According to the event organizers, research shows that texting while driving is about six times more likely to result in a crash than driving while intoxicated, and it results in more than half a million deaths and injuries every year. They say that number has been increasing by about four percent annually.

Mont Alto students will have the opportunity to take the Distracted Driving Tour in one of two driving simulators. The simulators have a steering wheel, dashboard display, gas and brake pedals and screens that display a realistic virtual driving environment. While in the simulator, students will be prompted to attempt to drive while distracted by texting; a computer will track traffic violations and accidents that happen during their (virtual) experience behind the wheel.

Members of the media are invited to come test the simulators and talk to Penn State Mont Alto students about their experiences texting while driving, safely, in the Distracting Driving Simulator.

For more information, please contact Kristie Fry at 717-749-6112 or by email at kfry@psu.edu.

The 2012 spring ice cream sale is currently underway at Penn State Mont Alto. Organized by the Penn State Mont Alto Lion Ambassadors, the sale offers an opportunity for the community to enjoy the famous Penn State Berkey Creamery’s most popular ice cream flavors without a trip to State College. All of the proceeds benefit the Penn State Mont Alto Lion Ambassador Club’s programming and community outreach initiatives.

The ice cream flavor selection includes:

• Bittersweet Mint -- Mint flavored ice cream with chocolate chips
• Butter Pecan -- Butter almond flavored ice cream with pecans
• Chocolate -- Chocolate ice cream
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough -- Cookie dough flavored ice cream with cookie dough and chocolate chips
• Coconut Chip -- Coconut flavored ice cream with chocolate chips
• Cookies and Cream -- Vanilla ice cream with Oreo cookies
• Death By Chocolate -- Chocolate ice cream with chocolate flakes, fudge pieces and chocolate swirl
• Peachy Paterno -- Peach flavored ice cream with peach slices
• Peanut Butter Swirl -- Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter swirl
• Strawberry -- Vanilla ice cream with strawberries
• Vanilla -- Vanilla ice cream
• WPSU Coffee Break -- Coffee flavored ice cream with chocolate chips

With the help of Penn State Mont Alto's Housing and Food Services, the ice cream will be delivered to the Mont Alto Fire Department for pick up on Wednesday, March 21, from 5-7 pm.

Orders and payment must be received by the Penn State Mont Alto admissions office no later than Wednesday, March 7, 2012. All ice cream orders must be placed in advance. No ice cream will be for sale the day of pick-up.

Questions about this program can be directed to the Penn State Mont Alto Admissions Office at 717-749-6130 or by email at psuma@psu.edu. No order will be taken via email. Order forms can be picked up directly in the Admissions Office in Conklin Hall, or they can be downloaded below.

Right click on the link below, then choose "Save Link As" to open the file.

2012 MONT ALTO ICE CREAM ORDER FORM (blank form)

2012 MONT ALTO ICE CREAM ORDER FORM (fillable form that calculates prices automatically)

Penn State Mont Alto, Summit Health, Quincy Village and Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center have teamed up again to offer an outstanding educational summer camp in 2012. MedCamp will be open to high school students interested in learning more about healthcare careers, and who meet the application requirements. The cost for the week-long program is $225 per student, including meals and transportation.

The program, known as MedCamp, will give students who will be entering the ninth and tenth grade in Fall 2012, the opportunity to visit local hospitals and healthcare facilities. In addition, students will learn about healthcare careers including physical medicine and surgery, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiology, pathology, and more.

MedCamp will run from Monday, June 18, 2012 through Friday, June 22, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. The “home base” for the camp will be Penn State Mont Alto, and students will receive transportation to various hospitals and field trip locations throughout the week.

Highlights of the camp include a trip to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and a CSI (crime scene investigator) presentation and activity. The students will also become first-aid certified.This program is sure to be an outstanding opportunity for students with an interest in science and careers in healthcare.

Attached is the application for interested students. The application deadline is April 1, 2012. Admission decisions will be made on April 30, 2012 and tuition will be due by May 14, 2012.

Contact the Penn State Mont Alto Continuing Education Office for more information or with questions at 717-709-0778 x802.

Download MedCamp application here.

The Penn State Mont Alto Lion Ambassadors will sponsor a "Blue and White" 5k Walk/Run this spring on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Penn State Mont Alto. The event will benefit club programming, community outreach initiatives, and student scholarships. There will also be a FREE 1 Mile "Little Lion" Run with the Penn State Nittany Lion on the same day.

Event Details

Start Times:

8:00 a.m. - Children’s 1 Mile "Little Lion" Run

8:30 a.m. - "Blue and White" 5K 

• Event will be held rain or shine
• Awards presentation will follow after race completion
• Raffle prizes and awards will be presented throughout the morning
• Water and snacks will be provided along race route and at the conclusion of the race
• Restrooms will be available around the Penn State Mont Alto campus
• Results will be available and published after race completion -- digital timing system will be used
• Walkers are welcome and encouraged to register

For more information or to register click here or visit the event website at www.blueandwhite5k.org.

This event is proudly sponsored by the Franklin County Visitors Bureau.
Click here to explore Franklin County, PA!

Penn State Mont Alto will host a Four-Year Degree Fair for current students on Tuesday, February 7 from 12-2 p.m. and on Wednesday, February 8 from 4-6 p.m. Both events will take place in The Mill. Students will have the opportunity to meet faculty and find out how Mont Alto can help them get where they want to go. Professors from the baccalaureate degree programs in Business, English, Information Sciences and Technology, Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the Human Development and Family Studies program will be present.

A free piece of pizza from The Mill is offered to any student who stops by the fair to talk to a faculty member; coupons for pizza will be available at the event (signature required).

For every T-shirt purchased at the bookstore, customers will receive five raffle tickets to enter to win one of five gift baskets filled with Penn State items and candy. Donations are also accepted for the Pink Zone, and raffle tickets may be purchased for $1 each. Penn State Bookstores donated $26,000 last year.

To see the raffle prizes on the official Penn State Mont Alto Pink Zone fundraiser page, click here.

TWO DAYS BACK (IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2083385/), a low-budget motion picture made entirely by students of the Mont Alto Film Project, will be the matinee feature at the Majestic Theatre in Gettysburg on Saturday, March 3, 2012. The Majestic is located at 25 Carlisle Street in Gettysburg. Tickets are available for the 12:30 p.m. showing online or by calling the theatre box office at 717-337-8200.

TWO DAYS BACK first debuted at the Capitol Theatre in Chambersburg in November 2011. The film is described as a mystery with traces of horror. The story centers on Emma, a young woman who had been lost for two days in the woods as a child. She remembered nothing of the ordeal until years later when accompanying a group of environmental students to catch forestry students suspected of illegal foresting. After people go missing, the groups join forces and Emma comes face-to-face with the dark mystery of her past.

The film was written and made in its entirety by a handful of undergraduate students and their faculty advisor, Dr. Kevin Boon, at Penn State Mont Alto as part of a four-semester practicum in filmmaking (2009-10 through 2010-11 academic years). “It was designed to provide students with hands-on experience to result in real-world achievement,” says Boon, associate professor of English. “In this case, a legitimate, independent low-budget film was completed.”

Additional materials and photographs are available at http://twodaysback.com/press.php. For an event press pass or additional information, please contact Kristie Fry at kfry@psu.edu. Dr. Boon and Mont Film Project participants are available to interview by request.

Penn State Mont Alto will broadcast the public memorial service Thursday at 2 p.m. on multiple locations on campus including the Wiestling Student Center and the auditorium in the General Studies building. In addition, Housing and Food Services will open the doors to the Heritage Room in the Mill at 1:45 p.m.

"We, too, grieve the loss of Coach Joe Paterno at Mont Alto. As one University, geographically dispersed, we are grateful for the many contributions Coach Paterno made to better the University, and we will always honor and remember his life and legacy," said Dr. David C. Gnage, chancellor.

Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/57347#nw4

The Nurse Practitioner option enables registered nurses (RNs) who hold a bachelor's degree in nursing to acquire advanced knowledge and clinical practice skills in direct care of individuals, families, and aggregate populations in primary and/or acute care settings. On admission, students plan either a part-time or full-time program of study with an assigned adviser to meet the requirements for specialization as an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) or Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).

The NP program is a four-semester master’s level cohort at Penn State Mont Alto; space is limited. It is available to registered nurses (RNs) who hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing. The program will prepare nurses for direct patient care, leadership roles in practice settings, and nursing education.

In addition, the Student Activities Office is offering the following activities for all student, faculty and staff to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
January 16th, 2012

10: 00 a.m.  Introduction to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service          
11:45 p.m.   Free lunch provided
12:50 p.m.   Depart for Community Service (local Day Care Centers)
3:00 p.m.     Reflection in Groups

The exercise utilized iStan, Mont Alto's high-fidelity human simulation patient, and included collaborative efforts with the Penn State Hershey LifeLion helicopter, Blue Ridge Summit Rescue, Mont Alto EMS,  the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry Lifelion, Franklin County EMA and the Mont Alto Fire Department assisted in the exercise.

Ketterman's video has been entered into a contest through METI, the maker of iStan. To vote for the Penn State Mont Alto entry, view the video here and "like it."

Cheek said the retro room is intended to help dementia patients recall a time when they were most comfortable -- in most cases, the 1950s and 1960s. While the concept has been practiced with success in Europe, it had not yet been applied in the United States. She said the use of retro rooms have shown to reduce both patient agitation and the use of medications in dementia patients. Cheek got the idea after her daughter, who lives in London, told her about a nursing home in England that had one (called a reminiscence room). “I thought it would be a perfect project for the aging class I teach,” she said.

The National Library of Medicine defines dementia as a loss of brain function that affects memory, thinking, language, judgment and behavior. Cheek said dementia patients may experience what is called “sundowning,” so called because agitation often happens around sundown when a family would normally be coming home to get busy fixing dinner. People with dementia remember around this time of day that they should be doing something but cannot remember what, so they feel agitated, according to Cheek.

With dementia, it isn’t the old memories that are lost first, but the new ones," she said. "The older memories remain intact the longest, so patients get agitated when everything is new and different.”

The concept of the retro room is to provide a comfortable place for patients to go that feels like home according to their old memories. In order to complete their Retro Room at Quincy Village, Cheek and her students collected furniture from the 1950s and 1960s, along with a trunk containing clothes such as shawls and hats. In addition, they decorated with historic photos from the area, and items from the period such as a typewriter and a rotary telephone.

According to Carranda Barkdoll, MS, CRNP, and nursing program coordinator at Mont Alto, caring mentors who provide encouragement and support can help student nurses navigate the challenges of working in a hospital or a sub-acute care setting. She says it is not only mentees who benefit from the mentoring, but mentors are often surprised by how much they benefit from the mentoring relationship.

For more information or to register for the mentoring workshop, call Charlene at 717-749-6137 or email her at cms50@psu.edu.

In the collegiate division, Penn State Mont Alto placed second behind Haywood Community College from Clyde, N.C. ESPN2 will air event coverage on Sunday, December 11 at 2:30 p.m. EST. For a complete ESPN2 TV schedule and full results, visit STIHL Timbersports online.

The cast and crew of The Mont Alto Film Project gathered onstage following the premiere of their feature film, TWO DAYS BACK.

 President Erickson's Promise to the Penn State Community 

1.   I will reinforce to the entire Penn State community the moral imperative of doing the right thing—the first time, every time.

-     We will revisit all standards, policies and programs to ensure they meet not only the law, but Penn State's standard.  To oversee this effort, I will appoint an Ethics Officer that will report directly to me.

-     I ask for the support of the entire Penn State community to work together to reorient our culture.  Never again should anyone at Penn State feel scared to do the right thing.  My door will always be open.

2.   As I lead by example, I will expect no less of others.

-     I will ensure proper governance and oversight exists across the entire University, including Intercollegiate Athletics.

3.   Penn State is committed to transparency to the fullest extent possible given the ongoing investigations.

-     I commit to providing meaningful and timely updates as frequently as needed.

-     I encourage dialogue with students, faculty, alumni, and other members of the Penn State Community.

4.   We will be respectful and sensitive to the victims and their families.  We will seek appropriate ways to foster healing and raise broader awareness of the issue of sexual abuse.

5.   My administration will provide whatever resources, access and information is needed to support the Special Committee's investigation.  I pledge to take immediate action based on their findings.

Registration is closed.  Thank you! 

The Mont Alto Film Project will premiere its student-run, low-budget motion picture, TWO DAYS BACK (IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2083385/), on November 18 and 19 at the Capitol Theatre Center at 159 S. Main Street in Chambersburg. The film was written and made in its entirety by a handful of undergraduate students and their faculty advisor, Dr. Kevin Boon, at Penn State Mont Alto as part of a four-semester practicum in filmmaking.  “It was designed to provide students with hands-on experience to result in real-world achievement,” says Boon, associate professor of English. “In this case, a legitimate, independent low-budget film was completed and will have its debut.”

TWO DAYS BACK is described as a mystery with traces of horror. The story centers on Emma, a young woman who had been lost for two days in the woods as a child. She remembered nothing of the ordeal until years later when accompanying a group of environmental students to catch forestry students suspected of illegal foresting. After people go missing, the groups join forces and Emma comes face-to-face with the dark mystery of her past.

Tickets are available for two showings at the Capitol Theatre box office. The first showing is set for Friday, November 18 at 7:30 pm; the second for Saturday, November 19 at 8 pm. Tickets are $10 per person with panel discussions immediately following both showings where audience members may interact with the actors and filmmakers. Additionally, the filmmakers and actors will meet and greet attendees at a pre-showing reception (November 18 only); the reception and show price is $25. Proceeds will benefit the Cumberland Valley Film Club and the Capitol Theatre.

Additional materials and photographs are available at http://twodaysback.com/press.php. For an event press pass or additional information, please contact Kristie Fry at kfry@psu.edu. Dr. Boon and Mont Film Project participants are available to interview by request.

The 2011 fall ice cream sale is currently underway at Penn State Mont Alto. Organized by the Penn State Mont Alto Lion Ambassadors, offers an opportunity for the community to enjoy the famous Penn State Berkey Creamery’s favorite ice cream flavors without a trip to State College. All of the proceeds benefit Penn State Mont Alto Lion Ambassador club programming and community outreach initiatives.

The ice cream flavor selection includes:

• Bittersweet Mint -- Mint Flavored Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips
• Butter Pecan -- Butter Almond Flavored Ice Cream with Pecans
• Chocolate -- Chocolate ice cream
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough -- Cookie Dough Flavored Ice Cream with Cookie Dough and Chocolate Chips
• Coconut Chip -- Coconut Flavored Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips
• Cookies and Cream -- Vanilla ice cream with Oreo cookies
• Death By Chocolate -- Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate Flakes, Fudge Pieces and Chocolate Swirl
• Peachy Paterno -- Peach Flavored Ice Cream with Peach Slices
• Peanut Butter Swirl -- Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter swirl
• Strawberry -- Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries
• Vanilla -- Vanilla ice cream
• WPSU Coffee Break -- Coffee Flavored Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

With the help of Penn State Mont Alto's Housing and Food Services, all ice cream will be delivered directly from the Berkey Creamery to Penn State Mont Alto. However, due to anticipated freezer storage limitations, all ice cream must be picked up at the Mont Alto Fire Department.

Orders and payment must be received by the Penn State Mont Alto admissions office no later than Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Ice cream pick-up day is scheduled for Wednesday, December 7, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Mont Alto Fire Department. All ice cream orders must be placed in advance. No ice cream will be for sale the day of pick-up.

Questions about this program can be directed to the Penn State Mont Alto Admissions Office at 717-749-6130 or by email at psuma@psu.edu. No order will be taken via email. You can obtain an order form directly from the Admissions Office in Conklin Hall OR you can download and print a form below:

We recommend that you right click on the link below and then choose "Save Link As..." then open the file from your computer.

2011 MONT ALTO ICE CREAM ORDER FORM (blank form - great for photocopying)

2011 MONT ALTO ICE CREAM ORDER FORM (fillable form that calcutes prices automatically)

Annie Byrne is a local artist from Gettysburg. She has taught children’s art lessons, both privately and in schools.  Byrne has worked for the last three years with the Adams County Heritage Festival planning children’s activities centered on artistic expressions of various cultures. As an adult with learning disabilities, she says that creating art increases learning capacity and focuses attention. Byrne states that is art is her “therapy” and “my inspiration and my friend.” 

An Artist’s Reception is planned for Thursday, October 27 from 2-3pm.  For additional details, please contact Marla Minnich, coordinator of Learning Support services, at mum30@psu.edu or 717-749-6024.

If you are a high school junior or senior interested in becoming a Penn State student, or an adult learner looking to improve your skills, change careers, or earn that degree you’ve always wanted, you won’t want to miss this exciting event at Penn State Mont Alto! Tour the campus, talk to current students, meet our faculty, learn about the admission process, investigate financial aid options and even enjoy a complimentary lunch provided by the Mill Cafe!

Explore the degree programs offered at Penn State Mont Alto as well as our University-wide 2 + 2 program, which affords students the opportunity to begin their college education at Mont Alto and finish at another Penn State campus. WE ARE PENN STATE! Are you? Join us on October 22 and find out! This event is free and open to the public.

To register for the event, please contact the Penn State Mont Alto admissions office at 1-800-392-6173 or 717-749-6130.

Annually, Penn State Mont Alto awards approximately $350,000 in scholarships to students based upon merit and financial need. These funds have provided assistance to more than 250 students at Mont Alto in the 2011/12 academic year.

In an ongoing effort to assist students with the rising costs of higher education, Penn State has been seeking monetary gifts as part of the "For the Future" fundraising campaign - announced publicly in 2010. At its heart, this is a campaign for Penn State students—to enable the next generation and all succeeding generations of graduates to realize their full potential as individuals—to sustain their families, advance their professions, and contribute to our country’s strength. Monies raised as part of the "For the Future" campaign will directly support scholarships, capital projects, student research, and the out of class experience at Penn State Mont Alto. For more information about the campaign click here.

Penn State Mont Alto has approximately 1200 students. The campus offers seven baccalaureate and eight associate degree programs, as well as the first two years of more than 160 Penn State degrees.

Penn State Mont Alto will host the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for its dedication of an historical marker commemorating Maurice K. Goddard  (1912-1995), Champion of Pennsylvania’s Natural Resources, on Saturday, September 17th, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. 

A Penn State Mont Alto Centennial Fellow, Goddard served as the director of the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy, now Penn State Mont Alto, before serving in the same position at the University Park campus.

Additionally, the campus is hosting the 125th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association for their annual meeting on the same day. Eight current Forest Technology students from Mont Alto are assisting PFA meeting.

In addition, the campus will hold a Memorial Service for faculty, staff, students and the community at 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 11, 2011 in the General Studies Building Auditorium. A candle-light walk around campus will follow the service.

Members of the media are welcomed to attend. Please contact Assistant Director of Student Affairs Kim Hoover at 717-749-6150 or Kristie Fry at 717-749-6112 or kfry@psu.edu for more information.

UPDATE 8/25/11: Engineers from the University Park campus visited Mont Alto this morning to survey suspected damages to buildings following the earthquake earlier this week. They determined the campus did not suffer any structural damages to any buildings. The gynasium will reopen for regular use. There are no closures or restriction of access to any buildings at Penn State Mont Alto.

The Eastern earthquake felt up and down the East Coast on Tuesday rattled the campus at Penn State Mont Alto. Immediately following the tremors, students, faculty and staff evacuated buildings to assemble in common areas. The campus was advised to return indoors after the Physical Plant Office had done a preliminary check of all buildings for damages. 

During further structural examinations today, the campus temporarily closed the gymnasium in the Multipurpose Activities Center (MAC) as a precautionary measure due to some visible damage to ceiling welds. It will remain closed until the structure is examined by engineering and cleared as safe to return to use. The MAC is otherwise open for regular use. No other buildings have been closed and no injuries were reported on campus.

Members of the media are welcomed to attend. Please contact Kristie Fry at 717-749-6112 or kfry@psu.edu for a detailed schedule or more information.

Zipcar at Penn State Mont Alto

Fast. Convenient. Affordable. Environmentally friendly.

With Zipcar on campus, it just got easier to live without a car.

Need a car? Borrow a Zipcar! Penn State Mont Alto has partnered with Zipcar to bring self-service, on-demand car sharing to the area. To use Zipcars, simply register as a member, reserve a car online or by phone, use your Zipcard to enter the car, and drive away. Return the car to the same location where you picked it up.
As a member you get:

• Access to Zipcars 24/7.
• Discounted hourly rates for PSUMA faculty, staff and students age 18 and older: rates start at just $8 per hour.
• Gas, insurance and maintenance are included for free!
• Join for only $35 a year, and receive $35 in driving credit your first month.

Learn more at http://www.zipcar.com/psuma

Need more information?

• Find out more about Zipcar
• What is car sharing?
• Is car sharing for me?
• Zipcar on Facebook
• Zipcar at Penn State Mont Alto

Caption: Attendees of the 2011 Schatz Colloquium pose for a photo (Photo credit: Kelly Ketterman).

A banquet featured keynote speaker Faith Campbell of The Nature Conservancy. Research on the genetics, ecology and management of walnuts and butternut were featured during the conference. The colloquium receives monies from the Louis Schatz Colloquium Endowment to review the state of science in advanced tree genetics, propose the most promising avenues of future research, and consider joint research programs and agendas by industrial, government and private sources. The event was free and attendees were elegible to receive Continuing Education (CE) credits.

Caption: Forest Technology Professor Dr. Beth Brantley (far right) leads attendees on a tree walk around campus (Photo credit: Kelly Ketterman).

For more information, contact Penn State Mont Alto Continuing Education Office at 717-709-0778.

The seminar, held at Lake Raystown Resort June 23, focused on evidence-based trends in wound care, legal aspects and documentation of wound management, challenges in wound care, and pain management with the introduction of high-fidelity human simulation. Attendees could earn four continuing education units (CEU’s) provided by the Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing; funding for this in-demand program was provided by the SAWIB.

For more information about this seminar and other workforce training programs, please contact Penn State Mont Alto Continuing Education Office at 717-709-0778.

ESPNU has announced the air dates for its coverage of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS events held at Mont Alto. The campus hosted the Collegiate and Professional Mid-Atlantic Qualifiers in April. To view the broadcasts, tune into ESPNU as follows:

• Friday, July 8, 2011--6:30-7:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 8, 2011--11:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
• Sunday, July 10, 2011--10:30-11:00 a.m.
• Sunday, July 17, 2011--9:30-10:00 a.m.
• Sunday, July 31, 2011--8:30-9:00 a.m.

Get the latest information and up-to-date news and video on all the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series competitions by going to STIHLTIMBERSPORTS.US. Access behind-the-scenes photos and video on www.Facebook.com/STIHLTIMBERSPORTS and http://www.youtube.com/STIHLTIMBERSPORTSfan.

A new group of seventh graders will tour the Mont Alto campus including the residence halls each day. Their visit includes hands-on learning sessions led by Penn State faculty. They are:

Phun with Physics – Students receive hands-on demonstration of various aspects of physic/chemistry including but not limited to:  air and air pressure, electricity and magnetism (including a Van de Graff generator), rotational motion, and fun science that can be done in your own kitchen. Physical Therapy – Students will be given the opportunity to experience physical therapy activities in a hands-on session with a physical therapist.  Wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, paraffin, bone models, and muscle models will be used in the session.  Wonders of the Human Body – Introduction to the world of nursing where students will be aged before their very own eyes, listen to their heart beat, hear their lungs breathe, and experience other wonders of the human body. All About Art – This interactive session introduced students on “How to Look at Art” by giving them a list of objective terms that they will apply to a painting and a sculpture.  If time permits the students will be given an activity that will have them do comparison of practical architecture to other forms of architecture.  Active Learning through Observation Skills –Students view a short film screen “Lifted” which was shown prior to “Ratatouille.”  They are asked to explain the story and why they are saying it.  This should result in a list along the lines of facial expressions, body motions, posture, gestures, etc.   The professor will point out at the end that not one word was ever spoken during the entire film and that the details they mentioned comes completely from non-verbal communication. A Shakespeare’s Scene – This drama-based activity will allow students to participate in a discuss as well as act out a scene from the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by using props and costumes.  Introduction to Animated Movie Making – The students will log onto the Penn State computers in a computer lab and participate in the steps that it takes to create a live web page.  The students may work in pairs or individually depending on the number of students per group.

Lunch is provided. The students arrive daily at 9:15 am. Sessions begin at 9:30 am, 10:30 am and 12:10 pm. Penn State Mont Alto will host middle school students from Waynesboro May 31-June 2.

Members of the media are invited to attend.  Interviews with Penn State faculty and Principal Kurt Widmann of CAMS can be arranged.

Interesting stories from the graduating class follow.

Jennifer Hutsler is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. A Chambersburg High School alumnus (’95), Hutsler earned her associate’s degree in Nursing  from Penn State at the Mont Alto campus in 2004. She worked as a nurse for Summit Health at Chambersburg Hospital until suffering a serious illness in 2007. After her recovery, Hutsler returned to Mont Alto to purse the bachelor’s degree she will be recognized for at commencement. Additionally, Hutsler is one of only six students accepted into the master’s degree program from the Penn State School of Nursing to be offered for the first time at Mont Alto next fall. She has maintained position on the Dean’s List each semester during her baccalaureate pursuit, and she was recently inducted into the national honor society, Alpha Sigma Lambda, for adult learners. Hutsler also received two scholarships while a student at Mont Alto.

Sharita Statum is graduating with an associate’s degree from our Occupational Therapy Assistant program; like all graduating students in that program she will start clinical work soon, and she will officially graduate later. Also a 1995 graduate of CASHS, Statum has successfully juggled the role of a university student with her role as a busy mom. In fact, Statum carried and gave birth to her third child during the Spring semester. Born during the third week of April, baby girl Lyric did not keep Statum from completing all of her OTA courses. She also completed her final presentation and did not miss her final exams. Statum will begin full-time fieldwork on August 1, 2011. Her official Penn State graduation date is expected in December. Statum is also mom to Jayden, 7, and Ja’Nye, 4.

Allegra Nittany Heebner of Fairfield in neighboring Adams County will be recognized at Commencement for earning her third Penn State degree. She completed her bachelor’s of science in Human Development and Family Studies in Fall 2010, but will be recognized this Saturday. In addition, Heebner completed an associate’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies in Spring 2008, and an associate’s degree in Occupational Therapy in Fall 2009.

Penn State Mont Alto has approximately 1200 students. The campus offers seven baccalaureate and eight associate degree programs, as well as the first two years of more than 160 Penn State degrees.

###

The students profiled above are available to interview.  Members of the media are invited to attend the commencement ceremony on May 14. Please contact Kristie Fry at 717.749.6112 or kfry@psu.edu to confirm attendance.

After an exhaustive search that included 45 highly qualified applicants, Penn State Mont Alto announces the appointment of Dr. Michael Doncheski, professor of physics, to the position of Director of Academic Affairs (DAA) effective immediately. Doncheski had served as the campus’ interim DAA since early last year when Dr. Francis Achampong left the post to go to Penn State Fayette where he is now chancellor.  “Mike has served us well both as a faculty member and as our interim chief academic officer,” says Chancellor Dr. David Gnage. “We congratulate and commend him on his new post.”

Doncheski obtained both his bachelor’s degree in physics and his doctorate in theoretical physics from Penn State. His primary areas of research have included elementary particle theory (the study of particles and interactions in “atom smashers”) and the visualization of quantum mechanical phenomena. Doncheski has authored more than 50 referred journal articles; he been a member of the Penn State Mont Alto faculty since 1996. 

Brandi and Brittani Timmons are recent  graduates of Penn State Mont Alto’s Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program (December 2010). They returned to the campus last week during the final week of classes this semester to help celebrate OT Month and to encourage current students as they prepare for field work.
 
Alumni of Chambersburg Area High School (2008) and residents of Orrstown, the Timmons twins chose Occupational Therapy for the creative aspects it provides in therapy. Both will sit for the national exams this month, and they have both received several offers for employment. Brandi would like to work in behavioral health while Brittani would like to work with pediatrics.
 
April was Occupational Therapy Month.  According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA), occupational therapy services typically include:

• Customized treatment programs to improve one’s ability to perform daily activities
• Comprehensive home and job site evaluations with adaption recommendations
• Performance skills assessments and treatment
• Adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training
• Guidance to family members and caregivers

Career opportunities for a graduate of Penn State Mont Alto’s associate degree program in occupational therapy may include working in public and private schools, early intervention programs, general, psychiatric, and pediatric hospitals, day treatment centers, hospices and home health agencies, rehabilitation hospitals and centers, skilled and intermediate care facilities, community living programs, community wellness centers, work hardening and adjustment programs, and/or hand therapy clinics.
 
Penn State Mont Alto recently upgraded its OTA classroom with a state-of-the-art “smart cart” teaching station. The smart cart allows faculty members to integrate innovative teaching methods.
 
For more information about the Timmons twins or the OTA program, please contact Dr. Angela Hissong at anh1@psu.edu or 717-749-6233.

Penn State Mont Alto’s freshman forest technology students, associate degree (RN) nursing students, and RN-to-BS nursing students were afforded hands-on training responding to a trauma scenario in the woods adjacent to the campus as well as how it is to work with a trauma patient in a simulated Emergency Department. In addition, Penn State Mont Alto’s nursing faculty facilitated the use of iStan in the exercise; he is the department’s mobile human simulation patient. iStan was treated from “injuries” by forestry, nursing and paramedic students.

To view photos from the exercise, please click "photos" above under the story headline.

In front of ESPNU cameras, Daniel Jones of Haywood Community College claimed the top spot in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Qualifier hosted by Penn State Mont Alto April 17. A mere two points behind Jones was last year’s Mid-Atlantic champion Tim Benedict of Penn State University Park and a Mont Alto alumnus. Zach Brouse of Allegany College of Maryland finished in third place with local favorite Seth Morris of Penn State Mont Alto took fourth, only a point behind Brouse.

With this win, Jones receives a $1,000 scholarship from STIHL for his school and advances to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship at the Oregon State Fair Aug. 26-28. At the Collegiate Championship, Jones will compete against four other qualifier winners and one wildcard pick to determine the nation’s top collegiate lumberjack. The collegiate champion earns an automatic spot in the 2010 Professional Series.

Full results are below.

In the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Qualifier, 10 of the region’s top lumberjacks competed for one of four spots to advance to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS U.S. Championships also at the Oregon State Fair. The Pro Series airs on ESPN2.

2009 U.S. champion Arden Cogar Jr. from West Hamlin, W.Va. sealed the top spot with Mike Eash from Coatesville, Pa. only one point behind him. Will Roberts of Cortland, NY took the third place with Harry Burnsworth of Mill Run, Pa. rounding out the top four.

Full results are below. Photos and interviews are available upon request.

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Mid-Atlantic Qualifier Results
Rank Competitor School Points
1 Daniel Jones, Haywood Community College - 25
2 Tim Benedict, Penn State University Park - 23
3 Zach Brouse,  Allegany College of Maryland - 19
4 Seth Morris, Penn State Mont Alto - 18
5 Anthony Juser, West Virginia University - 11
6 Joshua Hussey, Montgomery Community College - 10
7 JP Gildea, Penn College of Technology - 0

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Mid-Atlantic Qualifier Results
Rank Competitor Hometown Points
1 Arden Cogar Jr., West Hamlin, W.Va. -  51
2 Mike Eash, Coatesville, Pa. - 50
3 Will Roberts, Cortland, NY - 47
4 Harry Burnsworth, Mill Run, Pa. - 43
5 Mike Koers, Hawk Run, Pa. - 32
6 Paul Pfenninger, Scottsville, NY - 29
7 Matt Marks, Middlesex, NY - 27
8 Andrew Mattison, Brockport, NY- 23
9 Kyle Friend, Kearneysville, W.Va. 15
10 Tom Oliver, Palmyra, Pa. - 10

The Collegiate and Professional Series air on ESPNU and ESPN2, respectively. In addition to the Mid-Atlantic Qualifier, the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series consists of four other regional Collegiate and Professional Series Qualifiers and the U.S. Championships:

• Southern Qualifier hosted by the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., March 18
• Western Qualifier hosted at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., March 25
• Midwest Qualifier hosted at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., April 9
• Mid-Atlantic Qualifier hosted at Penn State-Mont Alto in Mont Alto, Pa., April 17
• Northeast Qualifier hosted at SUNY-Cobleskill in Cobleskill, NY, April 30
• Collegiate and U.S. Championship at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Ore., Aug. 26-28

For the second consecutive year, the Oregon State Fair will host the Collegiate and Professional Championships. In the Collegiate Series, the five regional competitors and one wildcard pick face off in the single buck, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop to determine the nation’s top collegiate lumberjack. The collegiate champion wins a buy in to the 2012 Professional Series.

In the Professional Series, the top four pros from each qualifier advance to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS U.S. Championship, where they will compete for a slice of the coveted U.S. title and the opportunity to advance to the World Championship in Holland Sept. 3-4. Additional pros will be selected by officials to represent the U.S. in the World Championship Relay Competition.

Established in 1985 by STIHL Inc., manufacturer of the number-one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America*, the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series, billed as the Original Extreme Sport, attracts the world’s top lumberjack athletes in a competition based on historic logging techniques. The Series is seen by more than 20 million viewers annually in more than 62 countries on networks such as Eurosport and ESPN, where it is one of the longest running shows.

Since 2003, the Collegiate Series has traveled to college campuses across the country to seek out the best amateur athletes and give them the opportunity to advance in the sport. More than 50 universities and colleges presently compete in the Series. The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series grooms student athletes to one day take their place among the professional elite. Additionally, ESPNU provides a national platform to not only highlight the competition and the sport, but also spotlight the hosting schools and their forestry programs in the Collegiate Series competition shows.

Get the latest information and up-to-date news and video on all the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series competitions by going to STIHLTIMBERSPORTS.US. Access behind-the-scenes photos and video on www.Facebook.com/STIHLTIMBERSPORTS and http://www.youtube.com/STIHLTIMBERSPORTSfan.

The Sixth Annual Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival was held on campus April 13, 2011. Sponsored by F&M Trust Company, this exciting event displayed academic highlights that have been researched, developed, and created by Penn State Mont Alto students throughout the 2010-11 academic year. Click on "photos" above to view photos from the festival.

2011 Academic Festival Winners

Posters

First Place
Tyler Wakefield
Hope for the Eastern Hemlock?

Second Place
Scott Grimm & Derek Furry
Establishing GIS-based permanent forest inventory plots on the Waynesboro Watershed

Third Place
Zachary Hetrick & Seth Morris
Comparing Past Land use to Current Forest Cover Types

Exhibits

First Place
Kimberly Conrad
Eating the right way, the right size, the right times

Second Place (tie)
Jared Fisher
ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)

Deanna Burke, Rachel Barrett, Sharita Statum
Autism Spectrum Disorder

Third Place
Melissa S. Rogina
Sexual Health Decisions for the Adolescent

The10th annual Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet will be hosted by Penn State Mont Alto on Saturday, April 16. The event will feature the Mont Alto Woodsmen team and four other college teams from our region, including Montgomery and Haywood Community Colleges from North Carolina, Allegany College of Maryland, and Pennsylvania College of Technology. The events start at 8 a.m. and will run through 5 p.m.; they include the team log roll and pulp toss, axe throw, pole climb, chain saw, single buck, and more. One athlete from each participating team will be chosen to go head-to-head in Sunday's STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® College Series qualifier (see below).

Click here for a full event schedule. The event is open to the public and free of charge; spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. 

Penn State Mont Alto will also host the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series Mid-Atlantic Qualifier, one of its five regional qualifying events, on Sunday, April 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the campus' intramural field at the corner of PA Route 233 North/Park Street and Slabtown Road. The event will be covered by ESPN2 and ESPNU. It is a free event and open to the public; spectators are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. According to a Stihl press release, the regional events are "where the best professional and collegiate lumberjacks will qualify for a place in their respective Championship at the Oregon State Fair, Aug. 26-28, 2011."

Spectators of the event will see:

Professional Series Qualifiers: Ten of the region’s best pro lumberjack athletes will compete in six professional lumberjack disciplines, with the top four advancing to the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series U.S. Championship. The Professional Series airs on ESPN2. Professional lumberjack Tom Oliver, a Penn State Mont Alto alum and resident of Palmyra, PA, will compete.

Collegiate Series Qualifiers: The five participating colleges and universities will select their best collegiate lumberjack to go head-to-head in four professional disciplines, with the top contender advancing to the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Championship. The Collegiate Series airs on ESPNU. At last year's event, Mont Alto's Tim Benedict captured the Mid-Atlantic title and competed in the national championship, finishing sixth.

For events and series details, visit the official STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® website at http://www.stihltimbersports.us/.  

Penn State Mont Alto Continuing Education and F&M Trust have partnered to deliver a customized professional development and supervisory skills training program for the bank’s supervisors.  Sixteen new and future supervisors for the bank completed the first 16-hour program provided by Penn State in March 2011; the program will  be offered on an annual basis.

After the final session, F&M Trust President and CEO William E. Snell, Jr., reminded his employees that despite the use of new technologies in the banking industry, they are “still in a people business where personal attention and relationships are key.” The program had focused on listening, coaching, understanding, providing feedback, and performance management. Karen Carmack, senior vice president and human resources manager at F&M, said the program “was a productive training. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Penn State.”

F&M Trust has been a leading provider of premier financial solutions of community banking for more than a century.  The largest local community bank headquartered in Franklin County, the bank has 25 community banking offices throughout Franklin, Cumberland, Fulton, and Huntingdon Counties. Their mission is to create long-term shareholder value by delivering the right "financial solutions . . . from people you know."

Penn State is dedicated to providing superior workforce development programs tailored to the needs of each company and its employees.  From information technology courses to leadership training seminars, educational resources are available to Franklin, Adams and Fulton County businesses at any time, any place and in a variety of formats.

Photo Caption: F&M Trust new and future supervisors pictured completed a 16-hour professional development and supervisory skill training program delivered by Penn State Continuing Education.

Penn State Mont Alto will welcome back to campus esteemed alumnus Shaun B. Keister, associate vice president for development for Penn State, to be its Spring 2011 Commencement speaker. Like nearly 60 percent of Mont Alto’s students choose, Keister completed the first two years of his Penn State degree at Mont Alto (’88-’89) before completing his B.A. in political science at University Park.

“Our students will enjoy hearing from a successful alumnus who once walked these same halls,” said Dr. David C. Gnage, Penn State Mont Alto chancellor. “They will no doubt be inspired by Shaun’s accomplishments realized after the strong foundation he first obtained here at Mont Alto.”

Keister graduated magna cum laude as a member of Penn State’s University Scholars Program, the forerunner to the Schreyer Honors College. He went on to earn both a master’s degree and doctorate in sociology from Iowa State University. Prior to his current position, Keister spent 13 years at the Iowa State University Foundation where he served as vice president for development outreach. His career has also taken him to the Florida State University Foundation, and Keister has served as a fundraising consultant to more than 75 non-profit organizations and universities nationwide. 

“I look forward to returning to Mont Alto,” said Keister. “I learned many important life lessons and leaderships skills there that have served a lifetime and created important friendships and bonds.” He currently maintains supervisory responsibility at Penn State for several central development areas, including annual giving, development communications, corporate and foundation relations, donor relations, gift planning, leadership gifts, and research/prospect development.

The Penn State Mont Alto 2011 Spring Commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 14 at 10 a.m. in the Multipurpose Activities Center on campus. Mont Alto is the oldest Penn State campus outside of University Park and has been graduating students for more than 100 years. 

Photo Caption: Shaun Keister, associate vice president for development for Penn State and a Mont Alto alum, will return to campus as our Spring 2011 Commencement speaker.

For the last 10 years, tens of thousands of men across America have Walk(ed) a Mile in Her Shoes®, high-heeled shoes, that is, to take a stand against sexual violence and to raise money in support of local rape crisis services and domestic violence shelters. The event came to Mont Alto for the second year in a row on March 23 as a group of Penn State Mont Alto students—both male and female—walked a mile around campus in high heels in support of the International Men’s Walk to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence.

"This is something that affects everyone. Everyone has a mom, an aunt or a grandmother. With one in six women being sexually assaulted in their lifetime, everyone knows someone that's a victim, or as I like to refer to them, a survivor," said event coordinator Amanda Blaugher, an assistant coordinator of residence life at Penn State Mont Alto.  She said the campus expects to raise about $150 from the event that drew a couple of dozen students.

IN OUR FAMILY travels nationwide to schools (K-12), colleges, public libraries, workplaces, places of worship, conferences, museums, and communities nationwide. The exhibit is championed by diversity professionals, families, educators, parents, and all people interested in educating the public about diversity. 

With photographs by Gigi Kaeser and interviews edited by Peggy Gillespie and Rebekah Boyd, the exhibit celebrates the diversity of family life in 21st century America, introducing viewers to single-parent families, families living with physical or mental challenges, immigrant families, adoptive families, foster families, divorced families, gay and lesbian-parented families, stepfamilies, multiracial families, multi-generational families, and others in the family circle.

Family Diversity Projects (FDP) is a non-profit educational organization founded to help eliminate prejudice, stereotyping, and harassment of people discriminated against due to race, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, gender, class, and disability. The exhibit is sponsored by the Penn State Mont Alto Faculty Diversity Committee.

The goal of the program is to introduce local families and individuals to health and safety issues and to community resources available in this region.   “It provides Penn State students practical, hands-on opportunities for learning,” says Carranda Barkdoll, the coordinator of nursing program at Penn State Mont Alto. “We are excited to once again offer this free service to the community.” 

Popular activities returning from previous years’ events include visits by the Nittany Lion and Crackers the Clown, the Teddy Bear Clinic, and exploration of Penn State’s Life Lion helicopter, ambulances and fire engines. Children of all ages can be in the Kazoo Parade, see horses, parachutes, puppet shows, and more.  The event will also help children and families to learn about childhood obesity, firearm safety, allergies, asthma, poison control, and helmet safety. Individuals can learn about health promotion and listen to their heart and lungs as well.

Penn State Mont Alto student participants as well as their faculty advisors are available to interview.  For more information, contact Kristie Fry at kfry@psu.edu or 717-979-4010.

Penn State Mont Alto is pleased to announce the launch of its Nittany Lion Reads program to promote reading among area children through the local library. Children will be treated to a story reading, a meet-and-greet session and picture-taking time with the Penn State Nittany Lion. Each participant will also have the opportunity to create a picture frame for their photo and to participate in games offerings. A highlight of the program for the children may be the story of Ben and Jerry's ice cream at Penn State, along with free ice cream.

The program is free of charge and will visit the following Franklin County libraries as follows soon:

• March 5th, 10 a.m., Fort Loudon Library
• March 12th, 10 a.m., Grove Family Library
• March 19th, 11 a.m., Coyle Free Library
• April 9th, 11 a.m., Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library

Each program will be approximately one hour in length. "Reading as a child can be the first step to expanding vocabulary and comprehension," says Sarah Sultzbaugh, student director of the Nittany Lion Reads program. "It also strengthens skills necessary to one day succeed in college."

For more information, please contact Ms. Sultzbaugh by email at sns5156@psu.edu.

February 22 marked the date that Penn State was founded in 1855 as a publicly supported agricultural college. In 1863, Penn State was designated as Pennsylvania’s land-grant college -- a distinction that only Penn State holds and a designation that created a university to educate large segments of society that had not yet been served by higher education. To underscore Penn State’s important relationship with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Penn State Outreach created a video that highlights the many successes of the University and the individuals whose lives have been touched by Penn State.

As one of the nation’s first land-grant institutions, Penn State has been in a partnership with Pennsylvania for nearly 150 years. Through this partnership, Penn State has provided both access to education and expertise to help solve some of society’s most pressing problems. “It’s a designation that meant Penn State would work to improve the well-being of farmers and industrial workers,” said Penn State President Graham Spanier. “It meant that Penn State was one of the ‘people’s universities,’ created to make a difference in the lives of citizens.” Today, Penn State plays a significant role in education, research and service that supports the development of the Commonwealth and its residents. “Penn State is proud of its partnership with Pennsylvania and remains committed to the Commonwealth as we move forward in the 21st Century,” said Spanier.

Penn State Mont Alto was founded as the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy in 1903. It became a campus of the Pennsylvania State University in 1929. Penn State Mont Alto now offers seven baccalaureate degrees, eight associate degrees, and the first two years of nearly all of Penn State's 160+ degree programs.

To learn more about the unique partnership between the Commonwealth and Penn State, click on the video link: http://thepartnership.psu.edu.

Penn State Mont Alto sent two students and 20+ supporters last weekend to the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately referred to as THON, at University Park.  The Mont Alto THON group raised pledges totaling $25,580.06, a record by more than $10,000 over last year. The Chambersburg community at large contributed the most ($19,054) via collection cans at area businesses and to students canning on foot in the community. The Potomac Valley Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association sponsored the team and contributed $350.

The students—Kaitlyn Shifflet and Jennifer Szalay—began dancing at 6 pm Friday and remained on their feet for 46 hours. THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world and has raised more than $69 Million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children's Hospital to fight against childhood cancer. Penn State students raised a total of $9,563,016.09 at THON this year alone.

Mont Alto students collected community donations on weekends between October and January in Chambersburg. “We are thankful for the outpouring of support from individuals in our community,” commented Michele Coletta, Mont Alto’s campus nurse and THON advisor. “Our team worked hard and ended up with the sixth highest total raised among Penn State’s Commonwealth campuses.”

In 1972, a small group of dedicated Penn State students held their first Dance Marathon. That year, 34 dancers participated and raised $2,000. Since then, THON’s presence in the Penn State community has grown exponentially. THON now has 15,000 student volunteers, 700 dancers, and has raised more than $69 million, benefiting The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children’s Hospital.  Visit www.thon.org for more information.

Nursing faculty member Dr. Stephanie Unger participated in Shippensburg High School's Diversity Day events on February 3, 2011. A native of Thailand, Dr. Unger shared with students about Thai culture.

Dr. Unger also advises Mont Alto's first-ever class of true international students this year. Having once been an international student herself, she is intricately aware of the unique challenges faced by students whose first language is something other than English. In addition, international students adjust to differences in educational structures and expectations, foods, and everyday customs. Mont Alto's international students (here on student visas) hail from China, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Tawian, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirites.

Employers and business leaders who have committed to participate to date include:

• Abraxas Youth and Family Services
• COPT (Corporate Office Properties Trust) Property Management Services
• Franklin County Treasurer’s Office (County Government/Law Enforcement)
• Letterkenny Army Depot
• Physical Therapy, Etc.

This program will be valuable for students from every academic discipline. For more information, please contact Summer Irvin, career services coordinator, at 717-749-6104 or sdm211@psu.edu

Members of the Penn State Mont Alto admissions and financial aid staff will be present to share about the many academic opportunities that are available at Penn State.  With over 160 baccalaureate degrees, Penn State offers many opportunities to pursue a degree that fits most every students' needs. The event also features a series of financial aid sessions to provide parents and families an overview of the financial aid process at Penn State. This session is will outline what types of aid may be available and how to apply for aid at Penn State. Financial Aid Sessions will be presented at: 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.

Interestted students and parents can to drop in anytime from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to complete an application or to attend one of the financial aid sessions mentioned above.  We do, however, encourage you to register in advance by calling the admissions office at 717-749-6130 or 800-392-6173. Click here for more information.

A steady stream of Penn State Mont Alto students visited the campus Four-Year Degree Fair this week on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Heritage Room in the Mill. The fair gave students the opportunity to learn how they can pursue their goals and finish their Penn State degrees right here at Mont Alto. Students met faculty members from each academic department, enjoyed free food and registered for door prizes at the first-ever academic fair for current students.

Mont Alto offers seven baccalaureate programs: Business, English, Nursing, Information Sciences and Technology, Human Development and Family Studies, Letters, Arts, and Sciences, and Organizational Leadership (for adult learners). While many students choose to complete four-year degrees at Mont Alto, the majority of our students participate in Penn State's 2+2 program which affords them two years at Mont Alto and two years at University Park or another campus. Staying at Mont Alto can benefit students in more ways than one.

Students can save money, live on campus or off, have professors who know them by name, participate in intercollegiate athletics -- all while earning their Penn State degree.

Penn State Mont Alto had good reason to celebrate over the weekend at its 15th annual Scholarship Reception. This semester, 221 Mont Alto students are receiving scholarship support totaling $354,000. More than 460 donors and the students  who benefit from the scholarships they’ve established attended the reception, a celebration of philanthropy at the campus. The event was sponsored by Waste Management for the fifth year.

Four major gifts from Mont Alto alumni were announced at the reception as well. They are:

• Robert Rumler ’36, gift of $28,000 creating a new student scholarship
• Dr. John Pursley, ’41, gift of $30,000
• John Richter, ’59 , gift of $50,000 to endow the Richter Oak Grove in the Mont Alto Arboretum
• Richard Herstine, ’49, gift of $50,000 creating a new student scholarship

“Our scholarship reception always stirs emotion,” said Chancellor Dr. David Gnage. “It is a special time to unite deserving students with their donors, giving our students the opportunity to share their appreciation to their donors for the way they make a true difference in their lives.” Penn State Mont Alto’s For the Future Campaign is the driving force behind the campus’ scholarship program. It runs through 2014 and thus far, 52% of Mont Alto’s $5 Million goal has been raised.

“Despite a weak economy, philanthropic giving at Penn State is doing well,” according to Randall Ackerman, development director at Mont Alto. “We have a lot of work ahead to reach our goal, but the campus is generating support from all generations of givers.  The strong attendance at this scholarship event showed that a lot of generous people truly believe in our students and their quest to earn a Penn State degree.”

The 15th Annual Scholarship Reception at Penn State Mont Alto was held Friday, October 22nd.

During this full-day program, visiting students receive an overview of Penn State from our admissions staff before spending the remainder of the day with a current Penn State Mont Alto student. That includes the opportunity to sit in on several classes, eat lunch in the Mill Café, and take a tour of campus.

The program is from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Family members are encouraged to visit some of the many local attractions while the student participates in the “Lion for a Day” program.

Upcoming “Lion for a Day” programs

• Wednesday, January 26th
• Wednesday, February 23rd
• Wednesday, March 23rd
• Wednesday, April 13th

Prospective students may register online for any of these by visiting events at www.visitmontalto.com or by calling 1-800-392-6173 to speak with a member of our staff.

Official Inclement Weather Notifications
Announcements will be posted by 6:00 a.m. on the day in question via the following channels.

1. GET A TEXT MESSAGE. Register your cell number at http://live.psu.edu/psutxt and select “Mont Alto Alerts”
2. CALL the Inclement Weather Hotline at 717-749-6090
3. CHECK the campus homepage at www.ma.psu.edu

Penn State Mont Alto’s complete Inclement Weather Plan is available online at www.ma.psu.edu/weather.htm.

Our sessions are designed to provide prospective students and their families with an overview of the Penn State Mont Alto college experience. Attendees will also learn more about Penn State's 160 academic programs, research opportunities, 1,200+ clubs and organizations, athletics, and more.

All information sessions begin at 10:00 a.m. with an optional tour of campus guided by a Penn State Mont Alto student at 11:00 a.m.

Upcoming Weekday Information Sessions:

• Monday, January 17th
• Friday, February 11th
• Monday, February 21st
• Friday, March 25th
• Friday, April 22nd

Upcoming Weekend Information Sessions:

• Saturday, January 29th
• Saturday, February 19th
• Saturday, March 19th
• Saturday, April 30th

Prospective students may register online for any of these by visiting events at www.visitmontalto.com or by calling 1-800-392-6173 to speak with a member of our admissions staff.

"On behalf of the Jump Start students," said Learning Support Services Coordinator Marla Minnich, "the campus support with this effort was greatly appreciated. The donations by the Mont Alto campus community exceeded 250 non-perishable food items."

Dr. Beth Brantley, forestry faculty at Mont Alto, recalls inviting Grove to campus in September 2009 as a guest speaker. “David spoke with the freshmen forest technology students about his career as a WCO and the steps he took to get there.” says Brantley. “I had the opportunity to work with David while he was a student here at Mont Alto. He was an extraordinary young man - very bright, inquisitive, positive, ethical. He will be missed.”

“Our thoughts are with the Grove family during this difficult time,” said Dr. David Gnage, chancellor. “Penn State Mont Alto was proud to call David our alumnus and we remember him fondly.”

The SGA reports this event is to show veterans that the Penn State Mont Alto campus and SGA appreciate their dedication and commitment to serving our country.

Please direct questions to Diamond Harper, SGA Communications Coordinator, at dgh5068@psu.edu.

Presented by Darlene Gilliland, financial aid coordinator at Penn State Mont Alto, these sessions cover the following topics: 

• What is financial aid
• Cost of attendance – direct and indirect cost
• Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
• What is financial need
• Categories, types and sources of financial aid
• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Application
• Special circumstances

The presentation takes about one and a half hours with questions taken at the end of each topic and a question/answer period to cover additional topics at the conclusion.  The free financial aid sessions will be offered as follows:

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library
45 East Main Street
Waynesboro, PA  17268

Thursday, November 11, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Greencastle-Antrim Chamber of Commerce
217 East Baltimore Street
Greencastle, PA  17225

Monday, November 22, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Grove Family Library
101 Ragged Edge Road South
Chambersburg, PA  17201

Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Coyle Free Library
102 North Main Street
Chambersburg, PA  17201

To register or for more information, please contact Darlene Gilliland at dxg1@psu.edu.

Area nurses now have access to a master’s degree program to prepare them to work as Nurse Practitioners (NPs). The Penn State School of Nursing is expanding its present NP program to two additional campuses, including Mont Alto and Worthington Scranton. This Master of Science (MS) degree program does not require General Record Exams (GREs) for admission but it does provide students two specialty options: the Family Nurse Practitioner or the Adult Nurse Practitioner. The NP program is currently offered at four other Penn State campuses. The School of Nursing received funding through two HRSA grants (Health Resources and Services Administration). One grant has enabled the University to expand its NP program to rural, medically underserved areas; the other will fund tuition and books for select students for their two years of study (program candidates who serve rural communities and enroll full-time will be considered).

The NP program is a four-semester master’s level cohort beginning next fall at Penn State Mont Alto; space is limited to six students. It is available to registered nurses (RNs) who hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing. The program will prepare nurses for direct patient care, leadership roles in practice settings, and nursing education. 

Specialties include:
-Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP): 47-50 credits
-Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP): 41-44 credits

The Penn State School of Nursing also offers an RN program and a bachelor’s degree program at the Mont Alto campus.

The project needs adults, couples, and families in the morning, from 8:30am to around 1:00pm, and adults to play search volunteers in the afternoon, from around 1:00pm to 6:30pm. Adults from the morning can double as extras in the afternoon.

The morning scenes involve adults and families picnicking. Extras are asked to come dressed for a Fall picnic and bring with them basic picnic items (food, blankets, etc.). The afternoon scenes involve emergency vehicles, police and search volunteers. Extras are asked to dress in appropriate clothes for searching the woods and to bring a flashlight with them, if possible.

Filming will take place on the Penn State Mont Alto campus near the Red #1 parking lot close to the soccer field. First Assistant Director Tressa Bellows will be coordinating extras. Extras can park in any legal parking space (avoid handicapped spaces).

TWO DAYS BACK is a low-budget, independent film that is being produced in cooperation with Penn State Mont Alto as part of a two-year practicum in filmmaking. The film stars professional actors, but the production crew is comprised of Penn State Mont Alto students from various disciplines.

Interested parties are welcome to show up unannounced on Sunday, November 7, but the production would appreciate hearing from people who plan on participating in advance of the shooting date. If possible, interested persons should email Dr. Kevin Boon at info@thirdchildproductions.com or call Dr. Boon at (717) 321-5683 by Friday, November 5.

Penn State Laureate Robin Becker will share some of her work during a public reading at Penn State Mont Alto on Monday, November 8 at 2:00pm in the campus library. A book signing will follow at the campus bookstore at 3:30pm. Becker, a professor of English and women's studies in the College of the Liberal Arts and a nationally acclaimed poet, was named the 2010-11 Penn State laureate earlier this year.

The Penn State laureate is a full-time University faculty member in the humanities or fine arts who is assigned half-time for one academic year to bring an enhanced level of social, cultural, artistic and human perspective and awareness to a broad array of audiences. The laureate appears at events throughout the University and the state.

"As the 2010-2011 Penn State laureate, I will initiate activities that engage students, alumni and others in the deep pleasures of poetry -- language crafted and shaped from words, the ‘ordinary’ material we all use every day," said Becker. "Through readings and discussions, I'll present poems by myself and others, exploring how and why poems move us. Working with new technologies, I hope to combine 'virtual' activities with campus visits throughout the state."

A member of Penn State's faculty since 1994, Becker has published seven books of poetry and has been highly sought as a contributor, judge, reviewer and critic in the field of poetry for almost two decades. She has logged more than 125 speaking engagements across the United States, including numerous universities, the National Arts Club, and the New York Public Library. Becker has received many awards for her work, including the 1997 Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry for her book of poems titled "All-American Girl." From Prairie Schooner magazine, she received the 2010 Glenna Luschi Award for Excellence in Writing for 10 poems published in that journal. In 2000, she received Penn State’s George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Becker graduated from Boston University with undergraduate and master's degrees in English and creative writing-poetry, respectively. She began her faculty career in The Writing Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In spring 1992 she served as a visiting professor of English at Kent State University. She was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in creative writing in 1989, a 1995-96 fellowship by the Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College and a 2000-01 fellowship as the William Steeple Davis Artist-in-Residence in Orient, N.Y. In addition, she has had residencies at artist colonies including The MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Ucross Foundation and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico.

Becker's first book of poetry, "Personal Effects," was published in 1979; her subsequent published collections include "Giacometti's Dog," "All-American Girl," "The Horse Fair," and, most recently, "Domain of Perfect Affection." The Frick Art and Historical Center published "Venetian Blue," a chapbook of Becker’s poems about the visual arts.

Becker is a contributing editor to Ploughshares magazine and The Women’s Review of Books, where she also serves as poetry editor and writes a column on the national poetry scene called "Field Notes." Her book reviews and poetry often appear in prestigious national literary journals.

For information about the poetry reading, book signing, and reception, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at smk17@psu.edu or 717-749-6051. For more information about Becker, visit http://english.la.psu.edu/facultystaff/Bio_Becker.htm online. A list of her scheduled events is at http://live.psu.edu/story/47796 online.

To watch videos of Becker reading some of her poems during her weekly laureate series "The Poet's Perspective," visit http://laureate.psu.edu/videos online.

Hughes asserts that the notion of a “Christian America” by Biblical standards undermines both the integrity of Christian faith and of our nation. His discussions have drawn “heightened if not highly charged responses from audience members during public, yet productive, discourse that followed,” according to a Messiah College press release.

Richard T. Hughes is Distinguished Professor of Religion at Messiah College in Grantham, PA.  Over the course of a 40-year career, he has worked at various intersections of religion and culture in the United States.  He has authored, co-authored, or edited 17 books that deal with several of those intersections:  religion and American self-understanding, religion and higher education, the role of Christian primitivism in American religious history, and the history of American restoration movements in the early Republic.  His most recent books include Myths America Lives By (2003) and Christian American and the Kingdom of God (2009).  In addition to Messiah College, he has taught at Abilene Christian University, Pepperdine University, and Southwest Missouri State University.  He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Iowa.

Carole L. Crist attended the Mont Alto campus in 1972. She has been a vice president and relationship manager at F&M Trust in Chambersburg since 2008.  Prior to that role, she was executive vice president and founding member of Sentry Trust Company, as position as assistant vice president and trust officer at ValleyBank in Chambersburg. Crist serves on the Executive Board of the Chambersburg Community Theatre, the Institute for Caregiver Education Advisory Board, the Franklin County Fair Board, and as a rotating member of Kiwanis Club.   

Lance Keggereis ’92 (B.S. Civil Engineering) is the president of Dennis E. Black Engineering, Inc. in Chambersburg. He has more than 16 years of experience in a wide variety of civil engineering practices in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. He has been engineering designer         and project manager on numerous residential, commercial, municipal and industrial development projects including subdivisions and land development, storm water management, soil erosion and sedimentation control, grading plans, wastewater collection, treatment and disposal systems, roadway design, construction inspections, reports, acquisition of PA DOT permits, PA DEP permitting, townships and municipal approvals.

John K. Lott ‘72 (B.S. Horticulture) is President of Bear Mountain Orchards, Inc., a 1,600 acre fruit growing and packing operation.  John is on currently on the board of directors of the Adams County Industrial Development Association, Cherry Industry Administration Board, Knouse Foods Cooperative, and Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Program.  Previously he has served on the board of directors of the Adams County Economic Development Corporation and State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania.  He was President or Chairman of the following:  National Peach Council, Pennsylvania Peach & Nectarine Research Council, Adams County Conservation District, Menallen Township Planning Commission. 

Robert A. Sharrah is the founder and owner of Sharrah Design Group, Inc. of Gettysburg which currently employs nine people, including a Professional Engineer, Registered Landscape Architect, CADD technicians and field survey personnel.  The company’s focus is on land development design, planning and permitting for residential subdivisions, commercial centers and industrial buildings and complexes.  Sharrah attended the Mont Alto Campus from 1973 to 1975 when he graduated with high distinction from the surveying technology surveying technology program.  Sharrah is a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, the Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors, The Maryland Society of Surveyors and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Benedict has moved on to Univerity Park to finish his degree in forest science but when given the opportunity to designate a $1,000 prize to the department or program of his choice, he chose the Woodsmen Team.

For photos and additional coverage of the Stihl Timbersport series, visit: www.stihltimbersports.com. The Woodsmen Team is a club sport at Penn State Mont Alto.

The School of Nursing received funding through two HRSA grants (Health Resources and Services Administration). One grant has enabled the University to expand its NP program to rural, medically underserved areas; the other will fund tuition and books for select students for their two years of study (program candidates who serve rural communities and enroll full-time will be considered).

Pennsylvania has one of the highest documented health provider shortage areas in the country ranked at 6th highest in the nation according to HRSA. As of September 2009, HRSA designated 1,161 health provider shortage areas for primary care in Pennsylvania; 153 of them are located in counties served by the Mont Alto campus (the grant targets Franklin, Adams, Fulton, Huntington, Juniata and Perry counties). The Commonwealth has begun to address the primary care shortage through Governor Rendell’s 2007 Prescription for Pennsylvania (Rx for PA), and the PA Department of Health’s (DOH) Primary Health Care Practitioner Program which provides educational loan repayment for primary care providers, including NPs, when they are placed in underserved rural and urban areas.

“As healthcare organizations strive to improve quality and provide more cost-effective patient care, NPs will have an integral role,” according to Carranda Barkdoll, coordinator of the nursing program at Mont Alto. “It is exciting to be able to offer area nurses access to a master’s degree program here in Franklin County that will enable them to fill these roles here.”

The NP program is a four-semester master’s level cohort beginning next fall at Penn State Mont Alto; space is limited to six students. It is available to registered nurses (RNs) who hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing. The program will prepare nurses for direct patient care, leadership roles in practice settings, and nursing education.

The Penn State School of Nursing also offers an RN program and a bachelor’s degree program at the Mont Alto campus. For more information, please contact Carranda Barkdoll at 717-749-6205 or by email at cmb207@psu.edu.

 The Cumberland Valley Women's Conference is for women of all ages and from all walks of life in the Cumberland Valley. 

For more information, please visit our Web page at www.ma.psu.edu/2010cvwc. Please join us as we celebrate the women of the Cumberland Valley. If you have questions, concerns, or contributions to make the conference another success, please do not hesitate to contact Alice Royer, conference chair, at 717-749-6234.        

A group of Penn State Mont Alto students who began producing a full-length motion picture last year are now busy each weekend through November 7 with principal photography. The Mont Alto Film Project is a practicum in filmmaking offered over four semesters (two academic years); it is in its second year. The film, described as a mystery with traces of horror, is a low-budget, independent production led entirely by a group of Mont Alto students and their faculty advisor, Dr. Kevin Boon. “The Film Project is an opportunity for students to be directly involved in film production, from conception to completion,” says Boon, who first envisioned the project ten years ago when he realized that advances in technology had drastically reduced the cost of film production. 

Professional actors auditioned and were cast in nine principal roles. Supporting roles and extras are largely held by Mont Alto students. Additionally, two Gettysburg College students were cast in supporting roles; they are Veronica Rosenberger and Riley Park.

Principal Roles
Emma (lead): Katherine Ada Howard of Martinsburg, WV
Ben (lead): Matthew Baldoni of Berryville, VA
John (lead): Johnno Wilson of Washington, DC
Lori: Amanda Kohberger of Effort, PA
Blake: Robert Dorsey of Newark, DE
Steve: Brandon Rice from the Baltimore, MD area
Mitch: Tyler La Marr of Pasadena, MD
Chase: Karl Bittner of Mclean, VA
Owen: Patrick Ackley of Stafford, VA

All nine principals, the supporting cast and extras will gather this Sunday, September 26 for a scene to be shot in The Mill Café at Penn State Mont Alto. The media is invited to attend after 10am; actors are available for interview when not acting. Please contact Kristie Fry at kfry@psu.edu to confirm.

“In a best case scenario,” says Boon, “the end result will be a watchable film suitable for film festivals. In a worst-case scenario, students learn a great deal about the difficulties inherent in producing a full-length film. In either case, students get a hands-on educational experience.” The Mont Alto Film Project is divided into four parts: During the first semester, students decided on a feature film and hashed out creative ideas until they had a workable script. During the second semester, they engaged in pre-production activities, such as location scouting, casting and storyboarding. During the third (current) semester, they are completing principal photography.  During the final semester, they will be involved in post-production activities, such as editing, looping, and sound engineering.

Students in the Mont Alto Film Project are gaining hands-on experience in all elements of filmmaking while earning 12 credits toward their education. 

The blocks were originally designed in 2007 by students at University Park in the first-year art and design studio run by Peter Aeschbacher, assistant professor of architecture. This year's writer's block questions are drawn from contemporary First- and Second-Amendment controversies:

• Is intolerance of the "9/11 mosque" fundamentally un-American?
• Can the right to carry a gun be balanced with public safety?

These are issues with the potential to draw students into a consideration of their personal values and of history's impact on current events, according to a University press release. Mont Alto students will have the opportunity to chalk their observations on three cube-shaped installations that will be set up from 8am-5pm Thursday, September 16 at the lower entrance to the Sci-Tech Building, the Wiestling Student Center plaza, and the patio at the library. 

For more information, contact Penn State Mont Alto Constitution Day coordinators:
Andrea Christopher, director of student affairs, (717) 749-6138,  axc8@psu.edu
Kira Hamman, instructor in mathematics, (717) 749-6029, khh11@psu.edu

The Museum of Temporary Art at Penn State Mont Alto announces a new exhibit, "The Willful Road," presented by staff member Staci Grimes. Members of the public are welcomed to view the exhibit which will run September 22 through December 17 weekdays between 7:30am-9pm Monday-Thursday and 7:30am-4pm Fridays; the exhibit is closed weekends and holidays. "The Willful Road" consists of photography that was taken from across the United States largely in the past year. It will be located in the Academic Support Center on the first floor of the General Studies Building on campus.

An Artist's Reception is planned for Wednesday, September 22 from 2-3pm. For additional details, please contact Marla Minnich, coordinator of Learning Support services, at mum30@psu.edu or 717-749-6024.

To view photos of some of the improvements, click here.

“We’ve realized an increase in students due in part to a 15-percent increase in direct applicants to our campus, students who elect Mont Alto as their first choice when applying to Penn State,” says Chancellor David Gnage. “We are also pleased the University has approved Mont Alto to accept international students.” Thirteen students in the new class enter with perfect grades (4.0 GPA or higher) while the class average is 3.02. The most popular baccalaureate programs this fall include the Division of Undergraduate Studies (undecided), Engineering, Science, and Agricultural Sciences, while associate degree programs in Business, Human Development and Family Studies, and Occupational Therapy have realized increases.

Penn State Mont Alto now offers eight associate degrees and seven bachelor degrees, including its newest Information Systems Technology (IST) baccalaureate program. The previous record incoming class was recorded a year ago with 574 new students; the largest registered student body prior to this fall was recorded in 1999 with 1,315.

The new academic year will commence at Penn State Mont Alto with its Founders Convocation ceremony Saturday at 10am in the Multipurpose Activities Center. Classes begin Monday, August 23. Click here to view a photoshow from Move In Day.

Each Jump Start participant has been paired with a trained peer mentor to support them in their transition to college and help them to better know the campus and its many services. During their extended orientation next week, students will participate in Math and English classroom experiences and other sessions to prepare them for the classroom experience including practical study tips, time management, understanding syllabi, classroom etiquette and professor politics, financial aid, and more.
 
During the academic year, the students will be enrolled in key courses with fellow Jump Start students, meet regularly with their peer mentors and receive individualized academic support with a Learning Specialist. 
 
“The overall goal of the program is to raise their academic preparedness,” says Kendra Wolgast, director of Mont Alto’s Academic Support Center. “We also want to increase the retention rate of our at-risk student population.” The program is funded by University grants.
 
The new academic year will commence at Penn State Mont Alto on Monday, August 23.

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4/19/2010--Penn State Mont Alto's Woodsmen Team member Tim Benedict won a saw-off to capture the title at the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge on Saturday. The event was part of the Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Series sponsored by Carhartt. It was held at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa.

Benedict was selected by Mont Alto to go chop-for-chop and saw-for-saw in the four professional disciplines of the single buck, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop. He faced off against Daniel Jones from Haywood as the two dominated the competition. As his prize, Benedict earned a $1,000 scholarship from Stihl for his school and advanced to its Collegiate Championship to be held this summer. The 2010 Collegiate Series will be televised on ESPNU later this year.

Penn State Mont Alto's Woodsmen placed second in the team competition behind Haywood Community College, Clyde, N.C. The competition hosted teams from Allegany College of Maryland, Cumberland, Md., Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, Clifton Forge, Va., Haywood Community College, Clyde, N.C., Montgomery Community College, Troy, N.C., Penn State Mont Alto, and Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Pa.

For photos and complete event coverage, please visit ESPN's timbersports Web page here.

Tom Reinsfelder, librarian at Penn State Mont Alto, along with Jill Thompson, librarian of the Geencastle-Antrim School District, and Diane Strock, retired librarian from Waynesboro Area Senior High School, were invited to be part of a panel presentation discussing ways to enhance collaboration between high school and college libraries. Reinsfelder, Thompson and Strock were recognized for their innovative work to enhance library services for "dual enrollment" students, or those students who begin taking college courses as high school juniors or seniors.

They were joined by Megan Oakleaf (Syracuse University), Patricia Owen (Eastwood Schools, Pembervile Ohio), Patti Pfau (Harford Community College, MD), and Kenneth Burhanna (Kent State University) who also stressed the need for collaboration between high schools and colleges in order to provide students with the information literacy skills needed for college success.

The title of the workshop presented by the Community and Junior College Libraries Section of the American Library Association was "Yours, Mine and Ours: Moving Students through the Information Literacy Ladder from High School through Community College to the College/University Level".

Online condolences may be expressed at: www.bowersoxfuneralhome.com and http://www.tributes.com/show/Catherine-Miller-88855247.

The 2010 Martha A. Fisher Award recipients are Dr. Lauraine Hawkins, assistant professor of biology (full-time), and Jennifer Harp, instructor in library studies (adjunct).

Dr. Hawkins’ nomination included the following statement from one of her students, “She is sincerely concerned for her students. Although office hours are posted, Dr. Hawkins makes herself available most of the time. She will spend the amount of time necessary to explain a difficult subject.” Of Jennifer Harp, a student offered, “I am currently taking [a] class on archival management. I find this topic to be somewhat overwhelming and boring at times. [Ms. Harp] breaks down the professional jargon in a way that can be easily understood to someone not in the profession, and [she] does a great job making it more interesting by adding stories from her experiences in the field.”

“The quality and care of our faculty make Penn State Mont Alto a leader in higher education in our four-county region,” said Chancellor Dr. David C. Gnage. “It is a pleasure to recognize Dr. Hawkins and Ms. Harp for their excellence in teaching as noted by their own students.”

Organized by a steering committee headed by Dan Mroz, Mont Alto’s director of IT, the conference’s keynote address will be given by Kevin Morooney, vice provost for IT at University Park. According to the committee, “There are a number of common problems at [the] campuses but also great ideas that conquer those issues. [The conference provides a] platform to share those solutions and showcase best practices so that we all can benefit from and improve IT across the University.”

Mroz added, “The TechPros Conference is unique in that it brings together a target audience that otherwise may not have an opportunity to network and share ideas and innovative solutions they have created within their respective unit.  It also gives professionals from across the University the opportunity to visit campuses they otherwise may never get to see.  There are over 1,200 IT professionals across the University making it a major challenge to find ways to communicate and share ideas effectively.  The TechPros Conference is one avenue we hope can foster new beneficial relationships and ideas that have long-standing affects on the University.”

The conference consists of two specific tracks, one customer facing, customer service and user need focused, and the other technically orientated with a focus on infrastructure and network and system administration. It will be held May 19 and 20 at Penn State Mont Alto. Conference organizers hope this first-ever TechPros Conference will live in perpetuity and travel to a different campus each year.

Dr. Linghao Zhong, Mont Alto’s assistant professor of chemistry and its Faculty Scholar Award recipient, led the processional alongside Chancellor Dr. David C. Gnage. The speaker was campus Advisory Board Member Dr. Kevin H. Mosser, senior vice president of WellSpan Health. He challenged the graduates to give back. “Life is about people. Life is about who you help, and who you touch. At the end of the day, your satisfaction with your career, your memories, and your self worth will be determined by what you give to your community, co-workers, family, friends, and people in need.  Those you serve will give so much back to you, the abundance will astound you.  No investment will ever give you the return you will get from reaching out to other human beings,” he said.

The campus has been graduating students for more than 100 years. The oldest campus in the University system outside of University Park, Mont Alto now offers six bachelor’s degree programs, eight associate degree programs, and the first two years of more than 160 Penn State degrees.

View photos from the Commencement ceremony here.

In addition, the campus instituted a new employee recognition system to honor employees for years of service to the University. Employees received awards for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 40 years of full-time service. Associate Professor of English Richard Kane is currently the campus’ longest tenured employee at Mont Alto with 40 years of employment. He was honored as well  Andrea Christopher, director of student affairs, and Darlene Gilliland, financial aid coordinator, for their 30 years of services each.
 
Caption: (L-R) Renee Borromeo, Deborah Michalsky and Lori Royce hold the personalized parking signs they will get to place wherever they would like on campus for the exclusive right to park there for the next year.

Penn State Mont Alto will host 340 seventh-grade students from Waynesboro Area Middle School as an introduction to collegiate campus life.  Adventures in Learning is sponsored by the Waynesboro Area Business Education Community Foundation (WABEC) in collaboration with the middle school.  The students will visit Penn State May 17-19.

A new group of seventh graders will tour the Mont Alto campus including the residence halls each day. Their visit includes three hands-on learning sessions led by Penn State faculty and will conclude with lunch at The Mill, Mont Alto’s food court. Sessions include Phun with Physics, Physical Therapy, and Wonders of the Human Body. The students will arrive daily at 9:15 am. Sessions begin at 9:30 am, 10:30 am and 12:10 pm.

Members of the media are invited to attend.  Interviews with faculty members and representatives of the WABEC or Waynesboro Area School District can be arranged.

Erica Sexton is graduating with her second bachelor’s degree, this one in human development and family studies. An adult student, Sexton earned her first bachelor’s degree in theatre from Shenandoah University and travelled to perform for more than a year with the Kennedy Center. The McConnellsburg native returned home and enrolled at Penn State Mont Alto pursue a new career. She will graduate as the 2009-2010 campus academic achievement award winner. Sexton has now enrolled in a teacher intern program to become an elementary school teacher through Wilson College.

BJ Bookwalter is graduating with an associate’s degree from our Physical Therapist Assistant program; like all of the graduating students in that program, he is completing clinical work this summer and will officially graduate in August. Bookwalter is a veteran of the United State Marines. After four years of service and a two year break, he enrolled at Penn State Mont Alto to begin his education toward his ultimate goal – to work as a physical therapist at a veterans hospital where he says he would relate well to his future patients. While at Mont Alto, he was called back by the Marines for a year and was deployed to Iraq for seven months. It delayed his completion of the PTA program an extra year. Bookwalter, a Mercersburg native, enrolled at Penn State Mont Alto because “it is close to home and I’ve always been a fan of Penn State.” He was able to apply benefits from the Veteran Administration’s Montgomery G.I. Bill to attend Penn State. Penn State Mont Alto recently announced its participation in the Veterans Administration's new Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows our campus to partner with the V.A. to extend a higher benefit to veterans.

Tiffany Roddy graduated from Mont Alto with an associate’s degree in forest technology in Spring 2008, went on to University Park to complete a bachelor’s degree in Forest Science, and like many before her, has decided to return to the campus to be recognized at our commencement ceremony. She said, “I started there and really fell in love with the campus. I love how tight-knit everyone is and it is a beautiful campus. [My family and I] would rather spend my graduation day there.” Roddy was selected as the School of Forest Resources outstanding senior for 2010 at University Park. She has been president and treasurer of Xi Sigma Pi and the vice president and treasurer of Penn State Society of American Foresters student chapter. Prior to leaving for University Park, Roddy was president of the Mont Alto forestry club. She is a member of several honors societies including Xi Sigma Pi, Gamma Sigma Delta Agricultural Honor Society, and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Roddy, a native of Windber, Pa., has accepted a job to be a forester with Weyerhaeuser in Oregon.

Penn State Mont Alto has approximately 1200 students. The campus offers six baccalaureate and eight associate degree programs, as well as the first two years of more than 160 Penn State degrees.

The campus' campaign chairman Jim Ingram '79, '83 led the charge sharing that 41 percent of Mont Alto students are the first in their families to go to college, and that those students come from families that make on average $13,000 less than the average family income in the University system. Mont Alto students Elizabeth Strickler and Miranda Kohlenberg shared testimonial, and the Mont Alto Jazz Band, under the direction of instructor Morgan Jenkins, performed to welcome the attendees. The seniors from the University’s Musical Theatre Department at University Park provided the night's featured entertainment.

The For the Future campaign at Mont Alto primarily focuses on student scholarships. All of the money raised by the campus will remain at Mont Alto to support its students and programs. To view a slideshow from the event, please click here.

The Penn State Hershey LifeLion helicopter descended on the campus of Penn State Mont Alto this morning during a trauma-scenario training excercise. The event was made possible by collaboration between the campus and the Pennsylvania Institute of Applied Health Sciences along with the LifeLion helicopter, Blue Ridge Summit Fire, Mont Alto EMS, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Franklin County EMA and the Mont Alto Fire Department.

Penn State Mont Alto’s freshman forest technology students learned first-hand how to respond to an emergency in the woods. The exercise utilitized iStan, the Penn State Mont Alto nursing department's new mobile human simulation patient. For this exercise, iStan was programmed to react how a real patient might who had sustained a head and neck injury and a deep gash in one of his legs. The "accident" took place in the woods adjacent to the campus.

Click on here to access a photo gallery from the training exercise.

According to Nanadiago, rubber shoes will be donated to the Nike "Reuse-a-Shoe" program to be ground up and turned into new basketball or tennis courts, and clothing and furniture items will be donated to Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter Thrift Shop in Chambersburg.

Penn State Mont Alto is a proud Blue and White campus that continues to add green to its rich history as an environmentally-conscience member of the community.

Additionally, Penn State Mont Alto students will share testimonials and the Penn State Mont Alto Jazz Band will perform.  The For the Future campaign at Mont Alto will primarily focus on student scholarships. All of the money raised by the campus will remain at Mont Alto to support its students and programs. The celebration will begin at 6 p.m. in the Multipurpose Activities Center on campus. Tickets are available for $40 per person by calling the Penn State Mont Alto development office at 717.749.6110.

View video of our internationally-acclaimed featured performers at http://wow.psu.edu.

Members of the media are welcome to attend. Please contact Kristie Fry for a press pass at 717.749.6112 or kfry@psu.edu.

Dr. Hissong has been selected to make two oral presentations, “Learning Self Nurturance and Unlearning Patriarchy: A Feminist Poststructural Narrative Inquiry of Rural Mothers’ Constantly Shifting Identity” and “Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Occupational Therapy.” She will arrive in Chile a few days before the conference to visit a farming region outside of Santiago with a colleague from the University of North Dakota.  They will talk to women farmers about ergonomics and the design of farm tools just for women to use in agricultural production.  In addition, the two will meet with a representative from the Colegio de Terapeutas Ocupacionales to discuss a cooperative online experience between their Chilean students and students at Penn State and University of North Dakota.

Her trip was made possible by funding from four University sources. Dr. Hissong has previously spoken internationally in England and Canada.

Penn State Mont Alto offers an associate degree program in the Occupational Therapy to prepare graduates to be occupational therapy assistants qualified for employment by agencies that provide occupational therapy services. April is recognized as Occupational Therapy Month by the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Among the topics explored are intersections between rationality, spirituality, science, and non-rational cultural constructs. Drs. Susan Johnston-Graf and Peter Dendle of the Mont Alto English Department are among the journal's recent editors.

For more information, visit www.preternature.org.

The planting will take place on the property of the Borough of Waynesboro, east of the Newman Road extension, south of Cold Springs Road in Adams County, Hamiltonban Township (Coordinates: 39.8337 & -77.45535). The borough has supported the planting project and paid for a 2.5-acre deer fence to enclose the trees to be planted on an 8’ by 8’ plot.

The seeds are the most advanced material (B3F3 cross) from TACF (see here for more information). According to Dave Armstrong from the Pennsylvania Chapter of TACF, this could be the first test site for the most advanced TACF material. If the F3 testing prove to be acceptable, the Waynesboro Watershed site could be converted into a seed orchard and provide reforestation seed for Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Forest Technology Instructor Craig Houghton says, "This exciting project, a partnership between several organizations, will hopefully be one of the last steps in bringing the American chestnut back to the forests of Pennsylvania and the Appalachian region from Mississippi to Maine and into Canada."

The SGA Senate, in conjunction with its Resident Advisors and Residence Hall Council, will host a talent show to benefit earthquake relief efforts in Chile on Wednesday, April 21 at 8 p.m. in the General Studies Building Auditorium (Room 105). All proceeds will benefit American Red Cross relief efforts in Chile. The event will feature several student-performed acts including the Mont Alto Jazz Band and other outstanding performers. Admission is $1 and there will be door prizes as well as a raffle for the grand prize.

In addition, the SGA is conducting a campus-wide relief effort for Haiti by selling wristbands for $2 each with 100% of proceeds going to the Shoes to Share organization. The red-colored wristbands read "PSUMA + Care = Haiti." The SGA will sell the wristbands through May 1st; they will have a table will be set up on the sidewalk outside of the Science Techology building on Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. SGA President Tim Stroman urged in a campus-wide email, "Every penny makes a difference. On behalf of SGA we would very much appreciate your help in any way, shape or form."

The goal of the program is to introduce local families to pediatric health and safety and to community resources available to them in this region.   “It provides our students practical, hands-on opportunities for learning,” says Carranda Barkdoll, the coordinator of nursing program at Penn State Mont Alto. “And we are excited to again offer this free service to the community.” 

Popular activities returning from previous years’ events include the visit by the Nittany Lion and the Teddy Bear Clinic, and exploration of Penn State’s Life Lion helicopter, ambulances and fire engines. Children of all ages can visit Crackers the Clown, be in the Kazoo Parade, see horses, parachutes, puppet shows, and more.  The event will also help children and families to learn about childhood obesity, firearm safety, allergies, asthma, poison control, and there will be free eye, weight, height screenings and dental evaluations.   There will also be gifts, toys, smoke detectors, gift cards and door prizes.

Penn State Mont Alto student participants as well as their faculty advisors are available to interview.  Please contact Kristie Fry at 717-749-6112 or by email at kfry@psu.edu to schedule an interview.

Penn State Mont Alto’s freshman forest technology students and the paramedic students from the Pennsylvania Institute of Applied Health Sciences will gain hands-on training responding to a trauma scenario in the woods adjacent to the campus. In addition, Penn State Mont Alto’s nursing faculty will facilitate the use of iStan in the exercise; he is the department’s new mobile human simulation patient.

Members of the media are welcome to attend. Please contact Kristie Fry at 717.749.6112 or kfry@psu.edu for details and location.

Environmental Science

1st Place: Soils & How They Affect Tree Plantings - Josiah Knopsnider
2nd Place: Marcellus Shale - Severin Thierwechter
3rd Place: Robin Hood on the Road - Joe Brenner, Rick Dahal, Jonathan Hsieh, Bradley Lloyd

Humanities / Social Sciences

1st Place: Teaching Multiplication Through Literature - Gillian Colley
2st Place: Is Universal Health Care a Good Fit for the U.S?  -  Valerie Turner
3rd Place: The Effects of Divorce on Children - Christine Faulent

Science / Technology

1st Place: Education Workshop Piloted for Clients with Diabetes Type 2 - Eileen Hissong
2nd Place: Childhood Obesity - Hannah Hess
3rd Place: The Truth About RSV - Micah Jones

Art Show

Best of Show
Eliza Shoop, Blue October

1st Place
Bobby Laughman, Buck Skull

1st Place for 3D art
Jack Handshaw, Untitled work in porcelain

2nd Place
Katherine Kay Marshall, The Balloonist

3rd Place
Eliza Shoop, Taking the Plunge

Honorable Mention
Benjamin Wilt,  Into the Unknown
Katherine Kay Marshall, Joshua Bell
Anja Nace, Bloom
Gladys Cooper,  Serenity
Adam Eisentrout, Suspiria

Below: Amanda Kwizera explains her poster titled "Pro-Anan: Promotion for Anorexia" to Chancellor Dr. David Gnage.

Below: Alex Lamoreaux shares his poster presentation titled "Comparison and Analysis of Two Nearby Hawk Migration Sites in Pennsylvania" to geography instructor George Siehl.

Below: Maggie Gustafson presents her poster project "Clinical Effects of Physical Therapy of Colorectal Cancer" to a judge as teammate Nicole Becker, at right, looks on.

Below: William Yeager smiles as faculty judges Thomas Glumac, in blue, and Craig Houghton view his work. Yeager presented "The History of Mont Alto in Photographs."

For complete coverage of the Fifth Annual Academic Festival, please click here.

About 75 students participated, and together they raised $150. All proceeds from the event will be given to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief. Seventeen Mont Alto students modeled in the fashion show. Its theme was "Decades" and within each decade (the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s), four different scenes were portrayed: Blue and White, Rep Your City, Sexy and Sophisticated, and Spring Break. The clothes and accessories for the female models were donated for the evening by Maurices of the Chambersburg Mall and the Gettysburg Outlets.

In addition to the fashion show, the Penn State Mont Alto Dance team performed and a walk-off competition got the audience involved. This event displayed just one way Penn State Mont Alto students continue a tradition of service above self.

Employers and business leaders who have committed to participate to date include:
• NHS Human Services of Franklin and Fulton County
• Bill Boltz, Senior Group Leader, Target in Chambersburg
• Cornell Abraxas (South Mountain, PA)
• Cumberland Valley Tree (Chambersburg)
• Edward Jones (Chambersburg)
• Physical Therapy, Etc. (Chambersburg)
• Bill Happel (Past Vice President of General Motors)
• HCR ManorCare (Chambersburg)

This program will be valuable for students from every academic discipline. For more information, please contact Summer Irvin, career services coordinator, at 717-749-6104 or sdm211@psu.edu.

Penn State Mont Alto will host an opening day ceremony for its new baseball field on Thursday, April 1, 2010 as they host Penn State Scranton for a double header to start at 2 p.m. The new field is located at the corner of Slabtown Road and Route 233 North (Park Street).

Baseball is returning to Mont Alto after a decade-long hiatus. The last time the campus fielded a team, practices and games were held on borrowed diamonds in the community. Mont Alto stopped offering baseball after the 1999 season when those borrowed fields became unavailable. “Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia are highly competitive in high school baseball.  Having a brand new stadium provides a pool of students to recruit and be competitive in our conference.  They will have a Penn State education and a Penn State athletic experience,” said Marty Ogle, Mont Alto's director of athletics.  The 2010 team roster includes 14 student athletes from four states; additionally, seven new recruits have committed to join the program in 2011.

The new field was built and groomed into game-ready shape over the past three years. “It’s quite an accomplishment and honor to have students wearing Penn State Mont Alto baseball jerseys again and having a stadium on campus,” said Ogle.

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies will begin before the game at 1:30 p.m. Mont Alto Chancellor Dr. David Gnage and representatives from the athletic department at University Park will speak. Free pizza and T-shirts will be given to the first 50 students who attend the game; Penn State ID required.

The Mont Alto Softball team will also open their season at home against Penn State Scranton Thursday at 2 p.m. on the Penn Gate softball field.

We invite all to join us as we celebrate the opening our new field and exciting game play by your Penn State Mont Alto Baseball and Softball teams.

###

For more information contact:
Ashley Jacobs
Associate Director of Athletics
Penn State Mont Alto
anj3@psu.edu
(717) 749-6173

Specifically, this degree program focuses on building an understanding of core information technologies and related areas of study; helps students prepare for the practical application of various information sciences and related technologies; and engages students in sharpening their abilities to think critically and work in teams. All this will be done with considerable interdisciplinary integration in order to expose students to the cognitive, social, institutional, and global environments of IST. Team projects in most courses, a required internship, and a senior capstone experience provide additional, focused venues for involving students in the cutting-edge issues and technologies of the field.

“We are pleased to add the IST baccalaureate program to our relevant and growing educational offerings,” says Mont Alto Chancellor Dr. David C. Gnage. “The Security and Risk Analysis minor is offered with express purpose to prepare graduates for the ever-growing and universal concerns about network security and identity theft.”

IST graduates work in many industries—manufacturing, health care, business and finance, education, aerospace, biotechnology, government, to name just a few—as systems analysts, dot.com managers, enterprise resource managers, consultants, e-commerce specialists, virtual supply chain managers, and more.

Penn State Mont Alto now offers six bachelor's degree programs, eight associate degrees and the first two years of most of the 160+ Penn State degrees. We are Penn State, right here in Franklin County.

He retired from Penn State as Professor Emeritus in 1988 after 41 years of service to the University. His obituary in the Centre Daily Times may be viewed here. 

In addition to his senior management role, Dr. Mosser’s responsibilities include the position of President and CEO of Gettysburg Hospital and operational oversight of the Oncology and Behavioral Health Service lines. He has been associated with WellSpan Health and its predecessor organizations for more than 25 years, assuming his current position in January 2004.  Dr. Mosser holds a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Penn State Mont Alto enjoys a rich partnership with WellSpan Health. The campus offers classes at Gettysburg and York hospitals for nurses in the RN to BS program Nursing Program, and WellSpan has partially underwritten our state-of-the-art mobile simulation laboratory. “Mont Alto has benefitted from the leadership of Dr. Mosser as a member of our campus Advisory Board and its important partnership with WellSpan Health,” said Penn State Mont Alto Chancellor Dr. David C. Gnage. “It is an honor to receive him as our commencement speaker this year.”

The Penn State Mont Alto 2010 Spring Commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at 10 a.m. in the Multipurpose Activities Center on campus.

Mont Alto is the oldest Penn State campus outside of University Park and has been graduating students for more than 100 years. 

Assistant Director of Academic Affairs, Dr. Michael Doncheski, has accepted the position of interim director. In addition, Dr. Al Mueller, will assume Doncheski’s regular responsibilities for the interim. Their biographies may be viewed at http://www.ma.psu.edu/aspnet/directory.aspx.

“Penn State Mont Alto is fortunate to have many  talented leaders who are willing to step up and help when called upon,” says Chancellor Dr. David C. Gnage. “We are grateful for the leadership of Drs. Achampong, Doncheski and Mueller, and the many talented faculty who serve our students.”

Our multi-talented chancellor featured his “Old Grandpappy’s Pickle Burgers” and his “Chancellorized Stuffed Shells.” A steady flow of customers and positive reviews overheard by several students signaled a successful event.

 
About the Mont Alto Film Project: The Mont Alto Film Project at Penn State Mont Alto is a practicum in filmmaking offered over four semesters (two academic years). “The Film Project is an opportunity for students to be directly involved in film production, from conception to completion,” says Professor Kevin Boon, who first envisioned the project nine years ago when he realized that advances in technology had drastically reduced the cost of film production. 
 
The goal of the project is for students to produce a full-length feature film. “In a best case scenario,” noted Boon, “the end result will be a watchable film suitable for film festivals. In a worst-case scenario, students learn a great deal about the difficulties inherent in producing a full-length film. In either case, students get a hands-on educational experience.” Boon says he knows of no other college or university that provides this type of opportunity to students. “It’s the fact that the students get to make a full-length film of their own design that is unique,” says Boon.
 
Twelve students are currently enrolled in the project including freshmen, as well as non-freshmen across the campus’ varied majors. Every student in the practicum will earn 12 credits by the time they finish, some of which can be counted toward filling general education requirements.
 
The Mont Alto Film Project is divided into four parts: During the first semester, students decided on a feature film over a documentary and hashed out creative ideas to create a workable script. Their film’s working title is Two Days Back and it is being called a mystery with traces of horror. The students are currently engaged in pre-production activities, such as location scouting, casting and storyboarding. During the third semester (fall 2010), they will complete principle photography, and the final semester (spring 2011) will shift their focus to post-production activities, such as editing, looping, and sound engineering.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Kristie Fry, 717-749-6112, kfry@psu.edu

AUDITION CONTACTS:
Adam Eisentrout, aee5056@psu.edu
Jessica Koerth, jmk587@psu.edu

Penn State Mont Alto sent two students and more than 20 supporters to the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately referred to as THON, at University Park over the weekend.  The Mont Alto THON group raised a total of $14,659 with half of it ($7,325) given by Chambersburg community members via collection cans at area businesses and to students canning on foot in the community. THON 2010 raised a total of $7,838,054.36.

The Mont Alto students—Jennifer Stremmel from Hanover and Joseph Price from Elk Ridge, MD—began dancing at 6 p.m. Friday and were required to remain on their feet for 46 hours. THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world and had raised more than $61 Million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children's Hospital to fight against childhood cancer prior to the weekend event. 

The Mont Alto participants were sponsored by the Potomac Valley Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association, APEX at Mont Alto and the Penn State Mont Alto bookstore. Quincy Panthers Midget Football contributed a $2500 donation. Additionally, Penn State Mont Alto will host the Franklin County Chapter’s ‘Dinner and Beer Sampling’ and Silent Auction event on March 12 with proceeds going to THON.

Mont Alto students collected community donations on four weekends between October and January at Starbucks and Walmart on Lincoln Way and at Gander Mountain at the Chambersburg Mall. “We are thankful for the outpouring of support from individuals in our community,” commented Michele Coletta, Mont Alto’s campus nurse and THON advisor.

For additional THON details, visit www.thon.org. 

The students—Jennifer Stremmel from Hanover (Soph.) and Joseph Price from Elk Ridge, MD (Soph.)—will begin dancing at 6 pm Friday and must remain on their feet for 46 hours. THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world and has raised more than $61 Million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children's Hospital to fight against childhood cancer.  

The Mont Alto participants are sponsored by the Potomac Valley Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association. Additionally, Penn State Mont Alto will host the Franklin County Chapter’s ‘Dinner and Beer Sampling’ and Silent Auction event on March 12 with proceeds going to THON.

Mont Alto students collected community donations on four weekends between October and January at Starbucks and Walmart on Lincoln Way and at Gander Mountain at the Chambersburg Mall. “We are thankful for the outpouring of support from individuals in our community,” commented Michele Coletta, Mont Alto’s campus nurse and THON advisor.

THON may be viewed live via webcast during the event at www.thon.org. 

In 1972, a small group of dedicated Penn State students held their first Dance Marathon. That year, 34 dancers participated and raised $2,000. Since then, THON’s presence in the Penn State community has grown exponentially. THON now has 15,000 student volunteers, 700 dancers, and has raised more than $61 million, benefiting The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children’s Hospital.  Visit www.thon.org for more information. 

Dr. Kligman was internationally renowned as the inventor of Retina-A, the “anti-wrinkle cream.” He was a resident physician, a research dermatologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Kligman attended Penn State Mont Alto in 1936 as a forestry student. In 1998, he and his wife Dr. Lorraine Kligman gave a cash gift of $500,000 to the campus endowing two scholarships, the Albert and Lorraine Kligman Endowed Scholarship for Returning Students and the Albert and Lorraine Kligman Endowed Scholarship in Nursing.  A philanthropist and one of the campus’ most faithful supporters, Dr. Kligman once told the campus it was not a matter of philanthropy but that he considered he was “just paying off debts.” 

Dr. Kligman spent his childhood in Philadelphia. When his family did not have money to send him to college, Kligman wrote a letter to then Campus Director Dean Cope asking if there was any way he could attend Penn State Mont Alto. Cope offered him a job in the dining hall waiting on tables in return for his tuition, room and board. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in botany from Penn State and a Ph.D. in Botany and an MD both from the University of Pennsylvania.

“Dr. Kligman’s contributions to the world with his creation of Retin-A are immense,” said Chancellor Dr. David Gnage, “and his contribution to Penn State Mont Alto through two scholarships he established with his wife are immeasurable as they afford current and future students the opportunity to follow in his success.”

Both properties are directly adjacent to the campus near its main entrance. The first is a .75-acre property that will be acquired from Jay Barrett. The second is a three-acre, undeveloped property that will be acquired from Pine Grove Trust.

The acquisitions provide the University with future expansion opportunities.

"The Penn State Mont Alto campus has long been recognized for its park-like setting," said David C. Gnage, Penn State Mont Alto chancellor. "The acquisition of these two properties protects and enhances that setting. It also further solidifies the sense that you are entering a special place when you arrive at Penn State Mont Alto, a serene and inviting place where students can focus on learning."

Contacts:
Kristie Fry, Penn State Mont Alto
717-749-6112

Lisa Powers, University Park
814-865-7517

Penn State Mont Alto is mourning the passing of Robert H. Rumler, a former chairman and long-time member of the Penn State Mont Alto Advisory Board. He passed away at his home on January 11, 2010.

“I feel very fortunate to have known Bob over the past eight years,” says Chancellor David C. Gnage. “My life has been personally enriched by the advice and counsel he has provided during my tenure at Mont Alto.”  Gnage and former Penn State Mont Alto CEO Corrine Caldwell agree Bob has made a very positive impact on the development of the campus. “Bob has left an indelible legacy on Penn State Mont Alto,” says Gnage. “We will miss him.”

A 1936 graduate of Penn State's College of Agriculture, Rumler devoted the majority of his career to guiding the destiny of the Holstein Association in Battleboro, Vermont. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus by Penn State in 1978, and he was honored as a Distinguished Fellow by the campus in 2004 during its 100-year anniversary celebration.

Memorial contributions may be made in Bob Rumler’s honor to support a student scholarship at Penn State Mont Alto. Please contact Deb Creager at 717-749-6110 for further details.

Penn State Mont Alto’s Nursing department is launching the New Year by taking education on the road in a 32-foot Winnebago. Not your ordinary recreational vehicle, the new Mobile Simulation Laboratory (Mobile Sim Lab) is a state-of-the-art learning facility on wheels.  It is equipped with iStan (by METi). He is the most advanced mobile human patient simulator available. iStan is a high-fidelity mannequin, meaning that he moves, breathes, lives and dies realistically to give students as close to a human experience as they can get. He also affords students the opportunity to learn and to correct mistakes without causing harm to a real patient.

The campus’s Nursing department applied for and received a grant for innovation from Penn State in Fall 2008, and renovations begun. New carpet, reupholstered furnishings, a new lab space built where there was once a bedroom, custom interior and exterior wall wrappings, special lighting and custom audio/visual equipment were installed.

WellSpan Health has partially unwritten the Mobile Sim Lab with a generous corporate donation. It was first launched into the community in November with a Continuing Education course for local paramedics.  Penn State Mont Alto’s Nursing department has identified main priorities for the lab including education with simulation for its Nursing students, continuing education delivered directly to healthcare providers, recruitment, and community outreach.  “This is where we are going,” says Campus Coordinator of Nursing Carranda Barkdoll. “Simulation is one of the best ways to practically prepare nurses to handle medical situations and provide the highest quality of patient care.”

Barkdoll and Chancellor David Gnage first gained vision for the Mobil Sim Lab in Fall 2008 when Mary Unger, the mother of Nursing faculty member Elisa Kendall, offered her RV to the campus for educational use in honor of her late husband Robert. “We had an epiphany,” says Barkdoll.”  At the time, there were no other mobile simulation labs in the state of Pennsylvania.

“The Mobile Sim Lab provides an excellent nursing tool for our students, engages us more in the community, and makes us more attractive to nursing students,” said Chancellor Gnage. “We look forward to seeing where it takes us.” Barkdoll added, “The possibilities are many. Our only limitation is time.”

Fall semester finals week concludes at Penn State Mont Alto today. The spring semester will commence Monday, January 11.

As students prepare to go home for the holidays, it is important to remember to continue practicing good hygiene as described above. Also, since this is a time of feasting and sharing, it is important to be careful not to share utensils and cups.

If anyone is experiencing flu-like symptoms at the time they are scheduled to return to the campus after the holiday break, they should stay home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to the campus. This will help to ensure our campus continues to stay healthy for the rest of the fall semester.

For more information about H1N1, visit www.flu.psu.edu.

Penn State's University Health Services encourages Penn State students to get vaccinated against H1N1 before returning home for the Thanksgiving holiday break. Vaccination against both seasonal and H1N1 influenza is recommended for college students. It is possible to contract both the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu since exposure to one does not give immunity to the other. The CDC provides information that can help students make informed decisions about vaccination at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm online.

Continued hand hygiene and cough etiquette are important tools for flu prevention. Students who contract the flu despite these efforts should exclude themselves from the public until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.

Find additional information about the flu and H1N1 here.

The Penn State Mont Alto Flu Hotline is available now at 1-866-721-7872.

Penn State Mont Alto is pleased to announce the appointment of its newest faculty member, Hanafiah Harvey, Ph.D., as Assistant Professor of Economics. Harvey, who is Malaysian, adds to the growing number of Penn State Mont Alto’s international faculty, and comes to Penn State most recently from the University of Wisconsin-Richland.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Dr. Harvey to our campus,” said Dr. Francis Achampong, chief academic officer. “Our students will benefit greatly from his academic expertise as well as the global experiences he brings.”

About 20 percent of Penn State Mont Alto’s 60 full-time faculty members hail from nations around the globe. “We value the richness of the multiple cultures represented on campus by our international faculty members,” says Chancellor Gnage. “Our students not only benefit from a quality education but also from the opportunity to broaden their awareness and understanding of the world at large.”

Dr. Harvey names his research interests as open-economy macroeconomics and international finance. He is the author of several journal articles.  “I am enjoying this new journey at Penn State Mont Alto,” he said. “Small class sizes are beneficial, and the campus is beautiful.” He has also found the campus’ close proximity to quality hiking trails, camping sites and major cities to be added bonuses.

Dr. Harvey joins the 60 full-time faculty members at Mont Alto who are actively engaged in research and scholarship. In 2008 alone, they collectively published eight books, wrote chapters for five others, authored a dozen articles in refereed journals (the gold standard in higher education), and presented papers at academic conferences across the United States and internationally in China, Ukraine and Canada.

Penn State Mont Alto announced receipt of three major gifts totaling more than $1.1 Million to benefit its students at its 14th annual Scholarship Reception held on October 30. The event, sponsored by Waste Management, gives students the opportunity to meet and thank the benefactors of their private scholarships. It was attended by more than 300 people.

The campus announced creation of the new Paul E. and Rachel W. White Fund from a generous estate gift of $764,000 from the Paul and Rachel White estate.  Paul graduated from Penn State in 1930 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He was the co-owner of Brown, David & White Contractors, and later served as the CEO of Valley Quarries. Paul was also a member of the Penn State Mont Alto Advisory Board. Paul and Rachel passed away in 1999 and 2008, respectively. The fund is purposed to provide recognition and financial assistance to outstanding undergraduate students who are enrolled or planning to enroll at Penn State Mont Alto and who have a demonstrated need for funds to meet their necessary college expenses. Seventeen Mont Alto students are currently receiving scholarships from this endowment fund.

Another new scholarship, the Kendig Renaissance Scholarship, was also announced.  It was established with a $330,000 gift from the Dr. Thomas E. Kendig estate. Kendig attended Penn State Mont Alto from 1938-1939, and this scholarship will provide financial assistance to students at Mont Alto who have a demonstrated need for funds to meet their necessary college expenses. Dr. Kendig himself benefited from two similar scholarships when he was an undergraduate student at Penn State from 1938 to 1942.

To date for the 2009-10 academic year, the campus has awarded 221 students more than $354,000 in scholarships and awards.  This year’s new endowments combined will benefit more than 34 undergraduate students attending Penn State Mont Alto.

For more information about the Franklin County Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association, contact Christina Yoder, its acting president, at christinayoder@comcast.net.  

Penn State Mont Alto is now home to a one-of-a-kind collection thanks to a priceless gift from Penn State football enthusiast and Mont Alto friend John Miner.

During the 1972 football season, Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania (then known as Central Counties Bank) first issued a unique booster button for every Nittany Lion football game. A tradition was born that inaugural season and continues today. This fall marks the 37th year for the booster buttons, and Miner has collected them all with the exception of two missing buttons from 1973. He is seeking to acquire them to complete the collection.  Miner has also documented the final game scores to accompany each button. The collection is on display in Conklin Hall in a custom-built cabinet fashioned by local craftsman Michael Emory from a 262-year-old black oak tree that once stood in front of the Wiestling Student Center on campus. 

“We are truly honored to receive this unique collection exemplifying Penn State Pride,” says Development Director Randall Ackerman. “It is the most comprehensive athletics memorabilia collection on our campus and the only collection of its kind in the Penn State system.”

Miner and his wife Kate are the benefactors of the John A. and Kathryn S. Miner Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievement benefitting deserving Penn State Mont Alto students. He is the Broker of Record for Penn National’s real estate company, White Rock, Inc., and an avid supporter of Penn State Football and Penn State Mont Alto.

Members of the public are welcomed to view the collection weekdays between 8am-5pm except holidays. It is located on the first floor of Conklin Hall next to the campus’ Admissions Office.

Dr. Mike Doncheski has taken on new responsibilities this semester at Penn State Mont Alto. A professor of physics and the campus’ head coach of Cross Country, Doncheski was also recently named its Assistant Chief Academic Officer.

In his 13th year at Mont Alto, Doncheski will continue to teach courses while managing his new duties. Those primarily involve working alongside Chief Academic Officer Francis Achampong to provide administrative oversight for the campus’ adjunct faculty members and its academic budgets. He first worked in an administrative role while filling in for Dr. Achampong during his sabbatical last fall.  “It was challenging, but also rewarding,” Doncheski says.

He has taught a variety of courses at Mont Alto, and he regularly serves the community at large. The “Physics Road Show” is a popular program he delivers to school and community groups several times each year. Doncheski also provides interesting physics demonstrations at campus events including Med Camp and Adventures in Learning, annual programs that bring middle- and high school students to campus. Additionally, Doncheski brought the annual conference of the American Association of Physics Teachers (Central PA Section) to Penn State Mont Alto last spring.

“Mike adds great value to the Academic Affairs administrative team beyond his well-established role as a member of our distinguished faculty,” says Achampong.

For USCAA Championship results and news, click here. 

A team of 10 faculty, staff, students and friends of the campus joined together to raise $1,000 to save lives in the 16th annual Mason-Dixon Start! Heart Walk in Greencastle on September 27. The Penn State Mont Alto contingent was one of 60 teams making up approximately 750 walkers at the event. The participants walked either 1.2 or 4 miles.

According to the American Heart Association website (www.heart.org), more than 1 million walkers will participate in more than 450 events this year, raising funds to save lives from this nation's No. 1 and No. 3 killers -- heart disease and stroke. 

This past June, H1N1 (or swine flu) became a household name as reports of the unusual flu popped up all around the world. Several cases were reported at Penn State over the summer and officials are predicting a rise in cases beginning in September or early October. The virus is most likely to affect individuals between the ages of 6 months and 25 years old, making Penn State a prime location for a high number of cases. Those who contract the illness can still get the seasonal flu, and although a large percentage of Penn State employees are not in the primary target age for the H1N1 virus, this disease is highly contagious and can still be easily transmitted. The spread of this illness also can reach younger children at home or in school, and they will need to be cared for, as well.

Public officials are aiming to reduce the spread of H1N1 so that the effects of the disease on the general population will be lessened. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released recommendations on who should receive the H1N1 flu vaccine this fall based on susceptibility to the virus. The H1N1 vaccine will be distributed by the federal government (FEMA) through state health departments. It is not yet known when the vaccine will be available but it will likely not arrive before mid-October. A listing of those prioritized for vaccination can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm.

It is possible to contract both the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu since exposure to one does not result in immunity to the other. Therefore it is very important to get the seasonal flu vaccine.

Fighting both strains of flu (seasonal and H1N1) begins with hand washing, proper cold etiquette (by coughing or sneezing into your sleeve), and/or obtaining a flu shot. It is recommended that ill individuals exclude themselves from the public until after 24 fever-free hours — a process that takes five to seven days. The illness may greatly affect the University at many levels, so it is important that our community stays informed. For University and federal information on H1N1, visit the below web sites:

• Penn State Flu Web Site: http://flu.psu.edu
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
• University Health Services: www.sa.psu.edu/uhs/index.cfm
• Office of Human Resources: www.ohr.psu.edu/h1n1

Click here to view a photo gallery.

The goal of the project is for students to produce a full-length documentary or feature film. “In a best case scenario,” says Boon, “the end result will be a watchable film suitable for film festivals. In a worst-case scenario, students learn a great deal about the difficulties inherent in producing a full-length film. In either case, students get a hands-on educational experience.” Boon says he knows of no other college or university that provides this type of opportunity to students. “It’s the fact that the students get to make a full-length film of their own design that is unique,” says Boon.

Thirteen students are enrolled in the project, but Boon says he has already begun to hear from Penn State staff and alumni who want to be involved. “I originally saw the Film Project as a way of not only involving students, but involving the campus, the university, and the local community,” says Boon.

The Mont Alto Film Project is divided into four parts: During the first semester, students decide on a documentary or a feature film and hash out creative ideas until they have a workable script. During the second semester, they will engage in pre-production activities, such as location scouting, casting and storyboarding. During the third semester, they will complete principle photography.  During the final semester, they will be involved in post-production activities, such as editing, looping, and sound engineering.

Students in the Mont Alto Film Project will gain hands-on experience in all elements of filmmaking while earning 12 credits toward their education. 

Students from any major are welcome, and all those interested are encouraged to apply. Contact Dr. Boon for more information at kab25@psu.edu or 749-6096.

Click here to view a photo gallery.

The campus’ three residence halls can house 438 students.  They filled to capacity during the summer months though the University did not have to turn students away in part to the availability of new off-campus housing. The Apex at Mont Alto apartment complex is privately owned and managed and located off of Slabtown Road on Danny Brook Drive. 

“With a record incoming class and demand for student housing beyond our capacity, we are pleased Apex has opened,” says Chancellor David C. Gnage. “The additional student housing afforded by Apex provides the opportunity for our campus to accommodate more students than ever before.”

An increasing number of students are choosing to start their Penn State career at Mont Alto recognizing the value of spending the first two years at Mont Alto before moving to the University Park campus to complete their degrees. The campus has also been proactive in reaching out to the community to determine its educational needs and to develop programs to meet those needs.

The combined SAT scores and GPA’s of the incoming class ranks fourth among all Penn State campuses outside of University Park. Additionally, 14 new students enter with perfect grades (4.0 GPA or higher). The most popular programs this fall include the Division of Undergraduate Studies (enrollment is up 66 percent from fall 2008), and Occupational Therapy and Engineering which have both realized 50-percent increases in enrollment from a year ago.

Penn State Mont Alto will hold its Convocation ceremony on Saturday at 10:25 a.m. in the Multipurpose Recreation Center (gymnasium) on campus to mark the opening of the new academic year.  Members of the press are welcomed to attend.

Fall classes begin on Monday, August 24th.

Several displaced workers have turned to the Franklin County Career and Technology Center and Penn State Continuing Education for training they need to obtain work. Most of the ten members of the Nurse Aide class currently in session say they are looking for work a more secure career field. Several have been laid off at their jobs.

Chad Futrell worked for several distribution centers before he was affected by the recessed economy. “When I was laid off, I went to Careerlink to find a new career,” he says. “Since I was interested in the healthcare field, this class seemed like a perfect fit.” He shared that Careerlink also found state funding to pay for the program so that he could enroll. 

Student Lori Wolfe was also laid off from a local company and enrolled in the Nurse Aide class “to find a career that would allow me to help people and also has better job security,” she says. Classmate Sharon Skipper added, “There (are) always jobs being advertised for healthcare workers.”

The Nurse Aide class is an FCCTC program managed by Penn State Continuing Education. “We are happy to provide this class during tough economic times,” says Theresa Shank, director of Continuing Education at Penn State Mont Alto. “The Nurse Aide class will prepare students to take the licensing exam to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).”

The instructor of the Nurse Aide class is Donna Sollenberger.

Each Jump Start participant has been paired with a trained peer mentor who will support them in their transition to college and help them to better know the campus and its many services. During their extended orientation next week, students will participate in Math and English preparatory modules and other sessions to prepare them for the classroom experience including practical study tips, time management, understanding syllabi, classroom etiquette and professor politics, financial aid, and more.
 
During the academic year, the students will be enrolled in key courses with fellow Jump Start students, meet regularly with their peer mentors and receive individualized academic support with a Learning Specialist. 
 
“The overall goal of the program is to raise their academic preparedness,” says Kendra Wolgast, director of Mont Alto’s Academic Support Center. “We also want to increase the retention rate of our at-risk student population.” The program is funded by University grants.
 
The new academic year will commence at Penn State Mont Alto on Monday, August 24.

Andrea Christopher, director of student affairs at Penn State Mont Alto, has been honored for her longtime service to students. Christopher was this year's recipient of the University’s John W. Beatty Award for Outstanding Chief Student Affairs Officer. Penn State presents the award annually to recognize one individual from the University’s campuses who has demonstrated a commitment to students as a mentor, adviser and counselor over a period of years.

Christopher joined Penn State Mont Alto in 1975 as the assistant to the dean of student programs and services and previously served as assistant director of student affairs. She assumed directorship of the department in 1996. In that role, she provides administrative leadership for the campus division of student affairs and oversees many initiatives and campus-life projects that enhance the experience for Penn State Mont Alto’s 1,200 students. Christopher supervises a staff of 14, several of whom nominated her for the prestigious award. They noted that her availability and visibility to students by way of an open-door policy is a great benefit to our students.  Among the many student initiatives she has led, Christopher was instrumental in establishing the campus’s Early Intervention Team, which she chairs, and which focuses on identifying and helping at-risk students and responding with appropriate interventions. She also currently chairs Mont Alto’s Campus Climate Committee which is responsible for developing and implementing Penn State’s Framework for Diversity on campus. Christopher is the advisor to Mont Alto’s Student Government Association.

Penn State’s Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Damon Sims, presented Christopher with the John W. Beatty Award at the University’s professional development and awards day at University Park in May.  She holds a masters degree in counselor education/student personnel services from Penn State (1975), and a sociology degree from the State University of New York at Cortland (1974). Christopher and her husband Michael, reside in Waynesboro, PA.

Zhong is working as part of an interdisciplinary team that includes plant and molecular biologists, physicists, material scientists, computational modelers, engineers and chemists. Over the next five years, they will conduct investigations to increase understanding of the physical structure of biopolymers in plant cell walls and improve methods for converting plant biomass into fuel. “The research employs computational methods to understand what happens inside a plant,” says Zhong. “Specifically, how plants make certain kinds of chemicals, cellulose, which can be used for fuel.”

The Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation is one of 46 EFRC centers formed nationwide by the DOE to address fundamental issues in fields ranging from solar energy and electric storage to materials sciences, biofuels and carbon capture and sequestration. It is collaborating with researchers at North Carolina State University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. DOE funding for the Center is being provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Penn State Mont Alto is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen J. Holoviak, Ph.D., as Professor of Management. Holoviak comes to Penn State from the Grove College of Business at Shippensburg University where he has served as its dean since 1999.

“It is an honor to welcome Dr. Holoviak to our campus,” said Dr. David C. Gnage, chancellor. “Our students will benefit greatly from the depth of research and wealth of knowledge Dr. Holoviak brings to Mont Alto.”

Dr. Holoviak devoted a number of years to the corporate world in banking and other fields before joining Shippensburg University in 1980 where he served in many capacities including Director of the H.R. Frehn Center for Management and Dean of the Grove College of Business. He is acknowledged as an expert in the fields of labor relations, compensation, employment law, small business management and organizational behavior. He is also the author of three books, co-author of numerous others, writer of various training manuals and more than 20 refereed-journal articles.  Dr. Holoviak is also a member of numerous professional and civic organizations.

“I am looking forward to embarking on a new journey at Penn State Mont Alto,” Dr. Holoviak said, “I also look forward to returning to the classroom experience and a more focused concentration on scholarship.”

Dr. Holoviak joins the 60 full-time faculty members at Mont Alto who are actively engaged in research and scholarship. In 2008 alone, they have collectively published eight books, written chapters for five others, authored a dozen articles in refereed journals (the highest standard in higher education), and presented papers at academic conferences across the United States and internationally in China, Ukraine and Canada.

The students and their advisor have been working together for nearly two years to provide the canister that will house their own experiment as well as experiments from teams at Boston University and Virginia Tech.  Mont Alto’s contingent will leave for Wallops Island on June 18 after which NASA will inspect and test the canister and their experiment to determine if they are probable to survive the flight. The rocket is a two-stage rocket, 30 feet high and about a foot in diameter.  

The Mont Alto students’ experiment involves testing material stresses on a circular aluminum plate similar to the those commonly used in rockets to carry experiments, batteries and other items.  Their data will be recorded on a SD Card.  After the rocket’s launch, it will return to earth about 50 miles off shore where it will be pulled by NASA recovery ships.  The students will be returned their canister and should it have survived flight, they will evaluate and analyze the data collected.

“This experience will determine the rest of their lives,” commented Zig about the opportunity this project has afforded his students.  “It has been a fantastic learning experience—for me too.” 

Penn State Mont Alto’s Student Team are:
Kylie Flickinger (Gettysburg)
Harshad Kappor (Shippensburg)
Adam Kuhlman (Chambersburg)
Robert Stottlemyer (Paradise, PA)
Tim Svirbly (Gardners, PA)

Penn State Mont Alto held its 2009 Spring Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16.

In his opening remarks, Chancellor David C. Gnage noted, “Our founders would be pleased by the way the campus has grown in size and number of majors.”  The first graduate of Mont Alto’s four-year degree program in Letter, Arts, and Sciences received his diploma at the commencement ceremony. Penn State Mont Alto currently offers associate degrees in eight areas and bachelor’s degrees in six majors.

Pennsylvania State Representative and a member of the campus’ Advisory Board, Todd A. Rock, provided the welcome to graduates.  The commencement speaker was C. Gregory Hoover, an alumnus, member of Mont Alto’s Advisory Board and superintendent of the Greencastle-Antrim School District.

Dr. Gnage charged the graduates “to continue to dream, continue to learn, and go out there and do something remarkable.”  Director of Academic Affairs Dr. Francis Achampong officially declared the academic year to be completed to conclude the Penn State Mont Alto 2009 Spring Commencement Ceremony.

Penn State Mont Alto named the recipient its 2009 Staff Service Award, an annual award recognizing a full-time staff member for exceptional service to the University.  Marla Minnich, Coordinator of the Learning Support Services, was recognized at Mont Alto’s end-of-year luncheon today. 

In his comments, Chancellor David C. Gnage highlighed Minnich's implemention work to make the Academic Support Center welcoming and warm.  In the past year, she recruited more peer tutors and increased tutoring appointments while providing more structured training and resources for the tutors.  Her nomination listed her best asset as being her magnificent listening skills.  Dr. Gnage also shared she hears the students’ stories and learns about their lives and, as a result, builds trust with students.  She also helped to raise the ASC’s profile on campus by posting on bulletin boards, creating an ASC newsletter, reorganizing the webpage and speaking in classrooms and meetings about the benefits and services of ASC.  Marla was also recognized for coming to work early and staying late to accommodate student schedules.  She began coming in early in the morning when she discovered students with 8:00 a.m. classes wanted to use the ASC computer lab before their classes began. 

In addition, Penn Stater Awards, exceptional service honors for the Spring semester, were awarded to Lauraine Hawkins (faculty award), associate professor of Biology; Rhonda Everett (tech services award), maintenance worker utility; and, Peggy Angelovich (staff services award), library supervisor.  

Photo caption: (L-R) Marla Minnich holding the parking sign she will get to place at any legal parking space on campus for the exclusive right to park there for the next year; Lauraine Hawkins; Rhonda Everett; and, Peggy Angelovich.

Penn State Mont Alto’s 60 full-time faculty members are actively engaged in research and scholarship. In the past year alone they have published six books, written eight book chapters, had 16 refereed journal articles published, and they made 13 presentations at academic conferences in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Peter Dendle, associate professor of English, has been awarded the Penn State Mont Alto 2009 Faculty of the Year Award. He will carry the ceremonial mace and the lead the academic procession at the University's 2009 Spring Commencement ceremony on May 16. 

During 2008, Dendle was co-editor, with Dr. Alain Touwaide, of a collection of essays entitled Health and Healing from the Medieval Garden, published by Boydell Press (2008) for which he wrote the “Introduction” and contributed a chapter.  He had a paper published in the Journal of British Studies, had a co-authored paper accepted in the Journal of Early Medicine (both leading journals in his field), submitted a book review to the journal Envoi, and presented three papers at professional meetings.  He also organized a major international academic conference held at the University of Toronto in October 2008 on the Devil in Pre-Modern Society.  Lastly, his book-length manuscript entitled Demon Possession in Anglo-Saxon England was accepted for publication by Western Michigan University Press’s Medieval Institute Publications and will appear in May 2010.

“Both the quantity and the quality of Dendle’s scholarly achievements make it an honor to grant him our most prestigious research/scholarship award,” says Chancellor David C. Gnage.

“I’ve learned the difference between a job and a career,” says Jodi. She and Ed graduated from Waynesboro High School in 1999 with no desire to pursue a college degree. But after six years in the working world, she and her brother realized they needed to go back to school in order to obtain their dreams. At age 24, they enrolled at Penn State Mont Alto together and both siblings have made the Dean’s List in every semester they have been students at Penn State.  Jodi will graduate this week with a bachelor’s degree with distinction in English and hopes to be a college professor someday. Ed spent his first two years at Mont Alto before transitioning to University Park where he completed a bachelor’s degree with high distinction in Film. He has his sight set on Hollywood and a career in the film industry. Ed chose to return to Mont Alto where it all began to walk alongside his sister for commencement. 

A self-described “C” student in high school, Jodi says she feels “like a completely different person now.”  Ed has taken to saying “go big or go home.” Years ago, he created an 'Impossible List' to record all the things he believed would never happen for him.  The purpose of the list was to keep him aware of his goals.  With graduation, he will check "number 4" off his list.  Ed says, "I can't quite express how lucky I feel to have begun my education at Mont Alto. First, being on a smaller campus just makes the entire transition so much simpler. It was great preparation for UP. Second, the teachers at Mont Alto remember me when I come back to visit and that just reinforces [its] home-like quality."

Both graduates plan to take a year off before beginning master’s degree programs.

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Kevin Braun will be walking in the footsteps of his father at commencement.  Braun will accept an associate’s degree in Forestry Technology just as his father Dennis Braun did at Mont Alto in 1975. He plans to transition to University Park in the fall to complete a bachelor’s degree in Urban Forestry.

Father and son are from Lewisburg, PA. “I was always interested in what my dad did,” says Kevin, an Eagle Scout. “I’m used to being outside and I don’t regret it.” Dennis says he was surprised at first to learn his son would follow in his footsteps but he added, “it is real neat when we are together. We talk about trees wherever we are. This has bonded us together. I feel real close to my son.” Dennis and his graduating class in 1975 built a log cabin which stands to this day near the saw mill behind Mont Alto Hall on campus. 

The commencement ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. in the Multipurpose Activities Center. Mont Alto’s keynote speaker is C. Gregory Hoover, superintendent of the Greencastle-Antrim School District and a former Mont Alto student. The campus will award its first baccalaureate degrees in Letter Arts and Sciences (LASCC), and eight students who began their education at Mont Alto will return from University Park to participate in Mont Alto’s commencement ceremony.

University Health Services (UHS) recommends that students, faculty and staff participate in voluntary social distancing, if possible, to protect themselves and others from the potential spread of the H1N1 flu.

Social distancing is the reduction in frequency, duration and proximity of contact with other individuals. It is recommended that you:

• Avoid large crowds if possible.
• Stay away from people who are coughing, sneezing or otherwise appear sick (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation is a distance of 6 feet)
• Seek advice from your health care provider and limit your contact with others to keep from infecting them if you are sick.

There are currently more than 100 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S. and additional cases worldwide. The number of cases is expected to continue to grow.

Shelley Haffner, UHS infection control nurse manager, advises following these basic guidelines to stay healthy:
•    Wash your hands thoroughly and often—especially after coughing or sneezing.
•    Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
•    Do not share utensils, drinks, cigarettes, or personal care items.
•    Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as cross-contamination can occur.
•    Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and dispose of tissues properly.
•    If tissues are not available, cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or into your shoulder.

Individuals who are experiencing flu-like symptoms should make an appointment with their health care provider. Students should contact Health Services at their Penn State Mont Alto. If diagnosed in time, infected individuals may be treated with an antiviral medication.

Additional information about the H1N1 influenza visu is available at www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm.

Individuals traveling internationally may visit http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/ for updated information concerning their travel destination.
 
Symptoms of swine flu in humans are similar to seasonal flu. These symptoms include fever, tiredness, body aches and coughing. Runny nose, sore throat, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting also been reported.
 
Shelley Haffner, infection control nurse manager for University Health Services, advises following these basic guidelines to stay healthy:

— Wash your hands thoroughly and often — especially after coughing or sneezing. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

— Do not share utensils, drinks, cigarettes, or personal care items; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as cross-contamination can occur.

— Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Always dispose of tissues properly.
 
The seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against swine flu. Individuals who are experiencing flu-like symptoms should make an appointment with their health provider. If diagnosed in time, infected individuals may be treated with an antiviral medication.
 
Additional information about swine flu is available at www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm.

"These data are a testament to the excellence of each and every Penn State campus," said David C. Gnage, chancellor at Penn State Mont Alto. "Penn State Mont Alto is a strong partner in this region, working to benefit the citizens of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and Fulton counties and all of Pennsylvania."
 
In 2008, Penn State Mont Alto spent more than $2.5 million for capital improvements, goods, services and supplies. In addition to the nearly $8.4 million spent by Penn State Mont Alto students, out-of-state visitors also contributed almost $8 million to the region's economy.
 
Penn State contributes in a variety of ways to the vitality of Pennsylvania's economy. According to the report, the University generated more than 2 percent of the state's business volume or more than $1 out of every $50 dollars in the state's total economy. In addition, Penn State leverages its state funding. For every dollar invested in 2008 by the Commonwealth to support the operations of Penn State, the University returned $25.06 in economic impact to Pennsylvania.

The four-month study by Pittsburgh-based Tripp Umbach indicates that Penn State's impact far outweighs other industries in the state. With the total direct, indirect and induced annual economic impact equaling more than $17 billion, the University currently creates more impact than the combined total impact of all of the state's airport hubs, professional sports teams, and arts and cultural organizations, by attracting nearly 1 million visitors and channeling more than $1.73 billion annually into Pennsylvania's economy.

Additional key findings in the 2009 Tripp Umbach report include:

The University annually expends more than $700 million through its research activities. Research at Penn State supports more than 18,000 additional jobs in Pennsylvania, which generates more than $1.9 billion in additional economic impact and more than $61 million in additional revenue for the Commonwealth annually.
An additional $4.8 million was contributed to the region’s economy by the spending habits of Penn State Mont Alto faculty, staff and technical services employees in 2008.

To view the report in its entirety, visit http://econimpact.psu.edu.

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Ray Soderburg of GreenMax Turf, based in Haymarket, VA, says he, “sent sod last week to the CIA Headquarters in Virginia and a few truck loads are going around the United States Court of Appeals Judiciary Square this week.” The same field also provided sod to the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins practice facilities as well as several premier golf courses.

The new baseball field at Penn State Mont Alto will get its rich sod laid by the first part of May though it will not be played upon until next spring to allow the turf sufficient time to take hold.  Intercollegiate baseball will return to Penn State Mont Alto for the Spring 2010 season. The team will compete in the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC).

The Franklin County Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association will host its Annual Golf Tournament on May 21 at Penn National Golf Club.  All golfers are welcome and all proceeds of this event benefit scholarships for Penn State Mont Alto students.  Dinner will feature Nittany Lion Football Assistant Coach Tom Bradley (in charge of defense and cornerbacks) and tickets are available for purchase aside from the golf tournament.

The golf tournament will be held on May 21 at 1:30pm (rain or shine) at Penn National’s Founders Course.  Foursomes can register for $300 per team (includes greens fees, golf cart, dinner and prizes).   Tickets for dinner only are available for purchase for $25 each.

For more information or to register, please contact Christina Yoder, chapter president, at 717-830-1223 or by email at christinayoder@comcast.net.