-7. TH E BEHREND September 20, 2002 a C REO ill UP 9 1 1002 14 Pages Vol. - XLIX BEHREND COLLEGE No. 33 ____ • A PENN STATE ERIE STUDENT "UFILICAI( ' PENNSTATE i i Erie Fall 2002 Friday's forecast: f d T-storms High: 78° Low: 62° Check page 2 for the weekend weather outlook. NEWS The Student Government Association has a lot in store for the next year. Read about the different committees and their plans on page 3. NNF GARNER Anne Garner has joined the Behrend community as an art professor. Read more about her on page 3. A&E MOVIES Check out a review about the fresh faces in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which recently hit Erie's theatres. SPORTS c The Behrend Lions many teams have had a rough start to their seasons, but that doesn't mean they don't have a plan for games to come. Behrend News...l -3 National Campus News... 4-5 Calendar ..6 Editorial... 7 Humor ..8 Features... 9 A&E...10 Sports...ll-14 N EWS ROON4, 898-6488 FAX: 434601 9 E-MAIL: behrcolls@aol.com Offices are located downstairs in the Reed Union Building Behrend continues search for CEO and Dean by Erinn Hanson calendar page editor The Penn State Behrend Search Committee is still on the hunt for a new Provost, or properly named Campus Executive Officer (CEO) and Dean. "The name was changed to CEO and Dean to make it consistent with the titles being used at the other PSU campus colleges," said Dr. Jack Burke, Interim Provost and Dean at Behrend. A new Search and Screening Committee has been appointed to do the search, and consists of 12 members: Douglas Anderson, Dean of the College of Communications (Chair); Dawn Blasko, Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology; David Falvo, Lecturer in Mathematics; Juan Fernandez-Jimenez, Professor of Spanish; Ralph Ford, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Brandi Hovis, President of Student Government Association, Kevin Moore, Director of Alumni Relations; Ruth Pflueger, Coordinator of Learning Resource Center; Hoop Roche, President and CEO of Erie Plastics; Robert Secor, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost; Robert Simoneau, Director of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology; and Peg Thorns, Associate Professor of Management. According to Secor, Anderson has put an advertisement in "The Chronicle of Higher Education" and other periodicals. Letters will be written to administrators, organizations, societies, and institutions Biology professor Voss joins Behrend faculty by Erin Scott staff writer Dr. Margaret Voss, an animal lover, was recently added as a new assistant professor of biology at Behrend. Voss was born in Houston, Texas, but spent most of her childhood in Nashville, Tennessee, with her two younger brothers and younger sister. Her father is a psychologist and her mother, an accountant. At a young age, after spending countless days at the zoo near her home, Dr. Voss decided that she wanted to become a veterinarian. Upon graduating from high school she attended a small specialty 'school in New York, that was mainly a science and engineering school. After graduating, she spent a few years as a veterinary assistant but later decided against becoming a veterinarian because she felt there were too many "business" aspects to the profession. She then focused her interests in a different direction: biology. all across the country, identify potential candidates. After screening applicants and interviewing candidates, the committee will present a list of possible candidates to Anderson, who will then invite several candidates for extensive interviews at Penn State Behrend and University Park. At Behrend, all the faculty and staff will have an opportunity to meet with the candidates and express their impressions to Anderson, who will then consult with President Graham Spanier to make the final decision. After the search committee convenes in the fall, the committee will share a copy of the position announcement and invite participation in the nomination process. The search has gone on since August 2001, after Dr. Lilley left last year. About 80 candidates applied last year, but no one was chosen. "We had good candidates last time, but none of them rose to the high level we were seeking," said Burke. "We did not want to 'settle' and thus continue the search. Therefore we started over this year." The CEO is the chief academic and administrative officer who functions much like a college president but also has dean-like duties related to the faculty and curriculum. The position requires an individual who can lead a college that is part of a multi-campus research and land continued on page 3 She believed that she had two paths to choose from: one in which she would solely devote her time to doing research, and another where she could teach and do research. She chose to teach and do research here at Behrend because she likes the Penn State system. She thought that Penn State would enable her to see her hard work pay off and that she may one day become a professor. She said she is very committed to her work and helping students explore their options in the sciences. When asked what her best advice to any student would be, she answered, "Find your passion because you have to do it for the rest of your life." She then went on to say how she enjoys helping others find their interests and about how helping students explore career opportunities makes her job worthwhile. She also believes that no decision is irrevocable. "If you change your mind about what you want to do in life, it's okay," she said. "You should do what makes you happy and what makes you feel like you're making a difference." UCN summer program in danger of closing by Erin McCarty news editor Summertime has come and gone, and school is now upon us. Already planning out your next summer vacation? Here is an option to consider: study abroad. This year may be your last chance to take advantage of the International Summer Program at University College Northampton in England. This past summer, eight Behrend students Alicia Adameck, David Doyle, Renee Gornall, Michelle McKernan, Lasette Miskis, lan Rosthauser, Hallie Seaman, and Katie Spyker joined 15 other Americans and two Austrians for the program. Three students from Edinboro completed the Erie group, which was led by Behrend English professor Mary Connerty. "As to whether or not the trip to Northampton was worth it I can securely say it was worth it!" said Rosthauser, a History major who just graduated. "I was able to meet people from various places in both the U.S. and Europe. I continue to keep in touch with most of them via e mail, which is cool." "I would go back in a heartbeat," said Connerty, who had not participated in this program previously. She made the trip with her 2-year-old son Ari, who got a heavy dose of English culture by spending time each day at day care in a refurbished 18th-century farmhouse while his mom was teaching class. Connerty replaced Dr. Dean Baldwin, who had gone to Northampton for many years, accompanied by his wife Vicki. PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON Dr. Margaret Voss joins the Behrend Science department as assistant pro fessor of biology. "The students were disappointed at first that there were only 25 in the program," said Connerty. "But they made very good friends. It was a cozier time, and there was a lot more flexibility with classes." For instance, Connerty's class of four often met outside, and when her students were planning a weekend trip, she arranged their class time so that they would have ample time to get back. Each three-credit class met on a rotating schedule, with class time occupying a different two-hour slot for each of the four days a week that class was in session. The remaining weekdays were reserved for special day trips, which students were not obligated to attend but usually did. The destinations consisted of Northamptonshire and Althorpe, Princess Diana's final resting place, Cambridge, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Stoke Bruerne, and Bath. In addition to these brief outings, students also made a one week trip during the third week of classes. They spent their week in Italy or London, depending on which field trip most related to their course of study. Students also had some unexpected opportunities to meet some of England's famous residents. While they were visiting Althorpe, the group met Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer. He was there with his twin daughters, who were entranced with Ari. Connerty was especially excited to have Alan Sillitoe, a writer she has long admired, visit her UCN continued on page 2
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