Vol. XXVIII, No. 8 Penn State University, Delaware County Campus PENNSTATE { Delaware County Campus April 9, 1997 Dr. Mary Gergen, psychology faculty and chair of the Campus Women’s Commission, presents the Outstanding Woman of the Year Award to Johanna Licciardello (fourth semester, science), flanked by Kathy Lau (second semester, business administration) and JoAnna Johnson (second semester, journalism) who created the winning “Eiffel Tower” at the Women’s Commission Luncheon. Honors Convocation PSU Delco Award Winners Will Be Honored April 16 By Paul Basilio Some of the finest students at Delco will be honored on Wednesday, April 17. On that date, the 1997 Academic Convocation takes place in the second floor of the Vairo Library starting at 7:30 PM. Arya Ebrahimpour, associate professor of engineering and recipient of the 1996 Outstanding Teacher Award, will address the gathering of about three hundred people. Among the awards being given out this year are Special Awards for Academic Excellence, given to the students with the highest GPA in the Associate and Baccalaureate programs, and the President’s Freshman Award. In order to qualify for the President’s Freshman Award, a student must have achieved a 4.0 GPA in their previous semester. Brian O'Donnel was nominated for the prestigious award. He did not expect this honor, “I was surprised at how well I did. I paid my own tuition last semester. That was a big motivation. For the first time I actually got to see where my money went.” These accolades are not only for the younger population of Delco. The Gateway Award for Academic. . Achievement By Adult Students and the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society both honor continuing and adult students. The Recognition of Campus Scholarship and Prizes will be led by Dr. Karen Hill, Acting Director of Academic Affairs. These scholarships include The Sylvia Schaeffer Prize for superior academic performance by an adult student and the Graham Spanier Academic Award given to the student who has achieved an outstanding academic record or who shows the promise of academic success. Campus Honor Students, who scored a 1250 on their S.A.T.s and maintain a 3.2 or higher GPA, and the University Scholars, who have maintained GPA’s of 3.75 or higher will also be recognized at the ceremony. All members of the campus community are invited to the program. UP Deans Visit Delco By Ryan Dougherty Building on the great success of President Graham Spanier’s visit to all Penn State campuses last year, Penn State Delco will play host to a group of University Deans on April 25. The Deans are visiting a number of Commonwealth campuses at Dr. Spanier’s suggestion to get to know the people and locations that make up half the University. The visiting deans include James Ryan (Vice President of Continuing Education), Dr. Brooks (Dean, College of Communications), Dr. Susan Welch (Dean, College of Liberal Arts), and Dr. David Womley (Dean, College of Engineering). The visit by the University Deans will help them recognize the constituency of Pennsylvania that PSU serves. Basically, the Deans will get to know the campus, faculty, staff, and students of Delco. Delco’s Acting Director of Academic Affairs Dr. Karen Hill noted that the visits will “help the Deans get a feel for the flavor of the commonwealth campuses”. The visits are a direct extension of President Spanier’s tour last year in which faculty visited campuses in buses, which, according to Dr. Hill, President Spanier considered a great success. It is uncertain whether or not this program will become an annual event, but very well might. President Spanier is said to possess a deep committment to this type of interaction. Outstanding Students To Be Recognized At Ceremony By Laurie Koechert What better way to show appreciation than to reward someone for outstanding performance and contributions. SGA is headed in that direction. On May 2, the Student Government Association and Student Life will sponsor the Campus Awards Ceremony. They will recognize faculty and staff members who have been helpful and supportive this past year. All clubs will have the opportunity to acknowledge their members for their hard work. Three prestigious awards, the Eric A and Josephine Walker Award, the Outstanding Adult Student Award, and the Outstanding Student Service Award will be presented to students for their achievements and contributions to the campus. The Outstanding Adult Student Award and the Outstanding Student Service Award are presented by the Penn State Delaware County campus. The Walker Award, given to one nominees are Johanna Licciardello and Brian Logue. In order for a student to be nominated for such an award, the nominations must come froma faculty or staff member. Then the student writes a statement to the Walker Award Committee to explain why s/he deserves such an award. A recommendation by a faculty member must also be submitted to the committee. The recipient of the reward is student at each satellite campus, then chosen by the Walker Award Committee based upon the statement and recommendations. On May 13, the recipient will be invited to a luncheon at University Park along with the other Commonwealth campus recipients. “I am very honored to be nominated for this award. It is a wonderful feeling to give back to a community that has done so much for me,” said Johanna Licciardello, 4th semester, science major and Volunteer Service Center Director. “It was an honor and a real surprise to be nominated for the Walker Award. I never expected to be a nominee for such a prestigious award. It's been a pleasure to serve the campus as President of the Lion Ambassadors. I'm glad I had the opportunity to get involved at Penn State Delco,” commented Brian Logue, 4th semester, finance major. The Walker Award was established by a former Penn State president, Eric A. Walker, and his wife Josephine. The award is given fo the student on each Commonwealth campus who has “positively influenced students” through campus activities and organizations. The names of past recipients of the Walker, Oustanding Student Service and Outstanding Adult Student Awards remain on permanent plaques in the hallway leading into Student Life in the Commons Building. The plaques trace the award winners since the campus has opened. Mentoring Programs Work By Erin Lulevitch Delco will be honoring one of its own at the Minority Career/Mentoring program on April 10. Her name is Nikitra Bailey, a senior at Universtiy Park, and if her present successess are any indication of her future, thisis one girl who is definitely going places. Nikitra began her education at Penn State at the Delaware County campus. It was here that Bailey first became a member of the Mentoring program, beginning in her freshman year. The two-part program, funded by the Universtiy’s Equal Opportunity Planning Committee, has proven to be an essential part of Ms. Bailey’s accomplishments. “The first part of the program matches minority students with faculty and staff on campus to develop a mentorial relationship,” explains Mr. Virgil Perry, counselor and member of the Career Development and Placement Services. “Sophomores and above who have accumulated a good G.P.A. and are academically sound are then paired with leaders of organizations in the community related to their majors.” The purpose of this program is to help minority students gain experience in their prospective fields and obtain internships that could lead to paying jobs upon graduation. Leadership and communication skills are also strongly encouraged. Nikitra successfully participated in both parts of the Mentoring program (Continued on page 7)
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