennsylvania and their families,” Spanier told the Penn State Board of Trustees March 18.

Corbett’s proposal represents a 52.4 percent decrease in Penn State’s appropriation. The three other state-related universities — University of Pittsburgh, Temple and Lincoln universities — as well as the 14 institutions that comprise the State System of Higher Education would also face at least 50 percent cuts.

“We know that the state is faced with budgetary problems, and we’re willing to do our fair share. However, for every dollar invested by the Commonwealth to support operations of Penn State, the University returns $25 in total economic impact to Pennsylvania. I can’t think of any other investment that has a comparable return,” Spanier said.

The president noted that the proposed budget cuts come during a year of record admissions applications across the state. Total applications for all campuses are ahead by 6 percent compared to last year.

Spanier emphasized that the University will continue to seek a reduction in the proposed budget cuts. In addition, the University does not expect students to bear the brunt of the proposed cuts through tuition increases. Instead most of the cuts would be borne through costcutting measures and realignment of programs.

“We are working very hard on all fronts to help the Legislature understand the catastrophic nature of this appropriation cut, and we are considering the hard choices we hope we won’t have to make,” Spanier said.

Cathy Benscoter

Senior Instructor in Business Karen Barr teaches a class on corporate finance to a group of students at Penn State Beaver.

Karen Barr Senior instructor in business

The business of caring K

y f a c u lt l e P ro f i

continued on page 25

SPRING 2011

naturally a people person, but I also developed patience and empathy through nursing which I think my students now appreciate,” Barr said.

However, Barr didn’t transition directly from the nurses’ station to the Penn State classroom. She earned an M.B.A. at California State University, Long Beach, and moved to Michigan to work as a business consultant.

Barr eventually moved to Pittsburgh with her two young children, Mitchell and Kristen, took a part-time nursing job at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and also began teaching business part-time. She worked at the Community College of Allegheny County which was followed by a teaching position at Robert Morris University.

It was during Christmas in 1999 that Barr

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aren Barr’s journey from the nurses’ station to the classroom landed her the role of one of Penn State Beaver’s most loved and well-known instructors. Barr, senior instructor in business, is tireless when it comes to focusing on her students.

“Her passion for learning and teaching really shows in the classroom... Her office hours are basically every hour. I feel privileged and have taken away so much from Karen Barr during my four years here,” senior Jasmine Green said.

Based on Barr’s real world experiences, it’s easy to see where her energy and passion for teaching comes from.

Her original classroom was a hospital, and the long hours she once put in as a registered

nurse are now dedicated to after-hour student concerns and inquiries.

“She was always available to her students and, to this day, my friends and I still have her cell phone number with instructions to call if we ever need anything,” said Nathan Noland ’10 Bus. “Karen was always there when I needed advice on school, my career, or just in general.”

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Ohio State University, Barr had the responsibility of training students to care for others in life or death situations. In addition, as a home-visit nurse, she trained family members to care for loved ones who were ill.

“I transferred what I learned as a nurse to teaching in the classroom. There is no problem that can’t be dealt with and resolved. I am

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

By Abigail Collins ’10 Com

13

An eye f r

News

SPRING 2011

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Penn State Beaver Nittany News

Story and photos by Cathy Benscoter

14

Penn State Beaver alumnus Chris Bowyer knows news. He knows cameras and video tape and satellite trucks, too. Mostly, though, he knows anything can happen when you’re trying to get your story on the air at 5 o’clock.

10:30 a.m.

SPRING 2011

Chris Bowyer strings cables during a press conference at the York County Courthouse.

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continued on page 16

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

It’s sunny and calm on this almost-spring day as Chris Bowyer eases into work. Some days start like that for this Harrisburg TV news cameraman.

Email. Coffee. Wait for something to happen.

“I generally have no idea what I’m doing for the day when I come in,” says Bowyer ’09 Com, a 2005-07 Penn State Beaver alumnus. “I come in and speak with my assignment editor, who’s in charge of organizing stories for me. Then they’ll pair me up with a reporter, and we’ll hop in a live truck and head out to cover a story.”

Today the hopping will wait, at least for a little while. At some point Bowyer and CBS 21 News reporter Erica Moffitt will be heading to city hall. Their editor, Justine Hallgren, has assigned them to check on beefed up security measures in the wake of harassing letters and documents delivered by courier to Mayor Linda Thompson. But right now it’s unclear when someone will be available to talk with them.

So, it’s email and coffee and a brief birthday celebration for reporter Annie McCormick.

Red velvet cupcakes appear out of nowhere.

15

Bowyer videotapes the lack of security at Harrisburg’s city hall while a cameraman from another local news station does the same.

SPRING 2011

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Penn State Beaver Nittany News

continued from page 15

16

Moffitt, whose son, William, is in preschool, provides juice boxes. (“I usually bring the treats to school. Someone already had that covered so I brought juice.”)

Flowers arrive right on cue.

“I want to get your picture with the flowers for Facebook,” says reporter Ewa Roman, pointing her iPhone at McCormick, who squats down obligingly next to the flowers.

“Stand by. In three. Two. One.” Did she really count down that iPhone photo?

“It’s kind of our thing. We say ‘stand by’ for everything,” Bowyer says with a grin.

11:30 a.m.

Bowyer grabs his faded Penn State water bottle, his insulated lunch bag and his thermos filled with espresso (“I only put a double shot in it,” he says defensively.) and heads outside to load up the SUV he and Moffitt will use this morning.

They don’t need the live truck, with its satel-

lite dish up top and full editing station in back, for this jaunt downtown. There’s plenty of time to come back to the station to edit the story.

Bowyer grabs his equipment from the storage room.

Camera. Tripod. Microphones. Audio cables.

He leaves his light kit with its spots and reflective umbrella behind. There’s no need for it this morning. “I’ll get it later when we take the live truck,” he says.

Moffitt, her hair tidied, makeup on, and red, ruffled jacket buttoned up, comes out eating a cupcake. Inside she’d polished off a bag of carrots while reading her email.

“I eat constantly,” she says. “I figure the healthy stuff balances out the cupcakes and donuts.” Her trim figure shows that theory must be working.

Noon Parking is surprisingly easy in downtown Harrisburg. Within a few minutes the news team heads into the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. City Government Center. There are

no police officers blocking the way to either the front doors or the elevators that lead to the city offices. No one is checking bags or IDs. There’s not even a sign-in sheet.

So much for new security measures.

Upstairs police officers and city workers go about their business, threading their way around the news crews that have staked out the police chief’s office. Word is the mayor and chief are both out but the chief might be back soon.

Bowyer and Moffitt make themselves comfortable in a waiting room, pulling out cell phones to pass the time. On the couch next to Moffitt, Jim Sinkovitz of WGAL-8, the NBC affiliate, squints at his screen.

“You need glasses,” Moffitt tells him.

“Yeah, I know,” Sinkovitz replies. It’s clear he’s not keen on the idea.

“We’re all friendly to each other,” Bowyer says of the competing news organizations.

“We’re all doing the same job.”

And then he smiles, a grin that splits his face and lights his eyes with mischief.

“Now, when Fox 43 comes in, you’ll see us all go green with envy. They have those new little cameras. They’re so light,” he says, giving

“

I don’t know how I ended up in telecom, but I knew I wanted to be in journalism and I wanted to do TV, either on camera or off camera. I spent a lot of time in the new TV studio (at University Park) and learned everything I could.

a sideways glance at his 40-pound friend sitting solidly on the floor next to him.

“I used to say I wouldn’t want one of those.

They’re so little they’re hard to stabilize. And then I saw that they have braces that go over your shoulder to stabilize them,” he says.

The grin gets wider and his voice gets deeper, manlier. “Now I’m like, who would want one of those little baby cameras when you could have a nice, big, bulky camera like this one? This is a real cameraman’s camera. You’ve got to be a real cameraman to carry it.”

Bowyer became a cameraman at Penn State, and he gives all the credit to Penn State Beaver for putting him on that path.

“My first experience with news came in a reporting class taught by Alan Buncher [at Penn State Beaver],” he says. “There was a guest speaker (Beaver County Times entertainment reporter Scott Tady) who showed up at one of the classes during the semester, and he was talking about news and media. Something just clicked while I listened to his speech. From that day on I figured out what profession I wanted to get into.”

Bowyer grew up in Beaver County and graduated from South Side High School. He enrolled at Penn State Beaver after his plans to

”

Erica Moffitt talks to the CBS 21 News assignment editor to find out where she and Bowyer are being sent next. attend Carlow University fell through.

“I ended up at Penn State Beaver kind of by accident,” he says. “My mother had talked to Dan Pinchot (’91 Com, ’04 M.Ed, director of enrollment), and he suggested I go there. I went for a visit, and after only a few minutes I was

sold on going to school at Penn State Beaver.”

Bowyer moved to Penn State University Park after two years at Beaver and decided to major in telecommunications.

“I don’t know how I ended up in telecom, but I knew I wanted to be in journalism and I wanted to do TV, either on camera or off camera,” he says. “I spent a lot of time in the new TV studio (at University Park) and learned everything I could. That’s how I got here.”

Moffitt is here, too, and she’s getting antsy.

No matter how the day goes, how much waiting around there is, she and Bowyer have to turn in two stories before 5 p.m. The second story has yet to be assigned, and this first one has stalled.

“Days like this, you can sit around for a while,” Moffitt says. “But you know that around 3 …”

“The fit’s gonna hit the shan,” Bowyer finishes.

Hallgren calls. There’s a story that needs to be covered in Carlisle, about 20 minutes west of Harrisburg. She might send them there, but for now they should stand by at city hall.

Bowyer and Moffitt exchange a glance. They had hoped to stay in Harrisburg today and continued on page 18

Penn State Beaver Nittany News | SPRING 2011

Bowyer sends a text as he stands outside city hall waiting for someone from the station to bring him his camera.

17

Above, Bowyer and reporter Christina Butler, at right in white coat, watch the Snyder press conference. Below, Bowyer records an audio track that will become part of Butler’s news story.

SPRING 2011

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Penn State Beaver Nittany News

continued from page 17

18

avoid a road trip.

CBS 21’s viewing area encompasses more than 10 counties around Harrisburg, stretching from Mifflin County in the northwest, south to Franklin and York counties, and east to Lebanon and Lancaster counties.

“I’ve covered stories all the way to the Maryland border,” Bowyer says.

The prospect of heading out of town, even to somewhere as close as Carlisle, doesn’t sound very appealing.

Moffitt and Bowyer grin at each other.

“At least it’s not York.”

1:15 p.m.

It’s official: The mayor is out for the day but the police chief will be in the office around 3:30. The word is passed from news crew to news crew, and the cameramen begin to pack up their equipment.

Moffitt calls the newsroom for direction. A field reporter has submitted raw video, notes and interviews for a story that needs to be written and edited, something Moffitt and Bowyer can do at the office while they’re waiting to see the chief.

Another news team has been sent to Carlisle. Road trip averted.

1:45 p.m.

After a quick trip to McDonald’s that includes Shamrock/chocolate milkshakes, Bowyer and Moffitt return to the station to craft the footage they’ve been handed into a one-minute story for the 5 p.m. news. Bowyer stows his gear in his cubbie.

Camera. Tripod. Microphones. Audio cables.

Moffitt dives into the story she’s been given.

It’s on a bill that would ban the words “mental retardation” from state laws. She writes the script, including the intro the news anchor will read, and steps into a room to record a sound bite. Bowyer edits the video and sound and as-

sembles the story. Later Moffitt will do a live remote from the station’s parking lot as a leadin to the recorded story.

As Bowyer and Moffitt work, the living, breathing organism known as a newsroom buzzes around them.

“Who’s covering the story about the kid who got shot last night?”

“Ooo. Someone from Hershey’s dropped off a bag of chocolate. Give it here.”

“That ruling is in. They’re having a press conference on the steps at the top of the 5.”

“Do we have to use those annoying church people? I’m so sick of them.”

“I can understand how you might have never had a Shamrock shake, but I find it disturbing

that you’ve never even heard of one.”

3:15 p.m.

3:30 p.m.

3:40 p.m.

4:35 p.m.

In York, the fit has definitely hit the shan.

Bowyer strings cables from his truck to the York County Courthouse, where a media circus is forming. The Supreme Court ruling that only the producers were interested in back in the newsroom is a major story, both for the country as a whole and for York itself.

Albert Snyder, the York father who sued the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., over their hate-filled protest at the funeral of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, will be holding a press conference. The court ruled Continued on page 20

SPRING 2011

Bowyer braces against the wind and shifts from one foot to the other on the curb next to the truck. He clutches his equipment, ready to go.

Finally, an SUV pulls up. There’s an animated discussion between Bowyer and the driver, a flurry of activity. Cameras and equipment fly from SUV to live truck and back again.

Bowyer, still without his camera, runs to city hall. A fully loaded cameraman follows.

“I have to take him upstairs to Erica. They need my truck.”

Where?

“York.”

|

Bowyer calls the newsroom. He explains.

His camera is in his cubbie. Can someone please bring it to him right away?

He calls Moffitt. He explains. His camera is in his cubbie. Someone is bringing it to him right away.

“It’s a joke,” he says, not joking. “When someone leaves the newsroom, we always say, ‘Don’t forget your camera.’ I’ve never done it before. I can’t believe this.”

Bowyer pushes through a crowd of reporters and technicians to make a last-minute adjustment before the press conference begins.

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

It’s time, finally, to go see the police chief.

With luck they’ll get in right away and have their story done in plenty of time for the 5 p.m. broadcast.

Bowyer heads to the garage. “Gotta go get my ‘cameraman’s camera,’ ” he jokes.

He loads his equipment into the live truck.

Light kit. Tripod. Microphones. Audio cables.

The drive downtown is short. As if it had been reserved for them, a parking place is waiting behind all of the other stations’ live trucks in front of city hall. Moffitt makes a dash upstairs to check on the chief while Bowyer waits in the truck.

Bowyer started working at CBS 21 News shortly after graduating from Penn State in 2009. His parents had moved to Harrisburg, and he wanted to stay close to home.

At first he worked as a part-time production assistant, editing other people’s tape on the weekends. Before too long he was promoted to cameraman.

“I had to learn all this on the job,” he says, making a gesture that encompasses the equipment both inside and outside the truck. “They don’t have live trucks at PSU. When I was a P.A. and it was really slow on the weekends, the other cameramen would take me out to the truck and show me how to use this stuff.”

Moffitt calls down from the police department. They’re on in a few minutes.

Bowyer gathers his equipment and braces for the weather outside. The day has gone from cool and calm to cold and blustery.

Light kit. Tripod. Microphones. Audio cables.

A look of panic flickers across Bowyer’s face.

No camera.

19

SPRING 2011

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Penn State Beaver Nittany News

Bowyer and CBS News 21 cameraman Momin Bhatti head back to the live truck between broadcasts. Bhatti did much of the filming of the press conference because he was already in position when Bowyer arrived with the satellite truck.

20

Continued from page 19

4:59 p.m.

5:45 p.m.

8-1 that the church’s protest, though hurtful and distasteful, was protected by the First Amendment.

But ask Bowyer what the story is and he’ll tell you he doesn’t know. He’s more concerned with the job to be done.

Later he explains. The live truck already on the scene was equipped with a microwave transmitter, not a satellite dish. Microwave trucks can only send a live shot if they have a good, clear line of sight to the receiving tower and limited interference from other signals. The combination of tall buildings and the other live trucks on the scene rendered it useless.

Bowyer’s satellite truck saved the day.

By 4:55 everything is hooked up and ready to go. CBS 21 News reporter Christina Butler, smartly dressed in a white wool coat and heels, is poised for action.

“This is what we meant when we said it would get crazy later,” Bowyer says. “It always does.”

Snyder and his lawyers emerge from a nearby building, take their places in front of the microphones of nearly a dozen news outlets, and show their pain to the nation right on cue at 5 p.m.

The media circus crowds around them, then stills.

“My first thought was, eight justices don’t have the common sense God gave a goat,” Snyder says.

“We found out today that we can no longer bury our dead in this country with dignity.

What is this country becoming?”

Bowyer stands tensely, alertly behind CBS News 21 cameraman Momin Bhatti as he films.

Instead of running the camera himself, Bowyer is a second pair of hands, a second pair of legs ready to run and get and do.

The press conference over, reporters hurry to their cameras to sum up the story for their viewers. The wind whips all of their words away, barely caught by their microphones.

Between live remotes for the 5:30 and 6 p.m. newscasts and taping sound bites for the 11, the CBS 21 News crew relaxes at the truck.

Butler clutches her notes to protect them from the wind, which has tried to snatch them away several times.

John Leierzapf ’77 Lib, who spent two years at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and two at Penn State Harrisburg thanks to the GI Bill, tells of landing his job at CBS News 21 by offering to develop film in the station’s dark room, a job these young guys know nothing about.

Bowyer has finally found his jacket. The sun is going down.

“You know the thing about this?” Bowyer says. “They can’t give me a hard time about forgetting my camera. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to bring the truck down here.”

That ever-present grin slashes across his face.

“I’m the hero.”

Michael Mendicino ’10 Com contributed to this report.

Alumni update 1970s Vincent Troia, O.D., ’78 Sci, ’78 AgSci is a practicing optometrist and the owner of Troia Eye and Laser PC, Monaca.

Jeffrey Weimer ’78 Eng is associate professor in the Chemistry and Chemical and Materials Engineering Departments at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He was the recipient of a 2010 Summer Fellowship Award at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

1980s John Baldwin ’81 Eng is a technical manager for AlcatelLucent Technologies, Murray Hill, N.J. He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University, holds several patents, and has contributed hardware designs that serve the national cell phone industry.

Rosanne Rosenberger ’81 Bus is corporate vice president of First Place Bank which has more than 60 retail locations and lending centers in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland.

Last year she married Leonard Hess, and they live in Strongsville, Ohio, with her two children.

Kimberly J. Kockler ’87 Lib, guest speaker for Beaver campus fall 2010 commencement, is vice president of government affairs for Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and oversees the company’s Political Action Committee.

A member of the governor’s Health Care Reform Advisory Implementation Committee, she lives in Harrisburg with her husband, Donald Kockler, and their two daughters.

i a lu m n e u p dat

1990s James Orlowski ’92 Com is a producer and owner of OrlowskiDesigns in Ambridge, which provides high-quality, royalty-free HD stock footage for ad agencies.

Jacqueline (Kayla) Pinchot, ’92 Edu, ’04 M.Ed., is now an English teacher at Riverside High School in Ellwood City, Pa. She and her husband, Daniel, ’91 Com, ’04 M.Ed., live in Center Township with their two children.

Ryan C. “R.C.” Davis ’99 Com is a radio producer for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif.

in memoriam Don veri Don Veri ’72 Bus died unexpectedly on December 28 after a brief illness.

Don was the owner of Hopewell Realty Agency and was an active member of the Pennsylvania Board of Realtors and the Beaver County Association of Realtors. He was named Beaver County Realtor of the Year in 1994.

Don, a Vietnam Army veteran, was known as a friendly and helpful person and was committed to his No. 1 passion, Penn State.

Don was a longtime member of the Beaver Valley Area Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association and previously served as the group’s president. He was a past member of the Penn State Beaver Alumni Society and was a member of the society’s annual Golf Outing Committee for more than ten years.

Don and his wife, Donna, and their daughter, Michelle ’95 Sci, organized and implemented sales of Penn State Creamery ice cream prior to summer shows at the Brodhead Cultural Center.

They also participated in the Alumni Chapter’s sale of Creamery ice cream half-gallons on campus and often worked in the Brodhead Cultural Center concession stand, all to support student scholarships.

Don was involved in planning and organizing the Alumni Chapter’s annual Wine Tasting at Felicity Farms, Brighton Township, Pa. Proceeds from the event go toward chapter outreach efforts.

Don helped the Golf Outing Committee raise more than $130,000 for Beaver

2000s Benjamin Darr ’02 Bus is an account manager for Werner Enterprises, Aspers, Pa. Chad A. Lamp ’02 IST, a resident of Chester, W.V., is a deputy sheriff with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and assistant fire chief of the New Manchester Volunteer Fire Department.

Richard Kraemer ’03 IST is the designer

Don Veri

campus projects and the Alumni Society’s endowed scholarship for Beaver campus students.

In October the Alumni Chapter received the Outstanding Service Project Award from the Penn State Alumni Association. Don, Donna, and Michelle traveled to Penn State University Park to accept the award on behalf of the chapter at a special dinner to recognize outstanding alumni programs. The Beaver Valley Area Chapter received its award for work conducted in conjunction with the annual Holiday Gift Drive for Children and Youth Services of Beaver County, which has raised funds and provided presents for area children for 20 years.

Don’s family has established a scholarship fund in his name at Penn State Beaver.

To make a contribution, contact Diana Patterson, director of development, at 724-773-3558 or dlp25@psu.edu.

and developer of the website for Dollar Bank in Pittsburgh. He and his wife are expecting their first child in April.

Shawntaye Scott ’03 IST received the Distinguished Toastmaster Award from Toastmasters District 13 last fall. The award is the highest given to an individual by Toastmasters Continued on page 23

21

Outstanding alumni award

Campus honors Carl Bartuch Michael Mendicino ’10 Com

SPRING 2011

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Penn State Beaver Nittany News

C

22

arl Bartuch ’75 Bus sat in the stands of the Penn State Beaver gymnasium the evening of Jan. 19 and watched as the Penn State Beaver men’s basketball team battled Penn State Greater Allegheny.

It had been about 40 years since Bartuch had been on campus, but the gym was a fitting locale for the man who recently donated $100,000 to Penn State Beaver to help construct the new Wellness Center addition onto the gym.

As the Beaver men defeated Greater Allegheny 74-60, it proved to be a satisfying ending to an important day in Bartuch’s life.

A few hours earlier, in the presence of family and friends as well as campus alumni, advisory board members and administrators, Bartuch was honored as the recipient of the 2010 Penn State Beaver Outstanding Alumni Award.

The award, sponsored by the Penn State Beaver Alumni Society, recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through career achievements, community involvement, and involvement with the campus.

Bartuch surely fits the bill.

A native of Industry, Pa., Bartuch attended Beaver for two years and graduated from Penn State University Park in 1975 with a degree in accounting.

He now lives in Houston and owns High Tech Finishing, the world’s leading supplier of high quality metal plating finishes for high-end business and luxury aircraft interiors.

A self-professed candy lover, he also owns Kegg’s Candies, a Houston-based manufacturer of gourmet chocolates, and Bartuch Holdings Ltd., an acquisition investment vehicle.

Though Bartuch has made a successful life for himself in Texas, he hasn’t forgotten his roots. He has continued to support Penn State Beaver through scholarship donations and, most recently, the gift for the Wellness Center.

“This is home to me. That played a big role

“

CATHY BENSCOTER

Carl Bartuch accepts the Penn State Beaver Outstanding Alumni Award. in wanting to help out the campus as much as I could,” Bartuch said.

“It brings a lot of great feelings knowing that for decades students will be able to enjoy a new wellness center.”

The trip to Penn State Beaver to accept the award was only the second time Bartuch had been back on campus in the past 40 years. His brief tour of campus was a trip down memory lane.

“I lived with a bunch of entertaining individuals here,” Bartuch recalled. “We would go to the dances held on campus, play softball together and go off campus for pizza and hot dogs on the weekends. I was only here for two years, but I have lasting memories.”

Mike Mooney ’76 H&HD was one of those entertaining individuals. Mooney, a member of the campus Advisory Board, attended the dinner honoring Bartuch.

Mooney, who has remained friends with

Bartuch since their days together at Beaver, recalled that Bartuch had a knack for entertaining him and the other guys who lived on campus.

“Carl’s room was right across from mine and whenever I needed a good laugh I went to see him,” Mooney said. “His sense of humor and ability to entertain people was special.”

Mooney knew Bartuch would be successful.

“Carl was very personable and very diligent.

You could tell he had leadership qualities back then,” Mooney said.

Bartuch credits his career success to his time at Penn State.

“Most successes are years in the making.

Mine was no different from that. It’s during the early stages of college where I built my foundation and became committed to reaching my goals.”

“The Penn State degree equals commitment, dedication and hard work. The degree goes a long way to gaining success,” Bartuch said.

This is home to me. That played a big role in wanting to help out the campus as much as I could.

”

Update Continued from page 21

i A lu m n e U p dat

2010s Matt Strope ’10 Bus is a financial analyst for Dick’s Sporting Goods at the corporate office in Coraopolis, Pa.

SPRING 2011

New job? New baby? New you?

Submit your news online at beaver.psu.edu/alumniupdate

Recent gifts from the Michael Baker Corporation and NOVA Chemicals brought Penn State Beaver closer to reaching its $3 million goal in the University’s ongoing fundraising effort, “For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.”

Each company recently pledged $50,000 in scholarships, bringing Beaver’s total in gifts and pledges to $1.7 million.

“Surpassing the halfway mark in our campaign is so meaningful to us,” said Diana Patterson, Beaver campus director of development. “Extraordinary campus friends such as the Michael Baker Corporation and NOVA Chemicals continue to help us provide as much scholarship support as possible for our students.”

The gift from Baker will be added to the principal of the Michael Baker Corporation Engineering Scholarship, which was established previously with a $50,000 gift. Other prior scholarships funded by Baker are The Richard and Margaret Shaw Endowed Scholarship and The Richard and Margaret Shaw Trustee Scholarship, with a gift of $100,000 for each.

The gift from NOVA Chemicals will be used to establish the NOVA Chemicals Trustee Scholarship.

“Support from these companies, especially in a difficult economy, proves that they understand our campus mission as well as the needs of our students,” Patterson said.

More than 80 percent of Penn State students receive financial support through loans, grants, and scholarships.

“Our goal is to gather as much scholarship support as possible to help our students reach their academic goals and launch their careers with less debt,” Patterson said. “These gifts continue to remind our communities of the importance of higher education in today’s global marketplace, and for that we’re most grateful.”

For information about scholarship support, contact Patterson at dlp25@psu.edu or 724773-3558.

|

What’s up?

Corporate gifts move campaign to $1.7 million

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

International. In addition, she serves as a volunteer for the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

Jesse Scott ’03 Eng, ’06 Eng, ’10 M.Eng and Laura Ann (Lucadamo) Scott ’03 IST, ’08 Lib live in State College. Jesse is an electrical and computer engineer at heatfusion and a Ph.D. candidate in computer science and engineering at Penn State University Park. His research includes real-time image processing and computer vision, and he’s the author/coauthor of seven publications. Laura is a freelance writer as well as a multimedia designer and staff assistant in the Penn State University College of Engineering Electronic and Computer Services.

Ashley (Ray) Rambo ’03 Bus is an account manager for PGI Premiere Global Services Inc. in Alpharetta, Ga. She participates in outreach and volunteer activities in the Atlanta community, including 5K runs, Adam’s Relay for Life, and the Sawnee Mountain Reserve.

Jesse Dzubak ’03 H&HD, ’04 Bus, lives and works in Houston, Texas, where he’s the manager of e-mail marketing for Continental Airlines and is enrolled in the master’s of education in counseling program at Texas Southern University.

Andrew W. Gump ’04 IST is an instructional designer for K12 Inc. based in Herndon, Va. The organization is America’s largest provider of online education for grades K-12.

Brad Shaffer ’05 IST is systems manager for Eckles Architecture and Engineering, New Castle, Pa. Jeremy Saylor ’06 IST is a quality control specialist for LPS Empower, Sharon, Pa. Josh Hanrahan ’06 IST is the senior software quality assurance analyst for McKesson Automation, Cranberry Township, Pa. James Sloan ’06 Sci is head of the mathematics department, a mathematics coach, and head varsity baseball coach at Westwood High School, Fort Pierce, Fla. Daniel M. Kovolenko ’07 Bus is a securities specialist for BNY Mellon Global Securities, which is headquartered in New York but

has offices across the country and around the world.

Adele A. Majzlik ’07 Bus is an assistant project manager for Michael Baker Corporation headquartered in Moon Township, Pa. Matthew S. Politylo ’07 Com was featured in the lead role of Lucas in an offBroadway production of Neil Simon’s play, “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.”

A resident of Queens, N.Y., he’s a member of AFTRA NY and a sales associate at American Eagle Outfitters, Manhattan.

Lauren E. Bible ’08 Bus is a field billing analyst/specialist with PLS Logistics Services, Cranberry Township, Pa. Justin Frear ’08 Lib received a master’s degree in public administration last year from Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Mich. He now lives in State College and is an intramural events assistant at Penn State University Park.

Arthur Mangie ’08 IST is a systems engineer at Ellwood Quality Steels, New Castle, Pa. Carrie Walker ’08 Bus is a recruiter at Advantage Sales and Marketing, Pittsburgh.

Justin Lyon ’09 IST is a teacher in the Muju English Village, a subsidiary of Incheon English Village, South Korea. The privately owned English conversation and experience learning camp draws students from area elementary and middle schools.

Amber McConahy ’09 IST has been accepted into the Ph.D. program in software engineering, Department of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.

Last fall she spoke at a luncheon highlighting Beaver’s IST graduates.

Nicole Slappo ’09 Bus is a benefits representative at American Income Life Insurance Company which is headquartered in Waco, Texas, with offices throughout the nation.

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Faculty publish papers, receive honors Dr. Cassandra Miller-Butterworth, assistant professor of biology, recently coauthored two articles. “Contrasting Genetic Structure in Two Co-Distributed Species of Old World Fruit Bat” was published in November by PLoS One, an interactive openaccess journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed scientific and medical research.

“Phylogeography of the Japanese pipistrelle bat, Pipistrellus abramus, in China: the impact of ancient and recent events on population genetic structure” was published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, by The Linnean Society of London.

——— Dr. John Chapin, associate professor of communications, was featured in an article, “Online posts fuel bullying, domestic violence, say Penn State experts, ” that appeared online on Penn State Live in October. Also, Chapin coauthored “Domestic Violence: Not my Job, Not my Problem,” for the December issue of the Online Journal of Health Ethics and “Yes we can! Improving medical screening for intimate partner violence through self-efficacy” for a recent edition of The Journal of Injury and Violence Research.

——— An article coauthored by Dr. Zhongyuan Che, associate professor of mathematics, was one of the top 25 articles consulted recently by mathematicians. “On k-pairable regular graphs” appeared in December in the journal, Discrete Mathematics.

——— Dr. Peter Deutsch, associate professor of physics, opened the spring semester Faculty Speakers Series with his presentation, “Thoughts About Marcellus Shale.”

——— Abhijit Dutt, instructor in information sciences and technology, coauthored “Text Classification with Imperfect Hierarchical Structure Knowledge” which was published from proceedings of the Sixteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Lima, Peru, at AIS Electronic Library.

——— Dr. Talha Harcar, associate professor of business, coauthored a variety of papers. “Neu-

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Penn State Beaver Nittany News

y Fac u lt t e Faculty members to be Marshals Hendrickson, P.E., instrucUniversity Park. u p da torJames in engineering, and Dr. David Hendrickson, who will be faculty

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Paoletti, assistant professor of computer science, have been selected by former Beaver campus students to serve as faculty marshals at Penn State University Park’s commencement in May. This marks the first time Beaver faculty have served in these positions at

ral Network Based Model for Measuring the Effects of Marketing Research on Marketing Performance” and “Brand Personality: A Study of Turkish Mobile Phone Market” were written for the Business Research Yearbook. He coauthored “Ambush Marketing or Unofficial Sponsorship — FIFA World Cup 2010 Practices,” which was published in Critical Issues in Global Business by the International Management Development Association. In addition, he coauthored “An Examination of Wellness Orientation and Dental Care Attitudes Among Dental Patients: Conceptual Model and Empirical Evidences for Turkey” for The Business Review, Cambridge, and “Determining Churn Drivers in Moroccan Telecom Sector” for the Journal of International Business Disciplines.

He coauthored “Factors Effecting Purchasing Behaviors: Intentions, Experiences, and Choices,” which he presented at the Consumer Behavior session of the 17th International Conference on Recent Advances in Retailing and Services Science in Istanbul, Turkey. Harcar and Daniel W. Smith, instructor in business, coauthored a paper,” How Does Color Effect Perceived Attributes of New Food Products?

The Case of Gatorade in Morocco,” which will appear this spring in the Business Research Yearbook.

——— Last fall students from the Introduction to Engineering Design class taught by James Hendrickson, P.E., instructor in engineering, presented an overview of their team’s research project, “Design of a Rapid Intervention Team

marshal for the Engineering Science Department, was chosen by Samuel Wilton, who will serve as student marshal.

Paoletti will be faculty marshal for the Computer Engineering Department and was selected by Ethan Healey, who will serve as student marshal.

(RIT) Pack for Firefighter Rescue,” for campus community members, regional firefighters, and manufacturers of firefighting equipment.

——— Dr. Mari Pierce, assistant professor of administration of justice, coauthored “Preventing Child Abuse,” a chapter in the book “Crime Prevention: Theory, Practice, and Evaluation” published by Adalet Yaymeni. Pierce also coauthored “The Impact of Race on the Pretrial Decision” for the American Journal of Criminal Justice.

——— “Mini-Modeling Measurements,” written by Anthony J. Sadar, CCM , lecturer in meteorology, was published in a recent edition of Pollution Engineering magazine.

——— Last fall, Dr. Carol Schafer, associate professor of theatre, integrative arts and women’s studies, directed Penn State Beaver Theatre in three original short plays written by students.

Cast and crew were members of her Theatre Production class.

——— Dr. Juliette Storr, assistant professor of communications, conducted a workshop, “Communicating Across Cultures…Building Partnerships,” for the University Office of Global Programs and Human Resource Development Center at Penn State University Park.

——— Leo Takahashi, assistant professor of physcontinued on page 25

Barr: ‘According to my students, I rock’

continued from page 13 came across a life-changing opportunity. She saw a newspaper ad for a full-time instructor position at Penn State Beaver and submitted her resume immediately.

“It was then that I quit all my other jobs and have been working here ever since,” Barr said.

Penn State Beaver students are grateful for the role Barr plays in their lives.

“Karen Barr was by far an amazing professor! She knew when to have fun and when to get work done. When I entered into the business major, I made sure I had her as a mentor,” said Alonna Verrico ’10 Bus. “She knows how to connect with students on a level that we can respect.”

“Karen was very knowledgeable in what she was teaching and was always willing to help out with

CATHY BENSCOTER

Karen Barr, who says she was made for the stage, is constantly in motion in the classroom, using body language, gestures and facial expressions to deliver lectures to her students. anything that I needed, even if it didn’t involve one of her classes.

Her willingness to go above and beyond what she needed to do to help a student really shows what’s

important to her,” said Tim Kubis ’10 Bus. “Karen still helps me out to this day as I use her for a reference while searching for a job.”

Barr’s favorite thing to do is

Campus hires new faculty

Dwivedi

Theobald

Publications

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ics, wrote an article, “Simple PowerPoint Animation,” which appeared recently in a journal, The Physics Teacher.

——— In October, Dr. Kay Wijekumar, associate professor of information sciences and technology, presented “Technologies for Learning: Improving Reading Comprehension with Web-based Tutoring Tools” as part of the Faculty Speakers Series. She also coauthored an article, “Web-Based Tutoring of the Structure Strategy With or Without Elaborated Feedback or Choice for Fifth and Seventh-Grade Readers,” for the Reading Research Quarterly.

——— Dr. C. Chris Wu, professor of mathematics, coauthored “Trees, Animals, and Percolation on Hyperbolic Lattices” which was published by the Electronic Journal of Probability.

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Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. She also worked as a customer service assistant at the Cleveland State University Library and a department assistant in academic affairs at Case Western Reserve University.

She holds a master of library and information science degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from Cleveland State University.

While at Cleveland, she also studied abroad at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Dana Sklack, senior communications major, contributed to this story.

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

Neelam Dwivedi is an instructor in information sciences and technology with more than twenty years of experience as a software system developer and project/program manager. Previously, she was a corporate trainer and consultant and spent eight years with Wipro Technologies, one of the largest global providers of information technology services.

She holds a master's degree in information technology from Carnegie Mellon University, a master’s degree in engineering (computer science) from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, India, and a bachelor's degree in technology (computer science) from the Institute of Engineering & Technology, Lucknow, India.

——— Beth Theobald is the new reference librarian.

Theobald was a library intern with the digital repository at Carnegie Mellon University and a library public services intern at the Katz

help people and she believes it’s the reason students enjoy having her in class. She puts a lot of energy into teaching and her goal is to keep students learning, she said.

“My personality was made for being on the stage,” she said.

Her student reviews are always filled with compliments about her teaching style. “According to the students, I rock, I’m awesome, I should run for president,” she said with a wide smile. In 2004, she received the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board Excellence in Teaching Award and was named Outstanding Academic Advisor the following year.

“It’s important to learn to care for others and to help other people.

I absolutely love to learn and have an eagerness for knowledge,” Barr said. “That’s how I got here.”

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Three-peat Men win PSUAC again, take third in Nationals

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Matt Jones ’10

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For the third-consecutive year, the Penn State Beaver men’s basketball team captured the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship in the Feb. 22-23 tournament held at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University Park.

The team also took the third-place trophy in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association tournament held the first week of March at Penn State Fayette.

The top-ranked Beaver team had lost only one game in the PSUAC regular season, and, after defeating No. 4-seed Penn State DuBois 65-58 in the semifinal matchup, narrowly won the conference title in a 76-73 overtime victory against No.2-seed Penn College.

Beaver held an early lead, but Penn College fought back to tie the game, 42-42, with 15 minutes remaining.

Beaver stormed back to tie the game with just 11 seconds remaining. Penn College missed its last attempt at the buzzer, forcing the game into overtime.

Beaver outscored Penn College 12-9 in the extra frame.

In the USCAA tournament, Beaver, the No. 8 seed, defeated No.1-seed Vermont Tech in the second round of play, but lost its third game to No. 5-seed Andrews University.

Vermont Tech, which boasted the leading and third-leading scorers in the nation, had only lost three games all season and was ahead by nine at halftime. But Beaver came roaring back and won 92-87 by keeping the nation’s leading scorer in check, Coach Marcess Williams said.

Beaver lost its matchup against Andrews, the eventual winners of the tournament, 61-51.

In the third place consolation game, Penn State Beaver started out slow but quickly recovered and tied New Hampshire Technical Institute by halftime.

Beaver started the second half with a 14-4 run, but with 10 minutes remaining in the game

s s p o rt e u p dat

Justin vorbach

The men’s basketball team celebrates its third consecutive PSUAC conference championship at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University Park. a scuffle broke out and players from both teams stormed the court. The two players who started the fight were ejected and the eight remaining players, plus one from NHTI who didn’t leave the bench, were allowed to finish the game.

Despite being one man short, Beaver maintained a consistent lead throughout, winning 88-71 and taking home the third-place trophy.

As a result of the fight, the PSUAC has put the team on probation for two years.

Other PSUAC sanctions include a two-

game suspension for two players, a one-game suspension for all other current players, and community service for the team.

Williams said winning third place was a remarkable accomplishment for a team with only two seniors.

“At times this year, I thought we were just young and didn’t know how to win games,” he said.

But the team always seemed to pull through the adversity, he said, and despite the fight it was a successful season.

Froats

continued from page 11

CATHY BENSCOTER

The women’s basketball team poses with its second-place USCAA trophy after losing to Ave Maria University.

Women finish second in PSUAC, USCAA

Don Ware IV

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Don Ware IV is a sophomore communications major.

Penn State Beaver Nittany News

The Penn State Beaver Lady Lions ended the 2010-11 season ranked No. 2 in the nation.

“All in all, they had a great year,” Coach Bert DeSalvo said of the women’s basketball team. “They gained a lot of respect for our athletic program.”

The team ended its season March 5 as the runner up in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, having lost the championship game to Ave Maria University of Florida 80-55.

Penn State Beaver had 16 turnovers, which lead to 20 points for Ave Maria, and only shot 33 percent from the field.

Senior All-American Jasmine Green led Beaver with 20 points and six rebounds, while Beaver’s other All-American, senior Heather Sandusky, scored 11 points.

It was the second championship loss in two weeks, following Penn State Brandywine’s surprise 57-54 upset over Beaver in the Penn State University Athletic Conference Feb. 23. The loss ended Beaver’s three-year reign as PSUAC champs.

In the PSUAC championship, Beaver, undefeated in conference play, had a 10-point lead

at the half. But Brandywine fought back and tied the game 54-54 with 30 seconds remaining. Brandywine took the win with a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left.

Sandusky led all scorers with 20 points, while Green chipped in 11.

DeSalvo said he is still shaking his head about the loss. “I think it was the perfect storm.

The other team — I don’t want to take anything away from them. They made the shot.”

Despite the championship losses, Green called it the best season yet.

“As a team, our best performing experience has to be this past one, the 2011 USCAA tourney. We played the best basketball this team has played in four years, and it was awesome,” Green said.

Green, Sandusky and seniors Noelle Miloszewski and Laura Perkins all started the team with DeSalvo four years ago. In that time, the team has amassed an unbelievable 96-26 record.

“I can’t thank them enough,” DeSalvo said.

“They will be remembered in our athletic department for a long time. Their legacy will last for a very long time.”

ency. “I received a minor lecture from my supervisor’s supervisor, … but anything more drastic would have received attention from the very people my boss’ boss was trying to hide my escapades from,” he said.

It isn’t just his work experience during these deployments that shaped the wellrounded, enthusiastic person that faculty and students see in the classroom. Froats also has a heart for helping others.

During his time in Iraq, he cofounded Kids of Iraq, a charity dedicated to helping Iraqi children received school supplies, clothing, and toys. The charity provided more than 200 boxes of donations to schools throughout the country.

In January 2009 he returned to California with the option to re-enlist, but Froats decided he was ready for a change. He knew about the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and returning to school was the obvious choice.

His father, Ted Froats Sr., manager of information technology at Beaver campus, shared his love for Penn State Beaver with his son. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had in my life. I can’t wait to get here on Monday morning,” said Froats Sr., himself an Air Force veteran.

His father’s enthusiasm about the campus encouraged Froats Jr. to enroll. As a bonus, Beaver offered everything he was looking for and was close to home. He became a student in spring 2010.

Professors continue to be pleased to have him in their class.

“He made the whole class feel comfortable talking and interacting and had a lot to do with creating a better learning atmosphere and making the material more digestible for other students,” said Dr. William Locascio, instructor in anthropology.

“He was also a great student in the sense that he did all the reading, got A’s on all the exams, and understood the material very well. But his greatest qualities lie in his friendly demeanor and ability to make people feel comfortable around him,” Locascio said.

Anyone who meets Froats Jr. agrees. His dedication and enthusiasm in the military have gone far in ensuring his success at Penn State Beaver.

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Office of Campus and Community Relations Ross Administration Building, Suite 201 100 University Drive Monaca, PA 15061

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Spring break abroad

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During the March spring break, some Penn State Beaver students traveled abroad to study art, history, and technology.

Dr. Robin Bower, associate professor of Spanish, and students from her Iberian Civilization and Culture class, traveled to Madrid, Spain, where they visited the Prado Museum, home of major collections of the work of Spanish master artists El Greco, Diego de Velazquez, and Francisco Goya.

Bower’s group also visited the Reina Sofia Museum, which houses art by Salvadore Dali and Pablo Picasso, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which features one of the world’s most extensive private art collections.

Dr. Kay Wijekumar, associate professor of information sciences and technology, took students from her Senior Synthesis class to Italy.

The class presented its iPhone and Droid Application Development and Prototype at the International Conference on Computer Applications in Venice. The group also went to Rome for a tour of the Vatican and its information systems and visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Eddie Knotek, Logan Marchione, Dr. Kay Wijekumar, Raja Jasper, Joshua Godfry, and Andrew Lacy pose together in Vatican Square during their spring break trip to Italy.

At left, Jacob Szemanski, Alicia Dummel, and Matt Walker pose together outside of the Museo Arqueológico Nacional during their trip to Madrid, Spain, over spring break. Above, Julie Leeper and Alexa Farrell pose together in front of Cathedral of Segovia, in Segovia, Spain.