York College Magazine 2022-23 Vol. 3

COLLEGE MAGAZINE

TRANSFORM TOMORROW THE SUCCESS OF YCP’S EVOLVE CAMPAIGN 2022–23

Fall Fest & Homecoming Weekend was held from September 30–October 2, 2022. It included Fall Festival in the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center where Spartans visited tables displaying information about student clubs and organizations.

< PAGE 14

< PAGE 33

VIEW FROM MY WINDOW

It’s great to be back! After nearly two and a half years, the York College community returned for what is a normal Fall Semester. We have moved to the endemic phase of COVID-19 on our campus. Our graduating seniors are now able to experience what they most enjoyed when they were first-year students. Our sophomores and juniors who began their time at YCP during the pandemic can now see what a YCP experience is really like. After all, what makes YCP so special are people and connecting with one another. JL and I have resumed our student dinners at the President’s home. One of our seniors remarked that other than the seniors, returning students did not have an opportunity to experience the fullness of what it means to be a Spartan. I agree.

I carry with me two lessons from leading the College through the pandemic: resilience and the importance of coming together as a Spartan family. We were successful in our return to campus because of our planning and flexibility and, most importantly, because above all else, we were willing to do what was necessary to stay on campus.

My tenure as president at YCP is quickly (much too quickly) drawing to an end. Together we have accomplished a great deal, yet there is so much left to do.

Two new academic deans are joining us this year. Dr. Emmanuel B. John joins us as Dean of the Dr. Donald E. and Lois J. Myers School of Nursing and Health Professions. He has already started preparing the College to launch new programs in the health professions. Dr. Andy Barnes comes in as Dean of the School of Arts, Communication and Global Studies with an emphasis on working with the faculty to re-envision our programs in that school.

The Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation (GCCI) has been launched and its home in the Mill House opened in December 2022. The York College Knowledge Park is under construction and is set to open in January 2024. It is already fully subscribed with prospective tenants.

Plans are being drawn up for the fountain renovation and creation of an outdoor pavilion on Main Campus at the former site of the tennis courts. These were recently replaced by our new Myers Tennis Complex on West Campus.

We are developing an Alumni House, where alums and current students will network as part of our career development emphasis. We are winding down our EVOLVE campaign, the most successful campaign in the history of the College. We are also preparing for the College’s Middle States review for affirmation of our accreditation. This, along with our Strategic Plan 2.0, will give my successor a great start to their presidency.

Yes, there is a lot going on at YCP. I am often asked about my retirement plans. Well, perhaps you can tell from what I’ve written, retirement is currently not what’s on my mind. As president, I want to make sure that my successor inherits a college clearly ready for the future. Each of my three predecessors did exactly that. I have a renewed sense of urgency to complete or at least make sure these projects are well underway.

JL and I are thoroughly enjoying our last year at YCP. We are looking forward to renewing our relationships with all of you as we travel to say thank you for your support of York College.

YORK COLLEGE

President Pamela Gunter-Smith, Ph.D.

Interim Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs

Patrice DiQuinzio, Ph.D.

Vice President, Development

Troy M. Miller, CNP, CFRE

Chief Communications Officer

Mary Dolheimer

Vice President, Enrollment Management

Brian Hazlett, M.A.

Assistant to the President for Capital Projects and Facilities Utilization

Kenneth Martin, Ph.D.

Dean of Student Development and Campus Life

Rick Satterlee, Ph.D.

Vice President, Finance and Campus Operations

Anthony DeCocinis, MBA

Dean, Center for Community Engagement

Dominic DelliCarpini, Ph.D.

Head of School, York Country Day School

Christine Heine, Ed.D.

YORK COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Director of Editorial Services

Gail R. Huganir

Director of Creative Services

Lance A. Snyder ’05

Graphic Designer Ryan Kidd ’13

Design Consultant

Skelton Sprouls

Photographer

Emily Rund

Writer

Sarah Smith ’22

Senior Administrative Assistant

Colleen M. Adamy

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Send address label along with new address to: Division of College Advancement York College of Pennsylvania York, PA 17403-3651

717-815-1410 or email yorkmag@ycp.edu

York College Magazine is published three times a year (May, August, December) by the Division of College Advancement, York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA 17403-3651. Periodicals postage paid at York, PA, and additional mailing offices. Permit No. 174. © 2022 York College of Pennsylvania. Printed in U.S.A.

We welcome your news and comments at yorkmag@ycp.edu. York College of Pennsylvania does not discriminate because of race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, sex, or age in employment or in recruitment and acceptance of students.

Pamela Gunter-Smith, Ph.D. President, York College of Pennsylvania

HOW DO YOU DEFINE STUDENT SUCCESS?

Jeff Vermeulen Assistant Vice President for External Relations, Executive Director, J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and York College’s Knowledge Park

For me, defining student success is not a “one-size-fits-all” exercise. Since every student is different and on their own unique educational journey, it would not be possible to gauge what success means for one versus what it might mean for another. That said, commonalities exist among successful students across academic disciplines, student interests, and educational pathways. Those commonalities, in my opinion, begin and end with a student becoming a more engaged scholar and citizen. While there is no playbook for what engagement and responsible citizenship may look like for anyone individually, those students who invest the time and energy in one or more of the opportunities afforded to them by YCP to find themselves, their people, and their purpose tend to be among the most successful students, who invariably find themselves poised for success post-graduation.

Perri B. Druen, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

I have two daughters on the precipice of attending college, so student success is on my mind. What do I want them to get out of their college experience? Fundamentally, students succeed if they have built skills for a fulfilling life—a life of internal integrity and one in which they can make valuable contributions to others. I would ask: did they confront challenges and in so doing, develop courage and fortitude? Did those challenges build so they came to tolerate ambiguity and learn the importance of continued discovery? Were they given the support they needed to examine their principles deeply, and then to stand on those principles while remaining open? Were their experiences varied enough that they can appreciate diverse views and recognize the strength that comes from harmonizing many voices? We already have York College in mind, because I know my children will have these opportunities here!

Beverly Ehinger Evans Assistant

Dean for Career Development

Many look to numbers, awards, and great stories when thinking about student success. While these can be valuable, I believe student success is about developing a better understanding of who you are and then beginning to determine who you want to become—inside and outside of the classroom, personally, and professionally. Being successful takes daily, weekly, and monthly steps that each student defines and it absolutely includes using all of the opportunities, resources, services, and people on campus to help you along the way as you experience, reflect, explore, and set your own path. The amazing thing about York College is that it is filled with all of these things, and most importantly filled with the people that will coach, challenge, support, and celebrate with you along the way as you define student success for yourself. College is about learning and figuring out what that learning means to you, and I thoroughly enjoy accompanying students on that journey.

“Students who invest the time and energy in one or more of the opportunities afforded to them by YCP to find themselves, their people, and their purpose tend to be among the most successful.”

— JEFF VERMEULEN

COMMUNITY AROUND CAMPUS

Sororities and fraternities were among those who welcomed the YCP community and alumni during Fall Fest.

FALL FEST 2022

Fall Fest & Homecoming Weekend 2022 kicked off on September 30 with our Spartan Advance Golf Outing. Over 130 golfers and Spartan Advance supporters participated. Following that, a Young Alumni Happy Hour was hosted at Gift Horse Brewing Company. A wide range of alumni were able to join representatives from the Young Alumni Council for a night of drinks, live music, camaraderie, and appetizers provided by Brotherly Love Scratch Kitchen.

October 1 may have been rainy, but it did not stop the 11th Annual YCP 5K and Fun Run. Runners of all ages

gathered to race through the rain along the track and rail trail. There was even a YCP pup in the race who placed amongst the top contenders! After that there was coffee and conversation. Alumni gathered on the second floor of the WPAC to talk to and reminisce with some of their favorite faculty. Directly flowing from coffee and conversation, academic open houses were hosted so

THE SPEED OF THINKING

January 20–March 4, 2023

York College Galleries

The art exhibit addresses the themes of globalization, species loss, and data collection.

Call 717-815-1354 for information.

alumni could see how the programs have evolved since their time on campus. There was also a table to welcome alumni back to campus during Fall Festival in Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center.

The weekend came to an end with SpartaFest. Alumni joined the YCP community in Grumbacher for an all-you-can-eat affair, beer and wine, and desserts while connecting with old friends. Highlights included music, dancing, games, and the Spartans of the Year awards presentation. It was an amazing time welcoming alumni back home, and YCP looks forward to Fall Fest 2023.

GREEN WASHED : WHY WE CAN’T BUY OUR WAY TO A GREEN PLANET

March 2, 2023, 7 p.m.

Weinstock Lecture Hall

Climate reporter for Gimlet Media Kendra Pierre-Louis has written for Popular Science, The Washington Post, and Newsweek Call 717-815-1354 for information.

It was an amazing time welcoming alumni back home this weekend.

GLOBALIZATION MEET CHRISTIAN DIGREGORIO

Director of International Recruitment

TIMELY CARE

Full-time York College students can reach treatment professionals around the clock through a new virtual health and well-being service for institutions of higher education.

With York College’s introduction of TimelyCare, teamed with the campus’s counseling services, full-time students can access mental, medical, and nutritional care any time of day all year long.

TimelyCare, a service of TimelyMD, is a virtual health and well-being platform that offers access to mental health and medical professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the school year and during semester breaks at no additional cost. Students also can connect with health coaches and find self-care resources using any computer or online device.

Students struggling with an urgent mental health need can reach a professional virtually through TimelyCare’s TalkNow service. They can schedule regular virtual or phone visits with a licensed counselor and typically be seen within a week. A diverse array of culturally competent professionals allows students to choose someone who will help them feel comfortable.

While students are not limited as to how many times they can see an on-campus counselor, in the past they might have waited up to a month for an appointment. Now, due to TimelyCare’s virtual access to services, on-campus wait times have decreased.

For students in need of medical assistance at any hour, TimelyCare offers around-the-clock access to on-demand urgent and low-acuity care.

What are some of your responsibilities as Director of International Recruitment?

In a nutshell—to get more international students to enroll here at York College. There’s a lot that goes with that, but that’s the big one. It’s engaging with high schools and secondary schools abroad, but also within the United States because there are international students who are studying here, so we do want to make sure that we’re engaging with those students, schools, and other organizations, and increasing York’s profile with the international community.

What is your favorite part about working with students and your job?

I think their curiosity in some ways. They are very curious about how things work and what life is like—not only at York, but in the United States. And they ask things about the food and the living and how they’re going to fit in. I have a lot of fun answering their questions, but also enjoy learning about their cultures as well.

What’s the biggest thing you want to implement as part of your leadership here at the College?

There are a couple things. When I began working for the College, I put together a plan that included market awareness and asked, “How do we make people aware of York?”

YCP has quite a few students from Nigeria. We’re getting more interest from the Philippines. India is always big, especially for applications, but we’re pretty well-balanced, which is the whole point. We’ve seen quite a bit of growth and we’re really pleased about that. The College still has a long way to go, but the early returns are promising as we’ve been able to double our number of applications each year for the past two years. So that’s been great.

The College is making progress, but it’s not going to happen overnight. We need to be patient. We’re building it the right way and I’m really confident in what we’re doing.  — S.S.

“The early returns are promising as we’ve been able to double our number of applications each year for the past two years.”

— CHRISTIAN DIGREGORIO

AROUND CAMPUS

emphasized upon completion of the Knowledge Park, says Jeff Vermeulen, York College’s Assistant Vice President for External Relations and Executive Director of the J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and York College Knowledge Park. “We are learning much from this process and launch of our first SURIP cohort that will help us with future collaborative work with Knowledge Park partners. We’re just getting started.”

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

WELLSPAN INTERNSHIP

Rachel Rambler ’23, (York, PA) a Biology major with minors in Neuroscience and Psychology, and Erica Rinehart ’24 (Dover, PA) also majoring in Biology with a minor in Psychology, were selected for the eight-week Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program (SURIP), a collaboration with WellSpan Research, who will be among the College’s inaugural Knowledge Park partners.

Working with WellSpan investigators and staffers, Rachel and Erica got an up-close look at what goes into clinical research, from patient interaction to Institutional Review Board meetings and budgeting. They

even got to pursue a hypothetical research question of their choosing.

Both of the York College students selected for SURIP had prior research experience. They knew statistics and understood what goes into a research design. In fact, the research Rachel and Erica worked on in association with WellSpan physicians and Biology Department Chair Dr. Wendy Boehmler was recently published in Cureus, with the title “A Review of the Association of Blue Food Coloring With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Children.”

The WellSpan collaboration is one more way that York College expands education beyond the classroom. And it is representative of the type of learning and student experience that will be

LIVING PAINTINGS

March 30, 2023, 7 p.m. Humanities Center 218

Lynn Tomlinson is known for clay-on-glass animation, which she uses to create short, environmentally themed films.

Call 717-815-1354 for information.

A summer internship with Arrow Counseling Services and winning the 2022 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) York-Adams Counties PA Internship Award gave Kayla Bergmann ’23 the opportunity to testdrive a potential career: psychology. For Kayla, college has been an opportunity to try on various hats to see which fits best. “I’ve changed my mind with what exactly I want to do so many times,” she says.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

March 30-April 1, 2023, 7 p.m. Perko Blackbox

The 1948 Pulitzer Prize Drama will be performed by students in Theatre’s Scene Study course. Call 717-600-3868 or boxoffice@ycp.edu for tickets and information.

YORK COLLEGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

April 2, 2023, 3 p.m. Waldner Performing Arts Center

This program will feature both major symphonic works and lighter classics. Call 717-815-1354 for information.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Rachel Rambler ’23 and Erica Rinehart ’24.

A month before the spring semester ended, Kayla brought the idea of a summer internship to one of her advisors, Dr. Carla Strassle, Professor of Psychology and Director of Experiential Learning, Internships, and Practica in the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, who helped her apply for the award.

At the beginning of her internship, Kayla listened in during sessions between psychologists and their clients.

Later, she learned how to write case notes, a practice that isn’t common in the classroom. She also had training in a modality of therapy called Internal Family Systems, a type of therapy that believes we are all made up of several parts of sub-personalities.

FERTILE GROUND FOR IDEAS

The big, green, lush leaves of Kaitlin Dannenberg’s hosta remind her of her dad, Mark. Kaitlin ’25 can’t help but think that if he’d had access to medical cannabis, Mark’s pain from pancreatic cancer might have been lessened. That nagging feeling, and her love for her dad, inspired her to create a company—KRAM (Mark spelled backward). She hopes her company will help people successfully grow their own medical cannabis.

her initial idea, to go to people’s homes and get them set up to grow medical cannabis, wasn’t scalable. But mailing a kit with all the essentials? That could work.

“Through the NAMI award, students are able to combine their in-classroom education with hands-on experience to help others in our community,” says Executive Director of the NAMI YorkAdams Counties PA Desiree Irvin.

Kayla still is weighing whether to pursue social work or a career in psychology. But whichever path she chooses, she’ll be using her degree to help others.

A sophomore Environmental Horticulture major, Kaitlin has been blown away by the support she’s received for her budding idea from York College.

Kaitlin entered the McNees Accelerator program, an eightweek intensive session that helps entrepreneurs develop their business plans through mentorship and workshops. She quickly learned that

A WAVE OF CHANGE IN HOLLYWOOD

April 20, 2023, 7 p.m. Willman Business 118

A retired Warner Bros. executive will discuss the tumultuous changes Hollywood has undergone. Call 717-815-1354 for information.

The Accelerator propelled her idea. Afterward, Oscar Winters, Associate Director of Entrepreneur Programs and Engagement at York College, connected Kaitlin with the Weinstock Student Venture Investment Fund. “Kaitlin was able to go from ideation to business creation in a few short months,” he says. Now she’s moving into the research and development phase, exploring patents for KRAM.

Kaitlin is also taking advantage of everything York College has to offer. She started a beekeeping club last semester, has joined a new garden club, and can’t wait for her class on floriculture.

“I really enjoy having multiple plates spinning at once,” she says. Her path hasn’t been traditional. But in finding York College, she’s located fertile ground for her ideas to blossom.

YORK COLLEGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE

April 21, 2023, 7:30 p.m. DeMeester Recital Hall

The Ensemble will perform a variety of music by the greats, including Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. Call 717-815-1354 for information.

“Through the NAMI award, students are able to combine their in-classroom education with hands-on experience to help others in our community.”

— DESIREE IRVIN

for Autism Spectrum News, Summer 2022, Vol. 15,

Erec Smith, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, York College, wrote an opinion article, “The ‘Allyship’ Double Standard” for Newsweek, September 23, 2022.

Nickolena Kassolis Herdson , Lecturer, York College, wrote “Growth Mindset Moments” for Faculty Focus, June 27, 2022

Molly Hayes Sauder, Associate Professor of Sport Management, and Donna C. Grove , Visiting Faculty, York College, wrote “Peer Mentoring After Experiential Learning” with Dexter Davis in Sport Management Education Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 2, October 2022.

“When students are only permitted access to a narrow view of the world, that’s indeed what they develop.”

Randi Shedlosky-Shoemaker, Associate Professor of Psychology, York College, wrote a blog, “How Book Bans Disrupt Learning” for Academe Magazine, July 1, 2022.

“Yes, narratives are inevitable, but as a pluralistic civil society, an ideal narrative for America would promote a collaboration in which race is not the primary determinant of one’s ability to act.”

“[M]uch like traditional, longer term internships, these short-term, high-profile volunteer experiences can be important experiential endeavors that lead to enhanced student learning and professional development.”

“One student mentioned that in our class students receive points for participating in class-facilitated discussions, and by doing this, she learned that speaking up in class is not all that terrifying and found a voice to speak up in other classes.”

“Better management and treatment of comorbid conditions can lead to better lifelong outcomes for individuals with autism, including a longer lifespan.”

Julie Rasmuson, Director of Student Accessibility Services, York College, wrote “The Prevalence of Comorbidities in Autism: Consideration of Comorbidity in Intervention and Treatment Response”

No. 1.

Special alumni rate available on select programs.

FLEXIBLE. INTERACTIVE. IMPACTFUL.

Over 30 fully online professional graduate degree and certificate programs designed to advance your career and help shape your future.

EDUCATION BUILT AROUND

YOU

Discover our full graduate and professional studies program portfolio: ycp.edu/graduate

GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

ENGAGING YORK

GRAHAM CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION BEGINS

INAUGURAL SEMESTER

York College embraces a long history of providing invaluable connections among students, faculty, and community leaders through experiential learning. This fall, that vision is coming together in a new way with the launch of the Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation (GCCI).

The GCCI consists of three equally important components: the Knowledge Park, the Honors Community, and the Center for Faculty Excellence. Together, the triad will further the mission of creating project-based learning initiatives and helping the business community find innovative solutions while helping students design extraordinary lives.

KNOWLEDGE PARK FOSTERS A CULTURE OF INNOVATION

The Knowledge Park is one of the three legs that make up the GCCI stool. Taking shape in the former Schmidt & Ault Paper Co. building in York, it will be a hub where external businesses and non-profit organizations will come together with students, faculty, and one another to collaborate, innovate, solve problems, and create opportunities for high knowledge, high wage employers to grow their operations in the City of York—with local talent.

Executive Director of the Knowledge Park Jeff Vermeulen envisions a space where the walls between academia and industry come down. He worked with start-up businesses while serving as Executive Director of the J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship on campus. As the businesses grew and were ready to hatch from the incubator, many, such as MRG Labs, wanted to stay connected to the College.

Vermeulen and College leadership began thinking about ways that York College could work with more mature, later-stage enterprises. From there, the idea for the Knowledge Park took root.

From tech companies to engineering firms, production studios to healthcare companies, Vermeulen foresees a diverse array of industries setting up shop at the Knowledge Park. The space will comprise two buildings. The first, the Mill House, is due to be completed soon.

The 3,200-square-foot facility will be home to the GCCI administrative offices. Vermeulen expects there is enough square footage to allow for a Knowledge Park partner or two whose operations can be served in a traditional office setting to be able to hang a shingle at the Mill House as well.

Behind the Mill House sits the former paper mill warehouse, which is being redeveloped into the Knowledge Park’s flexible innovation spaces. Phase One of the warehouse space is scheduled to open in late 2023.

“The Knowledge Park, connecting to campus partners through GCCI, is a game-changer,” says Vermeulen. “We haven’t found one of our peer institutions that has this type of distinctive economic development tool to enhance the educational experience for our students.”

Vermeulen has sensed a lot of energy in talking with those whom he’s recruiting as Knowledge Park partners. One of those partners is the research wing of WellSpan Health. In the summer of 2022, the GCCI had its first cohort of students go through a Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program (SURIP) with WellSpan Research. Vermeulen hopes to see this and other programs like it grow with the official launch of the Knowledge Park.

HONORS COMMUNITY STUDENTS LEAD THE WAY

The GCCI wouldn’t be a campuswide collaborative entity without student involvement. The second component of the GCCI is comprised of the Scholars and Fellows of the Honors Community. Central to this work will be the Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellows, directed by Dr. Dominic DelliCarpini.

The Knowledge Park will take shape in the former Schmidt & Ault Paper building.

While any student can work with the GCCI, the Honors Community serves as student leadership, helping make the GCCI an active learning space for all York College students. It also partners with faculty to encourage academic innovation through the Student Academic Innovation Lab (SAIL).

As the Director of the Honors Community, Karin Swartz makes it a priority to get her Honors Community students connected with the York community. In their first week, firstyear students are touring York City, connecting with people.

“We believe in experiential learning,” Swartz says. “We see the Honors Community as leaders in that effort.”

The Honors Community brings together students in a variety of Fellows and Scholars programs, each with their own mission, including the Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellows, Eisenhart Community Scholars, Presidential Research Fellows, Gordon Leadership Scholars, and DelliCarpini Community Art Scholars, Hope Scholars, and STEM Scholars.

Swartz sees her role as being a connector in that effort. No matter the

cause, program leaders are there to connect the student with mentors and organizations that will lead those interests to the next level.

For the 2022-2023 school year, the Honors Community will partner with the York County Economic Alliance to work on the creek-side Codorus Greenway project and an array of projects launched in previous years.

The Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellows, who focus on entrepreneurship and innovation—but who represent many different majors—will benefit by close connections with the larger business community as they launch their careers.

THE CENTER FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE

The faculty-focused component of the GCCI is the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) directed by Dr. Holly Sypniewski. The CFE aims to empower York College’s faculty members as they look for ways to collaborate across disciplines, with local businesses, and through global experiences.

“Academia has created academic majors that make students feel like they’re only learning one field of study,” says GCCI Executive Director Dr. Dominic DelliCarpini. “What they should be learning is how to work across those fields of study.”

In a post-pandemic world where many colleges and universities are doubling down on virtual experiences, York College is taking a different approach.

Much of Dr. DelliCarpini’s effort is focused on bringing people together to productively collaborate. His hope is that through the GCCI, faculty will create new types of classes that are crossdisciplinary and incorporate partnerships with local business leaders beyond just having them speak in a lecture hall.

Many of the greatest breakthroughs that he has seen have happened by serendipity, when people are in a room together, rubbing elbows, sharing workspace, and creating a nexus of relationships.

As the GCCI comes online in phases over the next few years, Vermeulen, Swartz, and Dr. DelliCarpini are looking forward to the future. Vermeulen hopes that the combination of the Knowledge Park, Honors Community, and Center for Faculty Excellence will play a role in encouraging students educated at York College to stay in Pennsylvania and find the career opportunities they seek.

“We believe that the student experience that will be gained, the new ideas gained by our partners, and the type of employment opportunities that will grow and be retained through our efforts will prove a very tangible value for our current students, faculty, community, and region well into the future,” Vermeulen says.

“We haven’t found one of our peer institutions that has this type of distinctive economic development tool to enhance the educational experience for our students.”

— JEFF VERMEULEN

SPARTAN SPORTS

GOLF SIMULATOR

In the last four years, the Spartan Women’s Golf program has won three conference championships and made two national championship appearances. The Men’s Golf program has won two conference championships and made two national appearances.

“We’ve become one of the premier northern programs in the country and are making our name known nationwide,” said first-year Head Coach Eric Stauffer. “Both teams have been ranked in the top 25; men as high as number #8 and women as high as number #3. The commitment that York College has made to provide us with everything we need to be successful has been awesome.”

That commitment has been significantly enhanced, thanks to the support of alumnus Gary Gilbert II ’94 and Trustee Gary Stewart, Jr. As avid golfers, the two cousins came together to purchase a golf simulator and create a golf salon in the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center for the teams to use.

“We have the good fortune to call the Country Club of York home to our Men’s and Women’s Golf teams,” said Paul Saikia, Assistant Dean for Athletics and Recreation. “Their outstanding facility plays a significant role in the success of our program. However, consistently competing on the national level requires opportunities for our student-athletes to work on their skills in the off-season and when the weather prevents them from getting out on the course.”

The indoor golf simulator, made by Trackman, includes a pin and projection screen, as well as a putting green. The “ground” in the salon will be the same type of material used to practice putting, according to Stauffer. “The technology behind the simulator provides information on what our golfers need to work on in their swing: swing speed, spin rate, path, attack angle, and club face.”

“The Trackman is basically what they use to track missiles, it’s the same type of technology,” said Stewart. “These simulators use algorithms that determine—based upon speed,

trajectory, spin, and start line— where the ball is going to end up.”

Gilbert and Stewart donated a simulator a few years ago, and the golf teams use that now outdoors. In addition, the team has access to a local indoor facility, but they have to schedule time and pay for it, and players have to drive to that location.

“It’s going to be awesome in terms of bad weather,” Stauffer said, “to be able to have access to practice whenever we need it, especially as a northern school. It will provide more availability and access for players, pretty much whenever they want.”

That’s one advantage the simulator

provides. It gives the Spartans an opportunity to practice during the off months, when other teams are limited because of weather. No other team in the Middle Atlantic Conference has a simulator like this, according to Stauffer.

“Scoring averages across the MAC are high in the early part of the season, because people have not been playing in months,” said Stewart. “We think that this gives York a competitive advantage in that the winter players can work on their game, come out in the fall, and be more ready to compete against their peers.”

The technology and tracking also

“The technology behind the simulator provides information on what our golfers need to work on in their swing: swing speed, spin rate, path, attack angle, and club face.”

— COACH ERIC STAUFFER

LEFT TO RIGHT: Trustee Gary Stewart, Jr., Gary Gilbert II ’94, and Head Golf Coach Eric Stauffer

provides feedback that the student golfers can use to improve their game and other York College students may use as a learning tool. The Trackman uses physics and math, because the game of golf is very driven by numbers, Stewart said. “So many things about the simulator make you a better player, and those same things can provide classes in academic programs like Data Analytics with an opportunity to understand what makes the golf ball go high and straight.”

The simulator also provides a recruiting advantage to York College. “This helps tremendously with retaining players,” Stewart said. The simulator provides the sensation of swinging clubs and hitting balls. “This is as close as you can get to being on the course outdoors,” said Gilbert. “The simulator will allow them to play on incredible golf courses around the world that they probably would never get a chance to play.”

Stauffer and Saikia see clearly the value of the support from Stewart and Gilbert. “With the simulator, we will continue to build on the success of the last few years and push toward bringing a national championship to York College,” said Stauffer. “We’ve put ourselves in a good position to make that happen.”

“Our new indoor golf space is an awesome addition to our great athletic facilities, providing our teams access to state-of-the-art equipment right here on campus,” Saikia added. “We also believe it will impact our recruiting—it showcases our commitment to excellence, something we hope resonates with our future Spartans.”

For Stewart and Gilbert, the bottom line is relationships with the College, with Stauffer, and with the students. “We are both passionate about golf,” said Stewart. “We’ve seen the YCP teams play and we’ve played with them,” Gilbert said. “They handle themselves well. They have done well over the past four years, so it’s easy to support winners.”

SPARTAN SHORTS

GUISE NAMED EAST-COMM PRESIDENT

Longtime York College Director of Athletic Communications Scott Guise has been named the Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EASTCOMM) President for the 2022–2023 school year. He served four years on the executive board before being named to the presidential rotation in 2021–2022 as the organization’s First VicePresident. Guise will preside over the 2023 Annual Workshop in Springfield, Massachusetts in late June, 2023.

MYERS TENNIS COMPLEX DEDICATED

The new Myers Tennis Complex was dedicated on Saturday, September 30, during the Fall Fest activities. The complex was made possible by a generous gift from Donald ’18 and Barbara Myers. Phase one of three was completed in late August and consists of six courts. Phase two and three will include more courts and a building with locker rooms and storage. The Spartan Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams utilized the facility for their fall season with matches against Goucher, McDaniel, and Catholic University.

MEN’S BASKETBALL TAKES A PRESEASON TRIP TO MONTREAL

The York College Men’s Basketball team got an early start to the 2022–2023 season as they took a preseason trip to Montreal, Canada on October 7–11, 2022. The Spartans opened the trip with a guided sightseeing tour of Montreal, including exploring Mount Royal Park and St. Joseph’s Oratory. The Spartans tried their hands at the Olympic sport of curling on Sunday followed by a walking tour of old Montreal and Chinatown. Monday saw the Spartans explore the Olympic village and park with the famed Olympic Stadium. Later, the team visited the Old Port and the St. Lawrence riverfront. The Spartans played games against Canadian collegiate teams on Saturday afternoon and Monday afternoon. The trip wrapped up Tuesday with a visit to Montreal’s Underground City.

SPARTANS MOURN THE LOSS OF DREW RUEHLICKE ’24

The York College Athletic Department is saddened to announce that junior men’s soccer player Drew Ruehlicke passed away on October 8 at his residence hall. He had played in 25 career games for the Spartans including 11 this season. He drew his first collegiate start on October 5 against Albright as the Spartans earned a 3-0 win. He tallied two goals this season and had six points for his career. Ruehlicke was a tremendous Spartan teammate who will missed by his coaches and teammates. He carried a 4.0 GPA and was a four-time member of the York College Dean’s List as a Sport Management major and a Finance minor.

SPARTAN HALL OF FAME GROWS BY THREE

The York College Spartan Athletic Hall of Fame grew by three as Nick Brady ’13, Jason Christenberry ’11, and Ben Edwards ’11 are the three newest members of the Hall of Fame. Brady is one of four Spartan Men’s Basketball National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) AllAmericans in school history, earning the honor after the 2009-2010 season. He finished his stellar Spartan career as the eighth all-time leading scorer with 1,524 points from 2005-2010. Christenberry was a dominant four-year right-handed starter for the Spartan Baseball squad. He finished his Spartan career ranked in the top two in almost every single significant pitching categories for York. He capped his career as a senior as he was the South Region Pitcher of the Year followed by American Baseball Coaches Assocation (ABCA) All-American honors in 2010.

Edwards was a Spartan Track and Field standout who became the program’s third National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III AllAmerican in 2011. Edwards was a key part of a Spartan team that captured the program’s third Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) championship after a 19-year gap between championships.

PURSUITS

Ecology classes contributed to her understanding about how the oysterbreeding process works.

I was able to take financial data from companies and determine if they were under or overallocating.”

STUDYING OYSTERS AND LIVING SHORELINES TO HELP PREVENT EROSION

Kayla McVey ’24, a Calvert County, Maryland native, was a summer intern at Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory (PEARL). She studied whether oysters can be used in living shorelines to help prevent shoreline erosion in environments such as the Chesapeake Bay area.

Kayla, an Environmental Science major, worked with faculty from Morgan State University to study oysters and shoreline erosion. She focused on the ways oysters can be used in low-salinity environments to prevent shoreline erosion.

“Living shorelines work pretty well in the Chesapeake Bay. Oyster beds in the living shoreline usually only work in high-salinity environments such as the Chesapeake Bay since it gets water from the ocean,” she says.

“But a body of water that has a lower salinity (as of now) can’t really support an oyster bed because it’s just not the optimal environment. We tried to see if there’s a low-salinity-tolerant oyster line that we can use in a living shoreline.”

The research wasn’t without its challenges.

“Unfortunately, the data that we collected didn’t show any significant difference between the low-salinity tolerant line of oysters and the native ones,” Kayla explained. “This was likely due to water contamination since the microorganisms that contaminated our water will outcompete the oyster larvae for food and space.”

Despite the challenges, Kayla was well-prepared for her internship and credits her YCP education with helping her conduct this research. She says

Kayla wants to go into environmental policy and believes her education in Environmental Science is preparing her for a career in policy later down the road.

CYBERSECURITY IN INVESTMENT BANKING

Cybersecurity Management major John Clegg ’22, who is from Malvern, Pennsylvania, won second place with his research project, “Cybersecurity in Investment Banking,” in the Graham School of Business’ Annual Research Showcase in 2022. It was this very project that helped Clegg secure his current job as a Network Security Engineer at IT Edge.

It was during Clegg’s Senior Seminar class, in which students were required to write a thesis paper on a project that interested them and relate it to cybersecurity, that he discovered investment banks.

His advisor, Dr. Tamara Schwartz, nominated him for the research showcase. He highly values the education and training he received while at York College.

“All my Cybersecurity classes with Dr. Norrie gave me so much useful information I am still using today in the cybersecurity field,” he says, specifically noting cybersecurity and cybersecurity law.

Clegg feels the best part of being a Cybersecurity major is being one of the first in the major itself, since it was launched during his first year at York College in 2017, and it “started something not done at YCP before.” He also believes his research project was the most influential part of his education.

“The research project allowed me to put what I learned in school into something else I was passionate about,” he says.

Clegg is currently working on publishing his paper and he hopes to bring his career full circle. “My future goals are to make enough money through cybersecurity to live off investing and passive income in my 30s and travel the world,” he said. “I started with investing, then went to cybersecurity and got a job in it, and then will return to investing.”

COVID-19’S IMPACT ON DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES

“I realized that there was a lot of potential for hackers to steal money from these banks,” he says.

With the aid of faculty mentors, Dr. Pawan Madhogarhia, Chair of the Department of Accounting, Finance and Business Analytics, and Dr. James Norrie, Professor of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Clegg was able to narrow the focus of his paper.

“The project is about how much investment banks should invest in cybersecurity, and if they over or underinvest, why?” Clegg explains.

“By taking an already established model called the Gordon-Loeb Model,

Alayna Muñoz ’23, a Supply Chain Operations Management major at York College, researched how COVID-19 affected the disability support services field.

As part of her Presidential Research Fellowship project, Alayna originally planned to study how organizations that support people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) use inclusivity to determine the direction of their agencies.

When the pandemic struck in early 2020, she no longer could complete her internship. She changed her topic to focus on the impact of the pandemic

“All my Cybersecurity classes with Dr. Norrie gave me so much useful information I am still using today in the cybersecurity field.” — JOHN CLEGG 22

on the IDD community, and conducted in-depth interviews with service organization leaders in the IDD field to learn about their experiences.

Through the process, Alayna discovered that many leaders in the field faced similar struggles, including a lack of resources, public policy issues, and a staffing crisis, especially for direct support professionals and caregivers.

She used the information gained from her interviews as the foundation for Interpretive Structural Modeling, a research method becoming popular in the supply chain operations management field.

While researching IDD wouldn’t appear to fit with her Supply Chain Operations Management major, Alayna has seen many skills cross over between them.

She chose to attend York College because of its Presidential Research Fellowship. The program provides a full-tuition scholarship for students who then engage in a four-year study of a specific question using a variety of research methods. She was also one of 10 college students recently chosen to receive a scholarship from the North American Rail Shippers (NARS) that is earned by students based on their academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and community service.

For four years, she also has volunteered with Special Olympics and has been involved in other IDD organizations, including Best Buddies International.

“It’s important to really explore your passions,” she says.

York College works with Presidential Research Fellows and the entire Honors Community

From Day One to help them form their dreams into a personal mission, which is supported with financial and other assistance. They leave York College with a record of achievement that will gain the attention of employers, graduate schools, or others who provide entry into the next step in the extraordinary lives they imagine for themselves.

Josh Wyrick

Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering

Dr. Josh Wyrick knows how valuable hands-on experience can be.

“If I’m introducing a subject to the students, I want them to see that real-world application,” he says.

Experiential learning is the basis of his teaching philosophy, with a “see it, hear it, do it” approach. After he shows students what a principle looks like “in the real world,” they learn the theories behind the principle before actually doing it.

“You’ve heard about it. You understand why it’s important. Now let’s actually do this,” he explains. “That’s the basic format that I tend to follow.”

Since he specializes in water resources engineering, Dr. Wyrick strives to give students real-world examples of this engineering at work, as a lab is often inadequate in giving students the experience they need.

“Because water resources are such a big thing—I can’t bring a stormwater basin into the classroom, I can’t bring a river into the classroom—my hands-on approach is primarily based on field trips,” he says.

In accordance with this principle, Dr. Wyrick and Dr. Alison Kennicutt recently took a group of 47 junior and senior Civil Engineering students to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. Students received a behindthe-scenes tour of the machinery and processes that keep the aquarium going, illustrating the concepts they learned in the classroom in a real-world setting.

“If you want to do water resources engineering, you’re not really playing with that kind of lab equipment,” he explains.

“That has always been my approach— getting them face-to-face with this stuff.”

“Dr. Wyrick has tried to emphasize throughout his courses that there are plenty of avenues/career paths available to Civil Engineers,” says Taslim Hossain ‛23, a dual Civil Engineering and Chemistry major who attended the aquarium field trip. “We were able to witness engineering skills being applied in a setting we were not familiar with, which was truly eye-opening as now we understand that our skills translate to many areas.”

The most important thing Dr. Wyrick wants his students to take away from his classes is an ability to think critically.

“In so many classes, I can give you examples and I can have you do this project, and that will probably never be something that you see again in the real world,” he says. “As a student, you need to come out in my class not being able to memorize how to do this particular solution, but recognize the overall procedure for thinking about this type of problem.”  — S.S.

“We were able to witness engineering skills being applied in a setting we were not familiar with, which was truly eye-opening as now we understand that our skills translate to many areas.”

— TASLIM HOSSAIN ’23

Junior and Senior Civil Engineering students visited the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

HISTORIC CONNECTION

Shortly after The Yorktowne Hotel closed for renovations, Dr. John Hughes, then York College Dean of the School of the Arts, Communication and Global Studies, saw an opportunity to incorporate more project-based learning into the school’s curriculum.

The historic hotel presented the perfect opportunity. In 2018, York College offered its first class in which students worked on a project for the hotel.

YORK COLLEGE AND YORKTOWNE HOTEL

OPPOSITE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Greta Miller ’22 and Keighla Fetty ’12 at The Yorktowne Hotel during renovations.

HISTORIC CONNECTION

Over the last four years, dozens of students in Hospitality Management majors have taken projectbased learning classes and worked on projects for The Yorktowne. York College partnered with the York County Economic Alliance (YCEA) and the York County Industrial Development Authority (YCIDA) to create learning opportunities.

“I emphasize in this class that it’s not just the product that’s important,” says Dr. Fred Becker, Director of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “It’s the process— how you work as a team, communicate with the sponsor, manage your time, and the resources that you access.”

Students have helped conceptualize grand-opening events, created a visitors’ guide, brainstormed how to encourage businesses to fill the hotel’s retail space, and developed an employee recruiting event.

“The most rewarding thing for me,” says Dr. Becker, “is to see the students grow in terms of their ability to engage in project-based learning.”

The coronavirus pandemic, as well as construction and supply chain issues, have delayed the reopening of the hotel but helped students step into their own as leaders in project-based learning initiatives. Students have taken responsibility not only for the projects, but for the relationships with the project sponsors. The expansion of video-based meetings and the use of technology to build those relationships has helped students gain confidence and lead the sponsor meetings.

“To see them turn that corner has been very gratifying,” Dr. Becker says. “These are real projects; this is a real hotel. It brings the content to life for the students. They take it very seriously and it sets the bar really high in terms of expectations and performance.”

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

As the hotel nears its reopening, and the day-to-day projects move from the YCEA’s and YCIDA’s plate to that of GF Management, the hotel’s new operator, Dr. Becker expects the project-based classes could shift focus and open doors for internships and employment opportunities for York College students across various disciplines.

“It’s an exciting time to go through that transition and explore what GF Management wants us to do,” he says.

One of The Yorktowne’s first hires is Greta Miller ’22, who directs Human Resources and Administrative Support. Miller attended York College as a Hospitality Management major with a minor in Spanish.

With a long family history of hospitality excellence— her mom is in the cruise industry and her dad has over 40 years in the hospitality sector—Miller came to York College with a clear vision to be the best in the world

of hospitality. She knew what she was looking for in a Hospitality Management program, and she found it at York College.

On her way to her first tour of the College, Miller drove past The Yorktowne. She knew that York College had started a project-based learning partnership with the hotel and was excited that she could be a part of it.

“The idea of having something like that at York College is incredibly valuable,” she says. “The Yorktowne Hotel will be a pillar for the community.”

During her time at York College, Miller helped plan events for the hotel’s opening gala and developed ideas for catering to the diverse population of potential employees and individuals in communities surrounding the hotel. She and fellow students discussed how to make everyone feel included, whether looking for a job, spending the night, or stopping in for a meal.

PUTTING HER EDUCATION TO WORK

Those experiences would translate directly to Miller’s position at The Yorktowne. She spends her days screening job applicants, introducing them to management roles, and building community relationships. She has connected with Crispus Attucks York, a nonprofit that provides education and human services, and the YCEA

to offer free hospitality training in English and Spanish. She’ll also arrange housekeeping training.

As a York resident, Miller is excited about walking to work and seeing new opportunities emerge in her own backyard.

“I’m just so grateful that I came to York and that everything lined up as it did,” she says.

A TIME FOR NEW CELEBRATIONS

Another early hire is Keighla Fetty ’12, the hotel’s Director of Catering. When Fetty came to York College in 2008, the Hospitality Management major didn’t exist. She chose Recreation and Leisure, where a “Special Event” class sparked her interest in hospitality.

After graduating, Fetty took her newfound interest with her to an internship with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, which the College arranged. The internship turned into a decade-long full-time job in which Fetty’s duties included working in the front office at Hershey Lodge and serving as Catering Manager at the Hershey Country Club.

Despite this, Fetty long had hoped to work for The Yorktowne Hotel. When the opportunity arose in July 2022, she jumped at it.

As Director of Catering, Fetty details events, arranges banquet sales, and sets up menus for her catering clients. She credits York College with helping her connect with the right people and providing the hands-on opportunities and experiences that prepared her for this role.

“I’m excited to start hosting events,” she says.

HALF A CENTURY OF HISTORY

Throughout the decades, The Yorktowne Hotel has been York College’s go-to destination for holiday formal parties, reunions, alumni gatherings, and faculty celebrations. From a 1960 York Junior College (York College of Pennsylvania’s predecessor institution) holiday formal to a 1979 alumni Monte Carlo night, and a 1984 alumni weekend to a 1992 Grand Reunion, York College students, faculty, and alumni found a place to connect and create memories.

In 1968, the year that York Junior College became the now four-year York College of Pennsylvania, The Yorktowne Hotel hosted Dr. Ray A. Miller’s Trustees’ Testimonial Dinner. Dr. Miller served as the Junior College’s final president and York College’s first president. Guests celebrated his 10 years of service to York Junior College with an evening at the historic hotel.

Now, York College and The Yorktowne Hotel are embracing a new era of connection and celebration.

“All of us at The Yorktowne Hotel are dedicated to the York community,” Greta Miller says, “and we can’t wait to have them back.”

“These are real projects; this is a real hotel. It brings the content to life for the students. They take it very seriously and it sets the bar really high in terms of expectations and performance.”

— DR. FRED BECKER

Zachary “Zach” Whelan ’23 was one of a group of students from YCP’s Hospitality Management program who helped to plan a career fair for the hotel.

CAREER READY UP

Hiring managers at some of the area’s largest companies and organizations see the difference in employees who have graduated from York College.

With its focus on experiential learning, a wide variety of internship opportunities, and a community-centered mindset, the College prepares students for successful careers long before they receive their diplomas.

CAREER-MINDED INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Jake Stehman works as Talent Acquisition Manager at RKL, a leading advisory firm with over 600 employees at offices throughout Pennsylvania that offers tax, accounting, data analytics, and wealth management services. The company has a robust internship program. Each year, Stehman sets up a booth at York College’s Career Fair and always finds himself impressed by the students he meets.

While the company attends career fairs around the nation and hires internationally, York College students continually stand out to Stehman. He’s found that those who come into the internship program as sophomores are ahead of the game with their knowledge of the fundamentals of accounting.

Because of RKL’s proximity to York College, the company also has been involved in on-campus accounting nights, where local firms discuss opportunities in the industry and answer students’ questions.

“Just being exposed to people in the industry and asking them questions about what’s important was very educational and informative,” says Joclyn Hunsicker ’21.

Hunsicker earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from York College in the 4+1 program that allowed her senior year to count toward the advanced degree. Throughout her college career, Hunsicker completed five internships with RKL and then was hired as a full-time employee.

When students join an RKL internship, they are paired with a buddy, an employee who has been with the company for one to two years. Time and time again, Stehman has seen York College students stand out as the most eager to discuss career advancement with their buddies.

“Having the internship experience prior to starting was beyond helpful,” says Hunsicker. “When I started full-time, I had a knowledge base. I knew what the software was, and I knew some of the processes. Just that little bit of knowledge helps you with the transition to full-time. It set me up for success.”

SETTING THE STAGE FOR SOFT SKILLS

York College also maintains internships and engineering co-op opportunities with Multi-Dimensional Integration (MDI) who have their headquarters located in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania. The fast-growing company of 200-plus employees works with industrial and manufacturing controls and automation systems in a variety of servicebase capacities for multiple industries.

MDI hires from all disciplines of engineering. They have brought onboard mechanical, electrical, and computer science engineers as well as business development and administrative personnel from York College. More than

half of the 45 full-time employees hired so far in 2022 first completed an internship with the company.

“Professionalism is one of the first and foremost skills we look for,” says MDI Recruiter Roo Burke, who helps recruit from dozens of schools all over the country.

With York College students, Burke has noticed a penchant for interpersonal skills. MDI expects every team member to have some level of customer interaction. Having the ability to not only provide great service but to represent the company well to their clients is key.

With many of their customers requiring an onsite

“Just being exposed to people in the industry and asking them questions about what’s important was very educational and informative.”

— JOCLYN HUNSICKER ’21

LEFT TO RIGHT: Joclyn Hunsicker ’21 and Jake Stehman.

Photo by Our York Media

presence on a regular basis, MDI looks for interns who will have the same level of professionalism and ability to interact with clients as MDI’s full-time employees have.

As MDI is organized around a flat structure that avoids job titles and offers growth based on merit, the company hires people who thrive on self-motivation, selfmanagement and who have an entrepreneurial spirit, says Burke. Often, the employees who stand out are York College graduates.

Kevin Morabito ’05 earned his degree in Mass Communication, then began working at MDI in business development shortly after graduation. During his time at York College, he was introduced to a variety of real-world analogies and scenarios through his adjunct professors, many of whom were still involved in the workplace.

That exposure helped him prepare to deal with the variety of industries represented amongst MDI’s clients, from biopharmaceutical companies to steel mills to food factories.

“York College helped me with adaptability,” he says.

“You have to be able to adapt to different environments.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATIVE THINKING

Interpersonal soft skills coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit are important for health care professionals as well. Santina Sperling ’11 earned her Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) designation from York College after having earned her bachelor’s degree in Nursing in 2007.

She chose nursing as a career out of a desire to care for others. Seeing the needs in the community inspired her to advance her degree and step into the role of Valve Clinic Coordinator for the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute.

“I wanted to diagnose but also treat illnesses,” she says. “Going back to school gave me the autonomy to do that.”

Through the clinicals that York College arranged for her, Sperling served an array of patients across age groups and ethnicities, creating a broad foundation that set her up for success in her career. After one of her clinical rotations with UPMC, she was offered a full-time position.

When COVID-19 hit, Sperling drew from all she had learned in her classes and her hands-on experiences to get through it.

“Never did I think when I went into medicine that I’d be dealing with a global pandemic,” she says. “York College taught me to be innovative and forward-thinking. Using those types of strategies helped us in this setting where our healthcare world was shaken upside-down.”

PREPARING FOR THRIVING CAREERS

Whether participating in internships, clinicals, or co-ops, putting soft skills into practice, or experimenting with innovative thinking and adapting to new environments, York College students are preparing for lifelong careers in a spectrum of specialties.

“York College is a great place to learn and have opportunities,” Sperling says.

Exploring those opportunities is the key to turning a York College education into a thriving career.

“Get involved in extracurricular activities and do internships,” Morabito advises students. “Find somewhere you’re going to be happy and where you are valued for your contributions. I wake up every morning and I’m excited about my job. If you don’t try different things, you’re not going to know. You have to find your passion.”

“Find somewhere you’re going to be happy and where you are valued for your contributions. I wake up every morning and I’m excited about my job.”

— KEVIN MORABITO ’05

GLOBALIZATION IN FOCUS

STUDY ABROAD RETURNS

After a two-year hiatus, York College of Pennsylvania students have returned to exploring the globe through international travel and study-abroad experiences. From riding camels in Morocco to hiking the Samaria Gorge in Greece, the College’s short-term study abroad program has given students the opportunity to learn and grow beyond the campus.

David Fyfe, Ph.D., has been leading international student trips since 2008 and traveled with students to both of those Mediterranean countries.

“Traveling abroad gives students a connection to a place that makes them more curious,” Dr. Fyfe says. “It makes them want to learn more about the people and places and can be transformational to students.

“So many of us are very proud to be Spartans. We know we have grit. We know we have skill. We know we work hard and we have fun. We have something special that binds us: that strong Spartan spirit that can be seen in all we do.”

— TROY MILLER

YCP’S EVOLVE CAMPAIGN

TRANSFORM TOMORROW

The Campaign for York College has raised $91,800,765.62 to support our Spartan students, important programs that affect both the campus and local communities, and the overall advancement of the College.

By Troy M. Miller, CNP, CFRE, Vice President, Development

“Thank you for joining the EVOLVE Campaign. It means so much to the College campus and to the College community. We would not be here without you.”

AUBREY GREER, SENIOR, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, MARSHALL SCHOLAR

It is not enough to simply say thank you to our generous donors, our campaign leaders, and countless numbers of volunteers and supporters. No campaign is about how much money is raised; instead, it is about the effect the campaign has on the institution. So yes, gratitude is essential and important, but we would also like to show you the return on your philanthropic investment. From the beginning, we said that a gift to York College is an investment in your institution and our students.

Illustration by Gwen Keraval

EVOLVE CAMPAIGN

The campaign began in 2017 and was publicly launched in 2020. In the nearly 250-year history of York College, this was the first comprehensive campaign. What does that mean? York College, and its predecessor institutions, have successfully completed campaigns before, but in the past these campaigns were centered on a single facility or a particular program. The EVOLVE campaign was based on the College’s strategic plan with a goal of raising $50,000,000 in support of the mission of the institution. In 2021, the campaign goal was increased to $70,000,000 as the global pandemic put even more stress on our Spartan Family, and you, our supporters, stepped up to meet this challenge.

The purpose of the EVOLVE campaign was to advance the entire College. This was a big reach, and with your support, we met this goal together.

And now the campaign has ended. What was the result beyond the impressive number above?

When it was launched, the EVOLVE campaign concentrated on seven priorities based on the College’s strategic plan:

• Intercollegiate athletics (over $2.5M raised);

• The Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation (nearly $19M raised);

• Academic Excellence (nearly $29M raised);

• Scholarships (over $19M raised);

• The York College Fund (over $7M raised);

• The York Country Day School (over $10M raised);

• Spartan Commons (nearly $1.5M raised); and

• EVOLVE TOTAL CAMPAIGN RAISED: $91,800,765.62

“The teachers are always willing to help you if you have any questions or problems.”

“The Graham Scholars have impacted me by opening up to a lot of different connections and different majors.”

“It’s great being part of the team now because we have these brand-new courts that are really going to help us grow as a team.”

10,000+ donors supported EVOLVE.

3,500 alumni made contributions to the campaign.

500+ donors made gifts of $10,000 or more.

Nearly 1 in 6 of all donations were given by individuals or organizations that had never supported York College before.

This type of success is not the work of only a few individuals. Every member of the Spartan Family was involved. Over the duration of the campaign, more than 10,000 donors supported EVOLVE. Nearly 1 in 6 of all donations were given by individuals or organizations that had never supported York College before. We number over 35,000 alumni across the country and the world, and of these alumni, 3,500 made contributions to the campaign. And finally, in a true demonstration of commitment, over

AAMIR RAJA, 6TH GRADE, YCDS

MELCHI BARBOUR,

SOPH. SPORT MGT., GRAHAM SCHOLAR

MORRISSEY WALSH, SENIOR, MASS COMMUNICATIONS, TENNIS CAPTAIN

500 donors made gifts of $10,000 or more. That is the whole Spartan Family coming together. That is excellence.

I would personally like to thank the campaign cabinet, led ably by co-chairs Tony Campisi and Bill Shipley; the YCP Board of Trustees who not only created the strategic plan for which the campaign was developed, but also supported the campaign with 100% participation; our faculty, administrators, and staff that acted as college champions; our students, who with their enthusiasm made an investment in York College an easy decision; and finally our wonderful college president, Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith, who traveled to all corners of the world to make this campaign a success. Her commitment to the College is unparalleled. No campaign is successful without excellent leadership, and Pamela is the best.

“My college experience has been great. I’ve been able to travel and see how my major is different in different countries.”

TALON BASIEWICZ, SENIOR, NURSING, GORDON SCHOLAR

“As a presidential fellow, I’ve been able to learn more, especially about different kinds of research and resources.”

NATHANIEL “NATE” LINDER, SOPH. ACCOUNTING, PRESIDENTIAL RESEARCH FELLOW

And now, I’d like to invite EVOLVE campaign donors to join the campus community for a celebration picnic at noon on April 29, 2023. You will be receiving an invitation soon. This will be a wonderful event where every single donor and their families will be invited to come on campus, meet and interact with our students, learn about the impact of the campaign, and enjoy great food and great fun.

DONORS: Save the Date

April 29, 2023, Noon Center of Campus

Celebration Picnic for Donors and Their Families

I hope you will spend some time and watch the special campaign video that was emailed to all of you recently. Not only is it a great opportunity to demonstrate the effects of the EVOLVE campaign on the College, it also involves special thank-you messages from students directly affected by the campaign. On the sidebars here are a few examples of these wonderful students and their important messages of gratitude. In addition, President Gunter-Smith will be traveling across the country this spring to meet with groups of alumni and friends to talk more about the effects of the campaign. Please plan on attending.

So many of us are very proud to be Spartans. We know we have grit. We know we have skill. We know we work hard and we have fun. We have something special that binds us: that strong Spartan spirit that can be seen in

“Something I got out of the program was learning how different people in clinical research, different positions, worked together.”

RACHEL RAMBLER, SENIOR, BIOLOGY

“At the beginning of the semester in class we were talking about how to use search engines like PUB Med and I already know how to do that because of the internship.”

ERICA RINEHART, JR., BIOLOGY

all we do. EVOLVE was an audacious campaign built on the foundation of a carefully crafted strategic plan that positioned York College for the future. Together, we met this audacious goal head-on and succeeded.

Thank you for your investment in York College of Pennsylvania. Thank you for your support of EVOLVE. You have made a tremendous difference in the lives of Spartans everywhere.

“This type of success is not the work of only a few individuals. Every member of the Spartan Family was involved.”

— TROY MILLER

CONNECTIONS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

Congratulations to the 2022–2023 Alumni Association Board of Directors and Young Alumni Council.

Alumni Association Board of Directors

Samantha Bollinger ’97

Ivy Buchan ’04

Leah (Barteld) Clague ’07

Sarah Copley ’07

Gregory Currall ’98

Ian Delaney ’05

Heidi Freeland-Trail ’11

Kate Gaudet Neff ’09/MBA ’15

Dorie Heyer ’12

Jessica Hoffman ’10

Reed Jones ’09

Tracy Miller ’99

Scott Sawicki ’94

Michelle Hudson Shellenberger ’89

Timothy Thoman ’86

Michael Tschudy ’11/MBA ’16

Sean Umbenhouer ’91

Brian Villari ’06

Brooks Walter ’12

Bill Walters ’79

Glenn White ’92

Young Alumni Council

Julian Albero ’20

Hayley Althoff ’19

Zackery Anderson ’21

Sophie Barnes ’22

Zachary Claghorn ’21

Allison Dobstetter ’17

Carissa Eaddy ’21

Elena Galioto ’22

Thomas Gaudet ’18

Colbe Herr ’14

Julie Kulp ’13

Aimee Osterman ’21

Joseph Salerno ’18

Alexander Santini ’22

Jasmin Santos ’18

Ty Schumacher ’22

Ashley Smith ’20

Jacob Swartz ’20

Molly Thate ’21

Kaylee Weigle ’18

Dillon Weitkamp ’17

ALUMNI AWARDS

Spartans of the Year is an annual awards program that recognizes outstanding alumni who have demonstrated dedication, excellence, professional achievement, and most importantly, a commitment to staying engaged with York College after graduating.

Ten York College alumni received Spartan of the Year awards for 2022. They are:

Richard Irwin ’77

Mary Heltzel ’78

Matthew McFarland ’06

Carrie Becker ’18

Megan Tyson ’21

Ashley Walter ’13

Sean Lazarus ’05

Robert “Bob” Green ’73

J.D. Mulliken ’07

Chasity Spagnola ’11, D.O.

Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award

Two alumni received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

Professional Service and Leadership Award

Richard Irwin ’77 received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement in either a career or community service.

Sue Klinedinst, Ed.D., retired YCP faculty member, was awarded the Professional Service and Leadership Award.

Dr. Klinedinst retired from York College in spring 2022 after serving the College in various capacities in the Athletics Department for 40 years. She was nominated by Dr. Molly Sauder, Chair of the Sport Management & Sport Media Department.

Sean Lazarus ’05 received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, which recognizes exceptional service and commitment to York College.

Graduates of York College, York Junior College, York Collegiate Institute, and York County Academy are eligible to receive these awards. To read more about the distinguished award-winners, please visit www.ycp.edu/alumni

The Professional Service and Leadership Award is awarded to a faculty member or administrator who has served the College community with great vision and distinction. Additionally, recipients must have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in the completion of their professional responsibilities.

GLOBALIZATION ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

THE DUBAI INTERNATIONAL PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE PROGRAM

SANJAY PAREKH ’96/MBA ’99

you can’t avoid it. That is why we’re taking this opportunity to have a curriculum that provides a basic education to students about risk management.”

After diligently evaluating categories such as ratio of students-to-faculty, diversity of courses offered, size of the student population, and sporting facilities offered, Sanjay Parekh ’96 chose to attend York College in 1992 upon graduation from his high school in India.

While the minor is a natural fit for business majors, students studying other areas would also benefit from learning about risk management. “The program is designed to get students to think about the exposures to loss we all have, and how we should manage risk in a way that allows us to achieve our goals in life,” Campisi said. “If we don’t manage it well, it’s going to impact our ability to achieve our desired goals and enjoy life.”

“I chose YCP after careful consideration and I am extremely glad to have chosen YCP,” he says. “Along with great learning in the classrooms, I enjoyed my experience in the dorm and made some fantastic friendships over the years at the College.”

Colleges the size of York do not typically offer a risk management program as part of their curriculum. “I see this as a way for YCP to step into an opportunity that other colleges of comparable size are just not pursuing,” Campisi said. “This is a very mature industry according to its workforce demographics. We are going to be seeing 50 percent or more of the current workforce retiring in the next decade. Schools are not turning out enough risk management

Parekh has forged a highly successful career and says, “Currently I am working with a multinational oil and gas company based out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I have been with the group since 2004. I started my role as an HR manager, and over the years I was given various opportunities in different roles from government liaising to client relations and vendor management.” The organization operates in the Middle East and North Africa building infrastructure projects for major government oil and gas companies.

professionals to meet the current and future needs of the insurance industry.”

At one point, Parekh states, “We had 25,000 employees on one of our projects, and this was a challenging but rewarding experience for me.”

Parekh wants other international students to experience the benefits of a YCP educational experience, and to that end has established The Sanjay Parekh International Scholarship Fund to financially support international students attending YCP.

“The main objective,” he explains, “is to allow these students to gain access to a world-class American college education.” As a proud alumnus of YCP he believes that it is a moral duty rather than a choice for him to give back to the institution that has played an influential role in shaping his career.

The time is ripe for York College to offer a risk management minor, and Campisi recognized that as he contemplated how to support his alma mater during its EVOLVE Campaign. He and his wife, Stef, previously established the Campisi Family Scholarship Fund at the College, but he wanted to do more. “I recognized the need for talent in the area of risk management and insurance. There really is nobody in our area that is doing this. Larger colleges that have these curriculums are most often preparing students for an actuarial science career. The industry as a whole, and specifically our South Central Pennsylvania Region, needs a broader and more comprehensive course of study. This minor is a great addition to the curriculum at York College, and a wonderful opportunity for students to be better prepared to manage risk and potentially pursue a very challenging and rewarding career in the world of risk management and insurance.”

Along with financial support, “My intention for the recipient of this scholarship is to gain an all-around education experience, fully engaging with the staff and students from other cultures,” he says. “This is an important aspect for them to build character and leadership in their future goals.”

According to the College’s Vice President for Enrollment Management Brian Hazlett, “The generous support of Mr. Parekh has helped us form the foundation of York College’s international recruitment plan.”

YCP played a critical role in Parekh’s career, providing him with the foundation and tools that have helped him in his career path. “The faculty-to-student ratio allowed students to engage in meaningful discussions,” he says, “allowing one to absorb different ideas and implement the same outside the classroom.”

He considers YCP his family and asserts, “It is important to stay in touch with family. I feel proud to know about the great developments in the College over the years. My support will continue in every way.”

Parekh has also recently organized a for-credit experiential learning experience in Dubai for a limited number of qualified students, starting in January 2023. Students will work with on-site supervisors for four weeks in restaurants and hospitality operations owned by Parekh. Many of the costs, including roundtrip airfare to and from Dubai, will be paid by him, although students will be responsible for items such as Study Abroad fees and international health insurance. Before arriving in Dubai, participants will learn about working and living in a Middle Eastern country. At the conclusion of their program, they will receive a grade for their work experience. For more information, go to www.ycp.edu/about-us/ offices-and-departments/ student-success/studyabroad/find-a-program.

“Along with great learning in the classrooms, I enjoyed my experience in the dorm and made some fantastic friendships over the years at the College.”

— SANJAY PAREKH ’96/MBA ’99

TAJAH McCRAY ’20

Tajah McCray ’20 credits York College as the foundation of her current success. “York College provided me with the confidence, resources, skills, and knowledge that I needed to begin my career,” she says.

McCray, who graduated from York College with a B.A. in International Relations, began her journey in July when she was hired as a Government Relations Assistant for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) in Washington, D.C. The USGLC is a bipartisan national coalition that brings together multiple communities to strengthen America’s civilian-led tools and programs.

At the USGLC, McCray performs a wide variety of tasks, including writing summary reports on hearings from the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees, tracking Congressional delegations and voting records on foreign policy legislation, and tracking the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs process.

The strong international relations experience McCray gained during her time at York College has prepared her with increased knowledge and overall understanding of her current job responsibilities.

“My course schedule, which included Government Relations of Africa and the Middle East as well as studying abroad in Cuba and India, gave me a broader view of world knowledge and certainly set me up for success,” she says. “Going into the field of international relations, you have to understand the history of countries abroad and the history of the U.S. York College provided me with this valuable information.”

McCray is most proud of her continued success in the field of International Relations. After graduating from York, McCray attended Seton Hall University where she graduated with a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations.

McCray highlights the study abroad program at York College and encourages others to complete a service-learning trip. “Being able to serve others,

SHARE YOUR UPDATE AND SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE

Throughout the year, York College graduates share milestones and successes from around the world. From wedding, engagement, and birth announcements to job promotions, creative projects, travel, and fun, Class

building friendships, and creating memories that last a lifetime has been one of the greatest experiences that I have had,” says McCray.

McCray encourages everyone to embrace new experiences. “Go into new experiences with an open mind and willingness to learn. Share your ideas, ask questions, and most importantly, always bring the best version of you,” she says.”

Notes show what’s happening in the professional and personal lives of alumni.

Class Notes are published three times per year in an electronic format. Submissions are subject to edits and space restrictions. To view Class Notes or to submit your news, please visit www.ycp.edu/alumni. Any questions? Email alumni@ycp.edu.

“Share your ideas, ask questions, and most importantly, always bring the best version of you.”

ON THIS SITE: A History of the Campus and the Home of the President, Part 2

Our story continues in 1822 when Spring Garden Township is established and the descendants of William Penn, the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sell land from the Manor of Springettsbury.

— Karen Rice-Young ’92

York College’s Archives welcomes donations of college-related materials. Contact Karen RiceYoung ’92 at kriceyou@ ycp.edu, 717-815-1439 for more information.

PART TWO: 1822–1895

1822

York attorney Charles Barnitz, who had been educated at the York County Academy—the first school in YCP’s lineage, bought 10 acres of the Manor of Springettsbury for a summer estate. The property’s York City acreage in the west included what would become the home of the President of YCP and in the south, the campus.

1850s

Farmer Charles Glatfelter acquired land from Barnitz. The Glatfelter farm included Shunk’s (Reservoir) Hill and approximately 1/3 of today’s Spring Garden Township campus.

1860

On this map, the city of York and Glatfelter’s farm can be seen.

DIGITAL VERSION:

https://issuu.com/yorkcollegepa/docs/ president_s_home_book_v5_single_pages

1895

The Glatfelter Farm is subdivided. The land is purchased by two prominent businessmen: Grier Hersh and Arthur Briggs Farquar.

441 Country Club Rd. York, PA 17403-3651

www.ycp.edu/yorkmag

The Fountain is about to get fabulous…

And you can be a part of the makeover team!

Through senior class giving the fountain and the surrounding College mall were constructed in October of 1974, and since then the fountain has been a testament to their generosity. For nearly 50 years, the fountain and College mall have acted as a central meeting point where students, alumni, and friends come together.

And now, it is time to rejuvenate this essential space on the campus of your alma mater. Will you continue this Spartan legacy with a gift today?

DOUBLE YOUR SUPPORT

Shawn ’01 and Nicole ’00 Halsey are contributing a $25,000 matching gift for other alumni that join them and contribute to the campaign.

RECOGNITION LEVELS

Your donation to the fountain may be recognized in a special and unique way that demonstrates your generosity.

Gold $500+ per year over 5 years or a one time gift of $2500+

Silver $250 per year over 5 years or a one time gift of $1250+

Bronze $100 per year over 5 years or a one time gift of $500+

To make your commitment, or to ask questions about the Fountain Campaign , please contact York College at (717) 815-6861 or email eburns4@ycp.edu.