College of Education Alumni Magazine, Fall 2017

Fall Two Thousand Seventeen

Immersion in Ecuador Unique program helps Penn State students become citizens of the world as they teach English in Ecuador

Contents Dean

David H. Monk

Editor

Annemarie Mountz

Writers

Jessica Buterbaugh, Jim Carlson, Tiffany Ghosn, Annemarie Mountz

Photographers

Jessica Buterbaugh, Jim Carlson, Annemarie Mountz

Contact Us

247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802-3206 814-863-2216 www.ed.psu.edu • edrelations@psu.edu Published twice a year by the Penn State College of Education

College of Education Alumni Society Officers

Tonya DeVecchis-Kerr, President Pamela Peter, President-Elect William Vitori, Immediate Past President Douglas Womelsdorf, Secretary

Directors Lawrence Carretta Joseph Clapper John Czerniakowski Paula Donson Pamela Francis Kayla Fuentes-Packnick Roseilyn Guzman Tracy Hinish

Jonathan Klingeman Henry Laboranti Sandie Musoleno Stephanie Preston William Stone Lawrence Wess Jeannene Willow Sharlene Yontosh

Student Members Hannah Chisler Daje Johnson

Frank Ayata Branden Elmore

Dean’s Message Immersion in Ecuador

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Associate Professor Elizabeth Smolcic heads up the College’s English as a Second Language program, complete with a fiveweek immersion trip to Ecuador.

President Barron recaps fundraising success, shares vision for new philanthropy campaign

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Penn State’s new philanthropic campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” which kicked off in summer 2016, has experienced a successful inaugural year, raising more than $350 million in commitments, according to University President Eric Barron.

Alumna endows scholarship for education student who also is part of the Blue Band

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In addition to carrying a full courseload in the College of Education, junior Ashley McCoach is in the Penn State Blue Band – which made her eligible to be the inaugural recipient of a unique scholarship.

State-of-the-art classrooms to reflect new techniques of teaching science

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It’s not so much what the new science wing in the College of Education will look like that appeals to Scott McDonald, it’s more of the possibility that prospective students will take another look at the value of being a science education major.

Longtime donors give $100,000 to endow RHS graduate program

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Ralph and Patricia Pacinelli have made 34 gifts to the College, including a $100,000 endowment inspired by a successful career serving individuals with disabilities.

New Endowments

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A list of new endowments in the College.

New Faces

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Meet our newly appointed faculty, and our new assistant director of Alumni Relations.

‘What we do matters’ The University is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University’s educational mission, and will not be tolerated. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5901, Email: aao@psu.edu, Telephone: 814-863-0471.

U.Ed EDU 18-10

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Professor returns from 10-day trip to China with rekindled passion for research and teaching.

National School Boards Association head delivers 2017 spring commencement address

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Read the text of Thomas J. Gentzel’s commencement address to the College of Education.

On the cover: Penn State student Sarah Zablotney poses with her young students while completing the Ecuador Immersion program with the College of Education.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Smolcic

Dean’s Message As this edition of the Alumni Magazine was being prepared to go to press, we celebrated the opening of our newest innovative teaching and learning space, the Krause Learning Space. Renovation of the 3,800-square-foot space was made possible through a generous gift by Gay and Bill Krause, completing the renovations of second-floor classrooms in Chambers Building.

In January, we will begin to renovate the science wing on the first floor of Chambers Building, bringing those classrooms into the 21st century. Read more about our plans for this project on page 10.

All of the renovations in Chambers Building fit beautifully with the strategic goals of the University in general, and with the College of Education more specifically. The University has identified “transforming education” as one of its key strategic planning themes in the current strategic plan. The College also has singled out the provision of international leadership in the area of innovation in teaching and learning as one of its highest priorities for the future, and these renovations are helping us to achieve that goal.

Dean David H. Monk

Innovation in teaching and learning, coupled with rigorous research and evaluation, is becoming a signature of the Penn State College of Education.

However, renovating a building originally constructed during the late 1950s to meet the needs of 21st-century students is a daunting – and expensive – proposition. We certainly would not be able to do all that we are doing without the generous philanthropic support we have received, and we are grateful.

Philanthropy also has eased the financial burden on our students, enabling them to participate more fully Photo: Annemarie Mountz in the college experience. Newly funded The College of Education celebrated the opening of the Krause Learning Space with a scholarships in the College include one ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 20. Cutting the ribbon are, from left: Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Rich Bundy, Penn State First Lady Molly Barron, Penn designated for students participating State President Eric Barron, Gay Krause, Bill Krause, College of Education Dean David H. in the Blue Band (page 8), and one for Monk, and Director of the Krause Studios for Innovation Scott McDonald. graduate students who intend to work in federal, state or local agencies and community rehabilitation programs upon graduation (page 12).

Our College also is participating once again this year in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and celebrate generosity worldwide. This year, the College of Education is raising money to fully fund at least one student to participate in the Teaching ESL Certificate Program with an Ecuador Immersion Experience. Read about the program, and how to participate in the #GivingTuesday campaign, starting on page 2.

I hope you enjoy reading about some of the wonderful things happening in the College of Education.

As always, I welcome your feedback.

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Immersion in Ecuador Students travel 3,000 miles and spend 5 weeks teaching the English language to Ecuadorians

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By Jessica Buterbaugh

dison Godfrey never knew she wanted to be a teacher. In fact, she really wasn’t sure what she wanted to pursue after college.

All she knew was that she liked to travel and meet people from different cultures.

It wasn’t until her internship coordinator suggested teaching English as a second language that she considered a career in education.

“I had tutoring experience but I didn’t have experience being in a classroom as the head teacher and I didn’t know how the two would compare,” Godfrey said. “Since I was an English and Spanish major and I wanted to travel abroad again, Elizabeth Jenkins in the College of the Liberal Arts suggested the ESL (English as a Second Language) program in the College of Education because I would be able to travel but also come out of it with something concrete.”

A 15-credit, state-approved certificate program, the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) 2

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program housed in the College of Education and offered in partnership with the College of the Liberal Arts, attracts students from all majors across the University as well as current teachers throughout the state. Upon completion of the program, teachers can add the Teaching ESL Program Specialist endorsement to their professional teaching credential.

“As part of the program, we traveled to Ecuador for five weeks and we had a full language and culture immersion experience,” said Godfrey, who completed the program in 2015.

As part of the immersion component of the program, Penn State students co-teach the English language to elementary, high school and college-aged students at a local Ecuadorian university. They also live with Spanish-speaking host families for the duration of the five-week program.

“We took our pedagogy classes for the TESL

program in the morning and then we would teach Ecuadorians in the evenings at a local university,” she said. “It was very intense but also an amazing experience.”

Penn State has offered a TESL certificate program for many years but it wasn’t until Elizabeth Smolcic joined the faculty in 2009 that an immersion experience was added.

“I started the program 13 years ago and brought it with me when I came to Penn State,” said Smolcic, an associate professor of education. “When I joined the faculty and developed this program for the Penn State curriculum, we were able to offer students and current teachers an alternative pathway that offers a direct experience in another linguistic and cultural environment that provides the critical handson teaching skills necessary to work with emergent bilingual English learners.”

It is common for current teachers to enroll in the program and also travel to Ecuador, she said. With the growing number of Spanish-speaking individuals moving to Pennsylvania, schools are in need of teachers who are certified ESL instructors and give preference to those who have hands-on experience.

“Because there are current teacher shortages across the country for ESL and bilingual teachers, we attract many educators who want to add ESL to their current certification,” Smolcic said.

To accommodate the busy schedules of students and teachers, courses have an online component and resident instruction is offered on the weekends so that educators, regardless of where they live, can participate. Three credits are offered every spring semester and 12 credits, which includes the immersion experience, take place in the summer.

Education and the Department of Applied Linguistics in the College of the Liberal Arts. The courses span various aspects of language, culture and pedagogy related to teaching emergent bilingual learners in PreK12 contexts. One course introduces students to the structures and systems of the English language and “explores the idea that teaching something automatic to you is really difficult to do,” Smolcic said.

Two other courses — Teaching English as a Second Language and Foundations of Language in Second Language Teaching — look at how others learn a new language and instructional strategies to teach an additional language. Both cover content related to how the brain processes learning a language as well as how language is central to social and personal identities. The remaining credits are fulfilled with a course that discusses issues critical to interacting with English learners in U.S. public schools and a course exploring the intersections of teaching and culture. The central component to all the courses is the practical field experience that takes place in Ecuador. While there, Penn State students also learn either Spanish or Kichwa, the indigenous language of Ecuador.

“The cultural aspect is huge in this program, as it is in any ESL program,” Smolcic said. “Every culture is distinct and ways of classroom interaction that are implicit in U.S. schools are not necessarily understood in other cultures, and that’s important when you are interacting with learners from cultures that are not English-speaking.”

Immersion in Ecuador “Going to Ecuador was an amazing experience,” said recent graduate Matt Crager. “It was great to take everything we learned in our classes and be able to experience it in a real-world ESL classroom.”

“It’s a great learning experience for both pre- and inservice teachers,” Smolcic said.

“When teachers come to this program, they are in a group with younger students who may have different perspectives and are learning different things that may not have been part of their teacher education curriculum.

And obviously, classroom teachers have a wealth of hands-on knowledge and experience that pre-service teachers learn from and that we build on.”

The program consists of five courses that are offered collaboratively through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of

Photo courtesy of Rachel Shriver

Junior Rachel Shriver (right) learns how to basket weave from a local woman in Saraguro, Ecuador.

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As a communications arts and sciences major, Crager did not have a background in education or any type of teaching experience even though he said he was always interested in education.

“I always wanted to teach and I always thought education might be something I wanted to do but I never took any steps to actually do it,” he said. But then he applied to the TESL program.

“The entire program provided a really holistic view of everything that goes into teaching a second language. I never realized there was so much that goes into it,” Crager said. “What I thought I would learn, is not what I learned.”

He said he expected a traditional program where he sat in a classroom and was told how to teach.

“But instead, it’s more like here’s all these things that influence how you teach a language, from culture to literacy and development,” he said. “Not just telling you exactly how to teach but telling you the types of problems you’ll face and equipping you with the thinking skills to be able to solve them.”

Godfrey agrees.

“I learned so much from the program, more than I expected,

especially from the immersion experience,” she said. “For me, the most impactful part was how it broadened my world view.”

Living and teaching in Ecuador was unlike anything she’s ever experienced, Godfrey said. “After having the Ecuador experience, it really solidified for me that I wanted to be a teacher, and go back to Ecuador and work with students from a different country again.”

After graduating from Penn State, Godfrey got her wish when she returned to Ecuador in October 2016, this time as a Fulbright Fellow, and worked as an ESL teacher at a technical university.

She also volunteered at a local orphanage and taught English to two children with cerebral palsy who were in the process of being adopted by families in the United States.

Godfrey returned to the United States in July and in August she officially joined the College of Education as a graduate student.

She currently is studying secondary English education and will complete the rigorous Professional Development School program. But she hopes to expand her education even further.

“I found out about the College’s dual master’s degree program in

curriculum and instruction and comparative and international education,” she said. “From the Ecuador program, I’ve developed this global mindset and this desire to work globally, so I’m hoping to pursue that dual degree and eventually teach abroad.”

Crager also said his time in Ecuador opened his eyes to the field of education and has influenced him to pursue additional teaching opportunities. He also applied and was accepted to the Fulbright Fellowship Program. In February 2018, he will travel to Brazil to work with college students who are preparing to be English teachers.

“Going to Ecuador was a great, completely immersive experience — living with a host family and being thrown into a classroom and teaching and taking classes, all of it,” he said. “I have more confidence in myself just to be able to handle that change and pressure. But I also have the teaching skills to go into my Fulbright confidently. Before Ecuador, I wouldn’t have any idea what I was doing.”

While he hasn’t decided what his post-Fulbright plans entail, he knows the general direction.

“I want to go to graduate school and everything I’m doing now is leading to either educational

Photo: Elizabeth Smolcic

Penn State students John Quinlisk (left) and Jenna Bailin (far right) perform an interactive spider web activity with their Ecuadorian students.

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psychology or being a classroom teacher,” he said. “No matter what I do, I want to be teaching in some capacity in the future. I won’t be happy if I’m not doing that.”

Recent College of Education graduate and TESL alumna Christina Cabezas also was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and will work as an ESL educator in Brazil. John Quinslik, a senior studying secondary math education, recently applied to the Fulbright Fellowship program and is hoping to receive an offer to teach in Taiwan. If awarded, he will be notified in mid-2018.

Funding the way Because it can be difficult for education majors to add courses to their regular semester schedules, which are fairly prescribed and already full, the TESL program offers 12 of the 15 credits during the summer session. This requires students to pay summer session tuition as well as the study abroad fee, in addition to their annual Penn State tuition.

“Financial resources are a huge barrier to students who are interested in having a global experience,” Smolcic said. “I have students come to me saying that they really want to do the program but they are afraid that they just can’t afford it.”

In the summer of 2017, costs to complete the program, including tuition, transportation and other expenses, exceeded $10,000.

“Each year, our program loses students who have applied and been accepted, but do not have the financial resources to participate,” Smolcic said, adding that Dean David H. Monk has allocated some money to help students alleviate the financial burden. In 2016, he approved four $2,000 scholarships for students with financial need.

Rachel Shriver, a junior studying secondary English education, knows first-hand how finances can interfere with students’ academic plans to study abroad.

Giving Tuesday goal to give student a global experience

By Tiffany Ghosn

Again this year, the College of Education is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and celebrate generosity worldwide. This event is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as a way to give back during the holiday season and to help create impactful experiences for our students.

This year, the College of Education is raising money to fully fund at least one student to participate in the Teaching ESL Certificate Program with an Ecuador Immersion Experience. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to travel abroad, learn a new language Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Smolcic while also Kayla Mason advocates supporting #Giving Tuesday. teaching English, and gain knowledge and experience about life in Ecuador.

The ESL program, which is completed during the spring semester and summer session, includes courses at Penn State University Park, online and at one of two universities in Ecuador — the Universidad de Loja and the Universidad de Cuenca — for a summer intensive study experience.

In late June, students travel to Ecuador’s Andean highlands for an intensive five-week culture and language immersion and practice teaching experience. Because 12 credits of this program occur over the summer, it is an added expense to overall tuition.

With the help of our alumni and friends, we can reach our #GivingTuesday goal of $13,000, which will cover one student’s summer 2018 experience, including tuition, travel expenses, room and board, and any additional fees.º For more information about #GivingTuesday, the Ecuador Immersion Program, or other ways to help the College of Education and its students, email education@psu.edu.

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“I know for people like me whose parents do not pay for their higher education, the program is almost entirely out of the question,” she said, adding that without the scholarship she received from the College she never would have been able to participate.

It is especially discouraging, she said, because English language learners are the fastest growing population in the U.S. public school system.

Not having qualified teachers to work with these students could mean they slip through the cracks. Having TESL programs with immersion opportunities can help save those students and ensure that they receive the education they deserve.

“The scholarship I received helped, but did not cover all or even half of my expenses for the program,” she said.

“However, the amount I was given was enough to bring the cost in a range that wasn’t overwhelming. This was significant because I had come to terms with the idea that I would have to pass up the opportunity.”

“It is disheartening to think that the majority of students that want to participate in this program cannot because of financial hardship,” Shriver said. “This Photo courtesy of Matt Crager program revolutionized my Shriver said she calculated Penn State student Matt Crager gets a local cuisine cooking life’s goals, my professional how much she needed to work lesson from his host family in Ecuador. potential and my cultural during the spring semester in be able to take part in these types awareness. The five weeks I order to feel confident in taking of opportunities.” lived in Ecuador were truly the out a loan to cover the remaining five best weeks of my life. I was The future of education costs and also to determine how enriched academically, socially, much she needed to save for For Shriver, it was not just an professionally, environmentally, summer. After all, she would not opportunity to travel abroad that personally and spiritually. I cannot be receiving any income during sparked her interest in the program. think of many programs that can do her five weeks in Ecuador, an issue It was something that hit much all of that in one.” many students face. closer to home.

Shriver said she hopes to return “Traveling abroad in the “Thirty-three percent of to Ecuador next summer to further summer can be very difficult for my hometown consists of ESL develop her ESL teaching skills, students because it may prevent students,” she said. “After taking improve on her Spanish and deepen them from holding a summer job CI 280 (Introduction to teaching the relationships she’s already and thus, lose the income that English language learners), I was established. comes with that,” Smolcic said. It exposed to a lot of the injustices is those hardworking students, she “I owe all of this to the emergent multilingual students said, that can have the greatest scholarship I received from the face in this country and how a impact on children and young College of Education, which huge percentage of teachers are people. “So, it is incumbent upon us inadvertently providing them a reminded me that I could go to to allow those students who desire Ecuador, that it wasn’t impossible,” disservice by simply not knowing global learning or experiences with she said. “I cannot imagine my life how to teach across a language barrier.” cultural or linguistic differences to without this experience.”

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President Barron recaps fundraising success, shares vision for new philanthropy campaign Access and affordability, transformative experiences, global impact among focus areas highlighted in presentation to the Board of Trustees Penn State’s new philanthropic campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” which kicked off in summer 2016, has experienced a successful inaugural year, raising more than $350 million in commitments, according to University President Eric Barron.

The president, who presented a first-year update to the Board of Trustees July 21, said the fiveyear campaign effort has a goal of maintaining sustained annual giving of more than $300 million, aligns with Penn State’s strategic plan and focuses on three objectives to open doors through access and affordability, create transformative experiences for students, and impact the world.

“We’ve initiated this campaign to fulfill the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve the public good, while ushering in a new era of rapid change and global connections,” Barron said.

“The support of our friends and alumni is an integral component in keeping the door to higher education open and to enable students to graduate on time; create transformative experiences that tap the full potential of Penn Staters to make a difference; and impact the world through discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Philanthropic campaigns have always played an integral role throughout Penn State’s history, and this campaign is designed to create a sustained annual level of

that address special interests such as entrepreneurship and economic development, as well as gifts from specific groups, including first-time donors and University leaders.

Photo: Penn State

President Barron’s full presentation to the Board of Trustees is available for download at http://bit.ly/2iHVn06 online.

giving significantly above the last campaign, according to Barron.

“This year alone we’ve seen a 6 percent increase in alumni donors, which is a strong reflection of support at a time when many other institutions are seeing significant decreases in alumni donors,” Barron said.

The three main strategies around which the campaign is organized are: — Opening doors to bring talented students from every background to Penn State, and help them to graduate on time and on track to have successful careers and lives.

— Creating transformative experiences that enable students and faculty to discover their full potential and make a difference in Penn State’s classrooms, campuses and in the larger world.

— Impacting the world by tackling and solving society’s most pressing problems.

To encourage high levels of giving across each of the three themes, Penn State launched seven new matching programs

For example, the new Open Doors Scholarship Matching Program — which aligns with the campaign’s open doors theme and is available through June 30, 2018 — is a 2:1 match for the creation of scholarships that benefit students enrolled in specific pilot programs that help students earn degrees, reduce debt and excel at Penn State.

The University also will match gifts for the six other programs, including the First-Time Donor Endowed Scholarship Matching Program, Faculty Endowment Challenge: Early Career Professorship Matching Program, Graduate Scholarship Matching Program, Leadership Gift Matching Program, Economic Development Incentive Matching Program, and the LaunchBox Matching Program.

“We want this campaign to touch on issues that are meaningful and important to our donors,” Barron said. “Ongoing commitments from friends and alumni will enable the University to fulfill its vision for the future and ultimately help students receive an exceptional education at Penn State, white furthering our ability to have a positive impact across the Commonwealth and the world.”

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Alumna endows scholarship for education student who also is part of the Blue Band

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ometimes, when you follow your dreams and do what you love, good things happen. That certainly has been the case for Ashley McCoach, a junior studying elementary and early childhood education in the pre-K to 4 option.

By Annemarie Mountz

would endow a scholarship in the College of Education, Rob asked if there was any other aspect of the University that I was particularly interested in. When I said the Blue Band, he said, ‘Well how about having a scholarship in the College of Education that goes to a Blue Band member?’ And I thought, that sounds like an excellent idea,” Hudders said.

In addition to carrying a full courseload in the College of McCoach, who plays piccolo in Education, McCoach is in the Penn State Blue Band – which made “I am really appreciative to have her eligible to been awarded this scholarship be the inaugural recipient of a and just be in the College of unique newly Education and the Blue Band in endowed general because these are both scholarship, the Pritchard things I have wanted for my Hudders Blue Band Scholarship whole life.” in the College of — Ashley McCoach Education.

“I am really appreciative to have been awarded this scholarship and just be in the College of Education and the Blue Band in general because these are both things I have wanted for my whole life,” McCoach said.

“They’re both what I am most passionate about and what I love the most and it is so great that I got rewarded for just doing two things I love.”

The donor, Shirley Pritchard Hudders, gives credit to Rob Mothersbaugh, director of major gifts in the College of Education, for the idea to combine Blue Band membership and having a major within the College of Education into a single scholarship.

“After I had decided that I 8

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the Blue Band, never expected to be rewarded for doing something she loves.

“I honestly was so surprised when I got this scholarship. I was really happy and grateful to say the least,” she said. “This scholarship means a lot to me. It’s really nice to know that my hard work in college is already paying off before I even graduate and it also reassures me that I am doing things correctly. I love what I am doing, so that’s even better.”

Hudders has ties to both the College and the Blue Band. She is an alumna of the College (class of 1954), as was her mother, Esther Frank Pritchard (class of 1927).

Several other family members also are Penn State alumni, and

one of her sons played trumpet in the Blue Band in the late 1980s.

Her son has season tickets to Penn State football games, so she usually comes back to campus twice a year to attend games.

“It’s just so exciting to see the Blue Band. I just really, really enjoy that,” she said. “I think it’s just amazing what they can do each week. But I’m sure they put in a lot of time.”

The Blue Band meets as a class four times a week, and students spend additional time practicing the music on their own. Game day for Blue Band members typically starts roughly five hours before kickoff and ends about an hour after the conclusion of the game.

“It is sometimes harder to balance the work than I thought it would be originally,” McCoach said. “I didn’t realize coming into college how much time band took up. It takes a lot of time management skills to be able to read 70+ pages of different textbooks and theories every night and take notes on them and still go to two-to-three-hour Blue Band practices, plus going to regular classes and sleeping. I am lucky because I learned how to manage my time really well when I was in high school. I have always been really involved in music organizations and I think that helps me manage my time

in college much better.”

Having this new scholarship takes some of the financial burden off of McCoach, so she can concentrate on her studies and enjoy her time in the Blue Band.

“Being in the Blue Band means to me showing support for a school I love and honestly it means hard work makes anything possible,” she said.

“I have wanted to be part of this band since I was in elementary school … when I got in Photo: Annemarie Mountz I was so happy Ashley McCoach, a junior studying elementary and early childhood education (pre-K to 4 option) is the first recipient of that my hard work a newly endowed scholarship in the College of Education intended for education majors who are in the Penn State Blue Band. and practicing all summer and the many good things in the College.

It was lovely to be able to meet year before paid off. It was one the student who received the “I’ve heard it said that a good of the first big life goals I had scholarship this semester. And as teacher can bring out the very set for myself when I was young it turns out, giving this way lowers best in a child and yet a poor and it was amazing to have it my taxable income, which certainly teacher can break a child,” she accomplished.” is helpful to me,” she said. said. “When I see the exciting Another goal for McCoach is things that are going on in the And helpful to the recipient – setting herself up to be a positive College of Education, I see Penn McCoach – as well. Hudders said influence and make a difference.

Staters who are going to be it was important to her to support those that are going to influence “I want to teach in an innerstudents with a scholarship. children positively in the years city school because it is very “It’s just too bad when kids ahead. different from where I grew up have to work so hard to earn and I feel like while I had amazing “It’s my hope that the students money to go to college that they elementary school experiences, who get this scholarship use their miss out on some of the other there were very few people there Penn State education to do things aspects of college,” she said. of backgrounds different than that will make a big difference in “Sometimes they can’t even put as mine,” McCoach said. “I want the lives of some of the children much time as they need into their to work with people of different that they are educating.” own studies. So, I think if you can backgrounds and get to know Initially, Hudders planned help them out a little bit this way, them and help them because to give to Penn State in an it certainly goes a long way.” inner-city schools have a lot of estate gift. “But when Rob difficulties.”

For information about making Mothersbaugh said maybe it a gift to the College of Education, That goal is in line with would be nice to give now so I visit https://ed.psu.edu/giving Hudders’ quest of wanting to know who is getting it, I thought support students who are doing so that sounded like a great idea. online.

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State-of-the-art classrooms to reflect new techniques of teaching science

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By Jim Carlson

t’s not so much what the new science wing in the College of Education will look like that appeals to Scott McDonald, it’s more of the possibility that prospective students will take another look at the value of being a science education major.

When construction begins in January 2018 in the area adjacent to the Office of Multicultural Programs on the first floor of Chambers Building, the associate professor of science education is eyeing the possibility that additional student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors stems from the bricks and mortar and accompanying accoutrements.

“I think this can serve as a potential recruitment tool to bring people into science-teaching fields, people from science and engineering fields into teaching, which I think is incredibly important,” McDonald said. “Our enrollments have been down and this is not just a Penn State thing, it’s a national trend – we’re losing people especially in STEM areas into teaching.

“We just have fewer and fewer people because if you can get a degree in science, you’re more likely to go into a science- or industryrelated field compared to teaching; it’s just pretty much the finances of the thing.”

Daniel Henderson, a master’s student in McDonald’s SCIED 412 (Teaching Secondary Science II) course, believes that modernizing facilities is an important symbolic and logistical step toward maintaining and improving Penn State’s state-of-the-art science education program. “We are constantly discovering more about the way students learn, and those

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This artist’s rendering shows the floor plan of the College of Education’s renovated science wing.

discoveries subsequently inform how we teach,” Henderson said.

“We absolutely need facilities that both reflect our goals and allow us to more effectively prepare to be teachers. With the new science wing, students considering our program will see an environment that complements our message and methodology,” he said.

Denise Coslo, a returningadult student also in SCIED 412, said the upcoming new space would create an environment in which both new and experienced teachers can collaborate to increase science teachers’ pedagogy knowledge as well as scientific knowledge. “I have been a research technologist for many years and the advancements in science have been significant in that time,” Coslo said.

“As technology advances, so does the possibility of younger students (pre-K to 12) to experience

STEM activities in schools. This leads to the importance of preservice science teachers being able to learn and experience new techniques and effective methods to teach science to these students.”

She said having an updated facility would help younger pre-service teachers see the possibilities of how to implement many of the theoretical teaching/ learning methods they have learned in class and help them plan lessons that will be most effective. “I am sure most students interested in science education enjoy science and have taken many courses, but it does not mean they know how to teach it to others,” Coslo said.

McDonald explained that Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were recently updated with “different notions” of what kids should do and how teachers should help them do that.

“I think having classrooms that reflect that there are differences and that we should be thinking about science teaching in new ways is important to really help our pre-service teachers have visions of what’s possible in science teaching rather than just having classrooms that look like the same classrooms they were in when they were in high school,” McDonald said.

professional development for current science teachers as well as assistance with the broader impact portion of various grant applications, is part of the wing, and the Teaching Elementary Science Leadership Academy (TESLA) is involved as well.

The $5 million project is being funded equally by the College of Education and the University’s Facility Naming Committee, according to Simon Corby, director of Development and Alumni Relations in the College. “Any money that we raise philanthropically will offset some of that and free up some of the College funds; the University’s funds are committed,” he said.

“A $50 gift to TESLA will help pay for a couple of hours of a student’s time to go work at Discovery Space (Children’s Museum); people can make an impact with relatively small dollar amounts,” Corby said.

“The more that we can free up of the College funds, the better off we’ll be for future renovations, future developments, whatever else we need in the College. That’s the impetus behind getting some of this supported philanthropically,” said Corby, who added that a University corporate liaison officer currently is seeking some corporate support.

The entire wing can be named for $2.5 million, or separate components of the wing can be named for a minimum $250,000.

The Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS), which provides

Scott McDonald

The new wing will be allencompassing for all involved in science education. “The nice thing is that means we can think about how that whole space might be used for both of our missions — professional development for teachers, which is one of the big things that CSATS does, and the preparation of teachers, which is what we do,” McDonald said.

“Having space for graduate students and all the storage space for our materials and prep and all that. How do we create a complete suite that meets all the needs of our activity in one place?”

Student teachers can sign out equipment and various learning materials to be used in their

classroom. “Pre-service elementary teachers, their schools may not have much in the way of science materials. We provide that so they can go out into these schools and teach lessons,” McDonald said.

While Coslo will not benefit from what the new wing will offer, she is pleased that many others will. “I hope that the new science education facility will allow young students interested in science education experience cutting-edge professional development and have access to new technological advances to aid them in their classroom,” Coslo said.

Henderson said the ability to help public schools that might lack funding can’t be overlooked as one of the wing’s many facets. “Being able to sign out equipment and materials and use them in mentors’ classrooms allows Penn State prospective science teachers to introduce scientific phenomena that might otherwise be unattainable,” Henderson said.

“We can hope that funding will eventually not be a limiting factor for public schools, but until that day comes, pre-service and student teachers will continue to benefit from the resources made available by the College of Education. I look forward to the challenges of being a science teacher in what appears to be a world that needs a greater appreciation of science,” he said.

Alumni Student Teacher Network Remember that FIRST “first day of school?”

You know…the one in which you faced a class of strangers, with a new diploma in your pocket, and a whole bunch of butterflies in your stomach? You have learned a lot since then.

Share your knowledge. Join the College of Education Alumni Student Teacher Network.

Contact Stefanie Tomlinson: skt2@psu.edu or 814-865-6684.

Mentor a new teacher. Catch up with old friends.

Serving student teachers in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the Centre Region.

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Longtime donors give $100,000 to endow RHS graduate program

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By Jessica Buterbaugh n 1955, Ralph Pacinelli was completing his studentbrightest faculty in the rehabilitation field,” said teaching practicum and nearing graduation at Pacinelli, who later returned to campus and earned his Villanova University when he had a frightening doctorate in rehabilitation education in 1968. realization — working as a classroom teacher was Now, Pacinelli wants to pay it forward and give not what he wanted to do with his life. students the same opportunities Professor Hylbert “I found that one-on-one counseling and guidance gave him nearly 60 years ago. sessions with students focusing on personal, He and his wife Patricia have established the educational and career goals were challenging and Ralph N. and Patricia P. Pacinelli Graduate Award. The produced for me a higher level of accomplishment and $100,000 endowment will fund an annual award that satisfaction,” Pacinelli said. will be given to one or more graduate students in the To fulfill that need, he knew he would need College of Education, or successor academic unit, who to obtain a master’s degree and a certification in intend to work in federal, state or local agencies and counseling. When he visited Penn State’s University community rehabilitation programs. To be eligible, Park campus with the Villanova baseball team in that students must exhibit outstanding counseling and same year, he knew right away that Penn State was advocacy skills among special needs populations by where he wanted to earn those credentials. empowering individuals with disabilities to achieve independence, economic self-sufficiency and full “Four days after graduating from Villanova, I was inclusion in their community. a summer-school graduate student in the master’s counseling program at Penn State.”

“Through this award, Pat and I hope that each recipient who successfully completes the prescribed Pacinelli was just settling into his role as a counselor education graduate student when Kenneth Hylbert, a professor emeritus in the counseling education program, recruited him for the new rehabilitation counseling program. Now known as clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling, the program trains students to work with individuals with disabilities in various human services and clinical settings.

“I had experience working with young people with disabilities in a summer recreation program in my hometown and I found that experience to be worthwhile and rewarding,” he said. “Little did I know that on that hot July afternoon, Dr. Hylbert would be handing me the rest of my life on a silver platter, and I was alert and receptive enough to take it.”

That day, he and five others were offered an inaugural federal grant that would cover tuition, books and fees in exchange for a promise to work in the public program of vocational rehabilitation for four years — two years for each year of support.

For Pacinelli, it was the start of a more than 50-year career serving individuals with disabilities at the state, regional and national levels.

“In vocational rehabilitation, Penn State is known for its innovation, creativity, high-quality instruction and relevant field-oriented research. I was the recipient of an education provided by the best and

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Photo: submitted

Ralph and Patricia Pacinelli made 34 consecutive annual gifts to the College, including a $100,000 endowment to the rehabilitation counseling program.

course of study in clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling is accorded the same opportunities and options for growth and development that we enjoyed in over 50 years of satisfying employment in the rehabilitation industry,” Pacinelli said.

Pacinelli started his career as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation and later was promoted to statewide supervisor of staff development. He then joined the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) as a vocational rehabilitation program specialist before being named director of education and research for the International Association of Rehabilitation Facilities.

He returned to HEW in 1972 and remained with the department — and later the Department of Education following the dissolution of HEW — serving in various capacities until he retired in 2005 as the regional commissioner for the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration in Philadelphia and Atlanta. In 1990, he received the Penn State College of Education Leadership and Service Award and was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow in 1994.

“Dr. Pacinelli is a great role model and his achievements provide a great example of the contributions graduates from our program are able to make,” said Liza Conyers, coordinator of the clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling program.

“Our students often make significant sacrifices in time and resources to pursue their graduate degree so that they can help individuals with disabilities pursue their life and vocational goals,” she said. “Receiving both the encouragement stated in Dr. Pacinelli’s legacy statement as well as the pragmatic assistance with financial support is deeply appreciated.”

In addition to the $100,000 endowment, the Pacinellis also contributed $6,500 to the Rehabilitation and Human Services program. Those funds, Conyers said, help to support student participation at the PA Rehabilitation Association’s Professional Development Institute. The program faculty also plan to use the funds to explore additional learning opportunities for students, including the development of an annual

disability policy institute.

“I am deeply appreciative of Dr. Pacinelli’s gift and the years of time and expertise that he has devoted to our programs as a member of our advisory board,” Conyers said. “I have worked with him in the past to develop a disability policy program in Harrisburg and look forward to continuing these efforts with him and other members of the PA rehabilitation community.

Given the many funding restraints, these efforts would not be possible without the financial support from Dr. Pacinelli.”

The generosity of the Pacinellis is not new to the College — they have contributed financial support to the College of Education for 34 consecutive years.

“When personal assets through employment and investments became available, Pat and I wanted to show our appreciation to Penn State and the faculty that provided us a solid education in a field that held promise for earning life-sustaining resources and abundant personal and professional satisfaction,” Pacinelli said.

Pacinelli said he hopes the award will help to alleviate the financial stress that accompanies being a graduate student.

“With the costs of higher education slowly but steadily escalating, the financial support provided by the Pacinelli Graduate Award can lessen the burden of expenses and debt on the student recipient,” he said.

“Pat and I are privileged to play a small and direct role in supporting the educational and vocational goals and dreams of a person interested in and committed to the field of vocational rehabilitation.”

The first recipients of the Pacinelli Graduate Award will be announced in spring 2018. Subsequent awards will be presented in the fall semesters. For all recipients, Pacinelli’s primary wish is that they enjoy their professional and personal life to the fullest, just like he and his wife have.

“If a recipient remains in the vocational rehabilitation field long enough to retire from it, we are confident that they will experience enough satisfaction to fill a lifetime,” he said.

Create your Penn State legacy

Estate gifts provide many options, including establishing a gift that bears your name or the name of someone you wish to honor forever. You may make a bequest to the College of Education as part of your will or make a contribution through a retirement plan or IRA, life insurance, and/or revocable and irrevocable trusts by naming the College as a beneficiary.

Contact us for more information on how to start your Penn State legacy.

Simon Corby Director of Development and Alumni Relations 814-863-2146 sgc12@psu.edu Penn State Education

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New endowments, scholarships and awards The following endowments, scholarships and awards were created recently in the College of Education.

For information on how to make a gift, contact Simon Corby, director of Development and Alumni Relations, at sgc12@psu.edu or 814-863-2146.

Endowments Dr. Marcia Clarke-Yapi Memorial Award Benefactor: Wanda Blanchett

Patricia Gannon Brosious Award in the College of Education Benefactor: Patricia Brosious

William J. Condon Jr. and Kathryn Mitchell Condon Graduate Scholarship in the College of Education Benefactor: William J. Condon III

David J. and Carolyn A. Dolbin Undergraduate Scholarship Benefactors: David and Carolyn Dolbin

Joseph and Joline Harrington Scholarship

Benefactors: Joseph and Joline Harrington

Linda Verba-Hofman Trustee Scholarship in Education Benefactors: Linda Verba-Hofman and Robert Hofman

John and Barbara Holder Undergraduate Scholarship in the College of Education Benefactors: John and Barbara Holder

Pritchard Hudders Blue Band Scholarship in the College of Education Benefactor: Shirley Hudders

Holbrook and Diane Hunt Program Endowment for STEM Education Benefactors: Holbrook and Diane Hunt

Bridget and Geoffrey Lasda Endowment for the CEDAR Clinic Benefactors: Bridget and Geoffrey Lasda

Ralph N. and Patricia P. Pacinelli Graduate Award in the College of Education Benefactors: Ralph and Patricia Pacinelli

Dr. Barbara Marcus Perks Memorial Scholarship in Education Benefactor: Barbara Perks

Marjorie Resta Young and Donald L. Young Endowed Scholarship Benefactors: Marjorie and Donald Young

Annually Funded Scholarships and Awards Allison Family Award

Benefactors: Robert and Barbara Allison

Dr. Pamela L. Francis Award in Education Benefactor: Pamela Francis

Bill and Bunny Vitori Award in STEM Education Benefactors: Bill and Bunny Vitori

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Faculty Appointments

Michael Harvey

Tracy Raulston

John D. Holst

Kelly Rosinger

Michael Harvey joined the College as professor of education in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems.

John D. Holst joined the College as associate professor of education in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems.

Royel Johnson joined the College as assistant professor of education in the Department of Education Policy Studies and research associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education.

Alexandra List joined the College as assistant professor of education in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education.

Royel Johnson

Rebecca Tarlau

Tomlinson named assistant director of Alumni Relations

Alexandra List

Hyung Joon Yoon

Tracy Raulston joined the College as assistant professor of education in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education.

Kelly Rosinger joined the College as assistant professor of education in the Department of Education Policy Studies.

Rebecca Tarlau will join the College in January as assistant professor of education, and labor and employment in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems.

Hyung Joon Yoon joined the College as assistant professor of education in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems.

Stefanie Tomlinson joined the College of Education Aug. 1 as its new assistant director of Alumni Relations.

In this role she will oversee functions, activities and growth of the College’s alumni relations Stefanie Tomlinson program, including planning and managing current alumni events and initiatives, and developing new activities in consultation with the dean, director of development and Alumni Society Board.

While she is new to the College of Education, Tomlinson is no stranger to Penn State. She is an alumna, and came to the College from the alumni office in the College of Engineering, where she served in various roles since 2001.

Tomlinson can be reached via email to skt2@psu.edu or by phone at 814-865-6684.

Creating Transformative Experiences We are committed to providing opportunities that foster socially aware, innovative and academically prepared global citizens. Through the Greater Penn State campaign, alumni and friends can partner with us in creating these co-curricular offerings that will define a bright future for our students and our community.

For more Information, contact:

Simon Corby

Director of Development and Alumni Relations College of Education 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802 814-863-2146 sgc12@psu.edu

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‘What we do matters’ Professor returns from 10-day trip to China with rekindled passion for research and teaching

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By Jim Carlson

t took just 10 days in Shanghai in May 2016 for Vivian YenikaAgbaw to learn that having a global impact on students can make a world of difference, particularly when a little over a year later one of her scholars opted to venture far to the west to a part of the academic world called Penn State.

A professor of language and literacy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in Penn State’s College of Education, Yenika-Agbaw was asked by a former classmate at Penn State and professor at Virginia Commonwealth University to teach an Introduction to Qualitative Research class to 15 of the top scholars in China at East China Normal University. At least another couple of dozen students joined the class in an audit-only capacity.

Photos: Courtesy of Vivian Yenika-Agbaw

Vivian Yenika-Agbaw, a professor of language and literacy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, taught an Introduction to Qualitative Research class to top scholars at East China Normal University in Shanghai.

One of them was Rong Xiang, whose American name is Jessy. Xiang, who wants to be a university-level teacher upon her return to China, said her time in the United States will definitely aid that ambition.

“The (Penn State) College of Education is very powerful in the U.S. and I think I will get lots of knowledge from auditing the lectures and communicating with the professors,” Xiang said.

“Research methodology and how to do real research is very important to me; I will benefit from the valuable experience.”

She said the benefit from auditing the class at East China Normal University in Shanghai was not only learning about qualitative research but also learning about 16

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Yenika-Agbaw as well.

“I think the thing that attracted me first and most is Vivian’s knowledge and lecturing style about qualitative research,” Xiang said. “I think she has great knowledge about this research

method and has her own style to teach students, like connecting theory and practice very well.”

Yenika-Agbaw said educators in China are striving to convey a sense of research from a broad perspective and to get a sense of

substantive research from a broad expanse.

Among 18 key items she attempted to convey during her 10-day stint included knowing and recognizing features of qualitative design; recognizing threats to validity to each qualitative approach; understanding major steps of qualitative data collection; knowing the difference between individual and focus group interviews; and using code to create categories, themes and relationships among themes.

Xiang said that her research interests are similar to YenikaAgbaw’s. “I think Vivian attracted me first and then Penn State,” Xiang said. “After checking online, I have found that the scholarship atmosphere at Penn State is quite good and the living environment is terrific; it’s really terrific,” said Xiang, who will be taking and auditing courses at Penn State through summer 2018.

who is sitting in on classes at Penn State on sociocultural theory, second language learning and Yenika-Agbaw’s critical content analysis research method class.

“Mongolian students are one of the minority groups of students in China and I’m focusing on the multicultural contexts of the Mongolian English students’ textbooks. I want to compare how the multicultural contents appear in the U.S. secondary students’ textbooks and compare our own China and Mongolian students.”

The trip to Shanghai was equally valuable for Yenika-Agbaw, who

performing that research with an eagerness and enthusiasm made it even better for Yenika-Agbaw. “We are coming from all different places and just the ability to adapt to our different accents … global English – that was fascinating,” she said.

“A colleague said we are preparing them for the world and preparing them to be leaders in the research field and whatever area they choose to investigate extensively. That way nothing stands in their way.”

That approach alone led YenikaAgbaw to realize that what she was doing really mattered.

“That was very fulfilling on all fronts,” she said.

“It rekindled my love for research.

I’m rethinking some of the ways I approach research because I’m working with them and trying to look at some procedures again – concepts that maybe challenge them again – and thinking of different ways of making it accessible.

“I just love the approach, the philosophy of the program,” Photo: Jim Carlson Yenika-Agbaw “She seems Students in Vivian Yenika-Agbaw’s qualitative research class wrote postcards expressing their said. “It was excited to be appreciation for her visit to Shanghai. very powerful here,” Yenikato me when Agbaw said about Xiang. “She’s said the best students from across you have all these scholars from taking ELL (English Language different parts of the globe coming the nation of China were selected.

Learner), she’s trying to audit a to work with you. The world is “When I was looking at their course on critical discourse analysis a stage; it’s not just limited to research, I saw different ways of because of what she’s doing and Shanghai. Because of how intense approaching the research and it trying to audit a course in sociothe sessions were, you cannot be was very fascinating,” she said. cultural theory.” interacting with somebody seven or “The conversation is very rich Xiang’s research topic is: eight hours every day on a subject and it makes you want to know Cultural Identity of Middle School that’s so exciting and not connect more … what else is out there Mongolian English Teachers in with them … you can’t. … how do we all work together China: A Case Study of Three “What we do matters. We just to investigate on a topic? People Middle Schools in Inner Mongolia need somebody who might help are doing it in different ways and Autonomous Region. us cultivate some discourse in a calling it different things.” meaningful way and share findings “I wanted to learn more about That the students were in a global form,” she said. qualitative research,” said Xiang, Penn State Education

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Photo: Annemarie Mountz

Thomas J. Gentzel, executive director and CEO of the National School Boards Association, challenged graduates to seek clarity by asking “so what?”

National School Boards Association head delivers 2017 spring commencement address On May 7, 2017, NSBA Executive Director & CEO Thomas J. Gentzel delivered the following commencement address to the College of Education:

So, What?

Good afternoon! WE ARE!!

President Barron; Dean Monk; honorable colleagues on the platform; faculty and staff; parents, families and friends; and, most importantly, our graduates: Thank you for the invitation to speak today. I am deeply honored to be part of this special occasion.

And this is, truly, a very special day – the big reward for years of determined effort. Congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment!

Now, before we go any further, I need to share something with you – frankly, it’s a burden that I am carrying this afternoon. As I prepared these remarks, I realized that no matter what I might say, no matter how eloquent I may be, many of you are not likely to remember this speech. In fact, let’s be honest: some of you may forget it before you leave the building!

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But, I want you to know I’m OK with that. I’ve come to terms with it. So, I’m taking a different tack. Instead of soaring rhetoric, tear-jerking messages or career advice, I have come to pose just one, little, two-word question: So, what?

That’s it; the message for today: “So, what?”

If you remember nothing else about this speech, I hope you at least will hold onto this elegantly simple question. It is my favorite one, and I ask it all the time of myself and others.

Now, to be clear, this phrase has a dark side that I am not advocating. For instance, if you told me your dog died, and I said “so what?” you probably would be insulted. The question can be used dismissively or rudely, which of course I don’t think is a good idea.

No, I like the question when it is used for a purpose – to gain understanding or to seek clarity. Often, when used this way, it contains a few more words, depending on the situation.

For instance, when we try to comprehend the significance of an event, or of a proposal that is being presented, we might ask: “So, what does that mean?”

Or, if we’re convinced we need to take action, we might ask: “So, what should we do now?”

The real power of this question (“so what?”) is linked directly to what I consider to be the most important attributes of a successful person in today’s society – namely, pondering, questioning and learning.

To ask “so, what?” is to not accept things at face value, but to drill down to the core of an issue. Ironically, as I have come to appreciate, we can be most confident in ourselves when we acknowledge we don’t know everything about a topic and want to learn more.

This is the same curiosity that leads a two-year-old to ask “why?” incessantly – but curiosity that often fades as we go through adulthood and are consumed with being successful and focus on our own lives and careers.

Now, when urgent needs get in the way, not seeking information is understandable. But not wanting to know more because we don’t care is another matter altogether. We can’t complain about being clueless if we don’t bother to look for clues.

We have the tools to understand, but we too often fail to use them.

So, I wonder: Is our society destined to just being satisfied with knowing only as much as we need to know to get through the day, not bothering to ask questions or to really understand what’s happening around us? How can we make certain that doesn’t happen?

I suggest we start right where many of you are headed after today: in America’s schools, the place where our next generation of leaders and decision-makers already is being prepared.

From your own school experiences, you know that

students are more likely to be successful, and to be engaged and interested in their education, when they are active participants in instruction and not simply recipients of it. Hands-on learning, inquiry, and seeking to understand something deeply – and not simply to be able to answer questions on a standardized test – are skills that are valued now more than ever.

And that’s as it should be.

I can memorize a formula, a date in history or the chemical composition of the atmosphere, and then repeat it on an exam.

The question is: Do I understand why it’s important to know in the first place? And, can I apply this information when necessary?

Underlying this is the same question we have been asking: So, what? Why does it matter, and why should I care?

Helping students appreciate those questions is to help ensure they keep asking them long after they leave school. It is the essence of learning. Curiosity should be a perpetual itch, and we should feel a great sense of satisfaction as we scratch it.

The employees who tend to be most successful, the friends we value the most, and the relationships that last longest are those where people genuinely are interested in what others have to say, and why they are saying it.

Unfortunately, though, in conversations people too often spend the time when someone else is talking, just thinking about what they are going to say next, rather than paying attention to what actually is being told to them. They are not truly “present”; they may hear, but they do not listen.

I wonder how different this world would be if we were required to wait five seconds – just 5 seconds! – from the end of one sentence to the start of the next.

What if we were forced to pause and consider what we have heard and to weigh its implications before responding? In other words, to ask

ourselves: “So what?” – and to really mean it.

Of course, this would require people to think before they speak!

Let’s face it, we all know folks who not only don’t listen carefully, they don’t even bother to talk with those who disagree with them.

Their views are fixed and their minds are closed. Having opinions is a healthy thing; refusing to consider those of others is not. To quote Billy Joel: “You may be right; I may be crazy.” Hard to know, though, if we never question ourselves or others.

So, today may be the end of your formal education – or perhaps that will come in a few more years – but the learning should go on as long as you do. We should always be intrigued and eager to know more.

This is my wish for you: Success in whatever way you define it, good health and happiness, of course. But I hope that you never stop wanting to learn. That you feel a constant desire to hold ideas up to the light, turn them around and examine them. That you pay attention to what others think, and take time to figure out why. That you are confident enough in yourself that you’re willing to challenge your views – and even to be persuaded to change them.

As the old saying goes, when you change the way you look at things, things change the way they look.

So, celebrate curiosity! Always provoke yourself to learn.

Well, my friends, as I close these comments, I suspect two entirely different reactions are occurring in this audience right now.

Some of you, hopefully, are thinking: “That was really interesting. Those were good words to ponder.”

But others, after hearing all this, may just be asking: “So what?”

And, if so, you’ve just made my day.

Good luck, and thank you!

Follow @Tom_NSBA on Twitter.

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Nominate Outstanding Alumni for the Alumni Society Awards!

The College of Education Alumni Society supports five awards that are presented each year to graduates who have distinguished themselves in their profession.

To nominate someone who you think is worthy of this recognition, please fill out and submit the nomination form with a statement explaining the reasons for your nomination.

Alumni Excellence Award This award is the highest honor bestowed upon alumni of the College of Education. It is awarded to recognize career-long, sustained excellence of contribution and achievement in the nominee’s chosen profession.

Specific criteria: (1) Nominees will be evaluated for significant contributions to their chosen profession (in or out of the field of education) over the span of their career, for a period of 15 years or more; (2) The nomination should include clear, compelling, and documented evidence of excellence through contributions to the nominee’s chosen field as exemplified in leadership, innovation, commitment and/or service; (3) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).

Outstanding Teaching This award recognizes the classroom teacher.

Selection is made on the basis of overall excellence in teaching methodologies, knowledge of subject matter and ability to inspire students.

Specific criteria: (1) Nominee must be employed full time in the teaching profession; (2) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).

Leadership & Service This award recognizes those alumni who have 20

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distinguished themselves in their chosen professions, in or out of the field of education. Selection is made on the basis of leadership and service within a career, a community or to society in general.

Specific criteria: (1) Achievement in a chosen field, in a community, or in society; (2) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).

Outstanding New Graduate This award recognizes recent graduates who have distinguished themselves in their new careers.

Selection is made on the basis of an individual’s advancement and excellence in a new job, in or out of the field of education.

Specific criteria: (1) Outstanding contributions to and achievements in a new job; (2) Nominees must be graduates of the College of Education (baccalaureate) within five years of the date of nomination.

Service To Penn State Award This award recognizes those alumni and friends who have made significant contributions of time and talent to the College and/or the University.

Specific criteria: (1) Nominee will be evaluated on the basis of demonstrated commitment and dedication to enhancing the objectives of the College and/or the University.

2016-17 Alumni Society Award Winners

The Alumni Society Board selects the award winners.

To nominate an alumnus/a, complete the form above and mail it along with your nomination statement to: The Penn State College of Education Attn: Alumni Society Awards 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802-3206 Nominations received before Jan. 31 each year are reviewed as a group. Awards are presented in a ceremony each fall.

Nominations may be made at any time.

Self-nominations are welcome.

Back row, from left: Dawn Bryant Crim, Dean David H. Monk, Teresa Steck, Anthony B. Mitchell Sr., Emily Seydel.

Photo: Steve Tressler

Front row, from left: Chrisandra A. Richardson, Alexandria Juliano, Eileen Mary Seitz, Martina Fegan.

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Penn State Education The Pennsylvania State University 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802

Nonprofit Org. US Postage PAID State College, PA Permit No. 1