VOLUME 14, NUMBER 17 JUNE 18 , 2012

California University

READ THE JOURNAL ONLINE: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal

Trustees Address Transition in Leadership

McBride NamedWoman of Excellence

Grant Supports Certificationfor Mechatronics Instructors

Dr. Lisa McBride has been chosen asone of the New Pittsburgh Courier’s2012 Women of Excellence,

becoming the second leader at Cal U to earnthe distinction.

She joins Acting University PresidentGeraldine M. Jones, who accepted the awardin 2010.

McBride, the University ombudsperson andspecial assistant to the president for EqualEmployment and Educational Opportunity,will be recognized at a luncheon June 28 at theWestin Convention Center, Pittsburgh.

“I feel that God has given me confidence,wisdom and boldness to pursue the dreamsand desires in my heart, which is to make adifference in the lives of our Cal U studentsand the greater community and to remainhumble along the way,” she said.

The awardees were nominated by NewPittsburgh Courier readers. Each year thepublication honors some of the Pittsburghregion’s most successful and influentialAfrican-American women.

McBride is a founding member of Cal UMen United, a mentoring group for studentsaimed at improving retention and graduation

rates for men of color. She also serves theUniversity community as chair of thePresident’s Commission for the Status ofWomen.

As director of the Office of Social Equity,she has worked to shape institutional policiesand practices that advance a campus climateof inclusion.

McBride earned her Ph.D. in conflictanalysis and resolution from NovaSoutheastern University, in Florida, and hermaster’s and bachelor’s degrees incriminology from Indiana State University.

She previously held positions as anassociate professor of criminology within theFlorida University system. She is a certifiedcounty mediator for the Florida SupremeCourt and is certified as a human diversityinstructor by the State of FloridaCommission on Police Officer Standards andTraining.

McBride began her career as a policeofficer with the St. Louis Police Department,where she was assigned to the homicidedivision. She spent eight years as a federalcriminal investigator, including work in 15countries.

Cal U’s Dr. Lisa McBride will receive a 2012 Women of Excellence Award fromthe ‘New Pittsburgh Courier.’

Agrant from the Claude WorthingtonBenedum Foundation will supporttraining for secondary and post-

secondary teachers when Cal U hosts aSiemens Mechatronic Systems InstructorCertification Program this summer.

The $178,000 grant, delivered over twoyears, will allow secondary teachers fromEastern Westmoreland and Western Areacareer and technology centers to take part inthe certification program beginning with Level1 Instructor Certification, which began June11 and ends Friday at Cal U.

The grant also supports participation byfaculty from Westmoreland County

Community College and Cal U. Two instructors and an administrator from

the Siemens Technical Academy in Berlin,Germany, will provide the specialized trainingand certification. Level 2 InstructorCertification will be a focus during the secondyear of the program.

A state-recognized vocational college inGermany, the Siemens Technical Academycollaborates with partner schools around theworld to offer comprehensive industry skillscertification in mechatronics, an emerging fieldthat blends mechanical and electricalengineering technology with computer science.

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At its first quarterly meeting sincethe change in leadership at CalU, the University’s Council of

Trustees passed a resolution praisingformer President Angelo Armenti, Jr.,and another expressing the panel’sconfidence in his successor, ActingPresident Geraldine M. Jones.

The council’s first resolution, readaloud by longtime Trustee Leo Krantz,listed the accomplishments of the formerpresident, whose 20-year tenure wasended May 16 by the PASSHE Board ofGovernors.

Noting improvements in enrollment,academics, athletics, scholarship supportand campus infrastructure achieved in

the past two decades, it commendedArmenti and his wife, Barbara, for their“extraordinary, dynamic and exemplaryservice” to the University.

The second resolution recappedJones’ 38 years of service to theUniversity and affirmed that the Trustees“wholeheartedly support and fullyendorse” her as acting president.

“This transition we’re going through— it happens,” said Robert Irey, thecouncil’s chairman.

“This University has been here for160 years, and we have all the confidencein the world with our new leader in thistime of transition. Cal U has the finestcollection of faculty and staff that you

will find anywhere. … We need to getback to the business of educating ourstudents.”

The June 5 meeting was held in theGrand Hall, rather than the president’sconference room, to accommodatemembers of the campus community, thepublic and the press.

Three individuals offered publiccomments during the session.

Dr. Timothy Susick, associate vicepresident in the Office of StudentAffairs, acknowledged that he is amongnine non-union employees whosepositions were eliminated as of June 15.

“These decisions were made so thatCal U would not only survive, but

thrive,” he said, thanking a number ofcolleagues and Vice President LenoraAngelone for their support. “I feelblessed for the opportunities I’ve hadhere at Cal U.”

Moe Galis, a Coal Center residentand Greene County business owner, saidhe had hoped to address members of thePASSHE Board of Governors at themeeting. Citing the possibility of futurelitigation over Armenti’s termination, noPASSHE representatives were inattendance.

“President Armenti led by example,”Galis said. “I feel an obligation to do theright thing — to speak out about the

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Gala Goes BroadwayPresident’s Faculty Award recipients (left to right) Dr. Paul Crawford (research),Dr. Marc Federico (teaching) and Dr. Kelton Edmonds (service) enjoy a videopresentation at the 2012 gala. See story on page 2.

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Scholarships Star at ‘Broadway’ Gala

Grant SupportsCertification

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The academy belongs to the education provider forSiemens AG, one of the world’s largest high-techmanufacturing corporations.

“Industry certifications have tremendous value, andthere is a great demand for workerstrained in mechatronics,” saidprogram manager MichaelAmrhein, director of Cal U’s Officeof Integration and Outreach forTEAMS (Technology, Engineering,Arts, Math and Science).

“Establishing a high-qualityteaching corps in mechatronicsshould result in highly competentstudents who will complete theirstudies well-prepared to enter theworkforce.”

Cal U’s ultimate goal is to develop a “Road Map toMechatronics” — a series of meaningful educationalopportunities that allow students to move fromsecondary to post-secondary education, then on to jobsin science, technology, engineering and math, thesubjects collectively known as STEM.

One key point on the “road map” is the University’snew bachelor’s degree program in mechatronics.Scheduled to begin in fall 2013, it will prepare studentsto work with complex systems that incorporatemechanical, electrical and software components, such asrobots, automated guided vehicles or other “smart”electro-mechanical systems.

Following a “2+2+2” model, high school studentscould move seamlessly from a vocational-technicalprogram in mechatronics to Cal U’s two-year associatedegree program in robotics engineering technologyand/or the four-year mechatronics program.

“Training and certifying instructors is an importantstep, and the Benedum Foundation grant is openingdoors to this specialized training,” Amrhein said.“Through this program, we hope to give all learnersmultiple entry and exit points on their pathway to acareer.”

The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation hasserved West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvaniasince 1944. The foundation makes grants to supportspecific initiatives in the areas of education, economicdevelopment, health and human services, communitydevelopment and civic engagement.

The spotlight was on student scholarships whenabout 250 Cal U faculty, staff, students, alumniand University friends gathered for “A Night on

Broadway” at the 2012 President’s Gala.Acting President Geraldine M. Jones hosted the

gala at the Omni William Penn hotel, in Pittsburgh.Cast as honorary chairs were Charles ’73 and Marianne ’72 Pryor.

“I extend a very sincere ‘thank you’ to each andevery one of you for joining us this evening and helpingus to raise these much-needed scholarship dollars forour deserving students,” Jones said.

Net proceeds from the annual event have supportedscholarships for 19 years. Proceeds from this year’sGala will be added to the nearly $1.4 million raisedsince its inception in 1994.

Alumna Michele Mandell ‘69 and some remarkableCal U students starred in video presentations shownbefore dinner was served in the Omni’s ballroom.

Faculty award winners also took their bows: Dr.Marc Federico, of the Exercise Science and Sport StudiesDepartment, accepted the President’s Faculty Award forTeaching; Dr. Paul Crawford, of the Department ofHistory and Political Science, was honored for research;and Dr. Kelton Edmonds, also of History and PoliticalScience, accepted the award for service.

Emeriti faculty honorees were Dr. Phyllis McIlwain,who retired from the Department of Elementary andEarly Childhood Education, and Professor RichardNemec ’65, who served in the Department ofCommunication Disorders.

The Lillian M. Bassi Core Values Award waspresented to Dr. David L. Amati ’70, ’72, a dedicated

alumnus and president of the Foundation for CaliforniaUniversity.

After-dinner entertainment included dancing, MonteCarlo games and a silent auction of items donated byUniversity friends, with proceeds also boosting thescholarship fund.

“We know that each of you feels the way we doabout our University and our students, and that ‘payingit forward’ is a concept that all of us understand,” saidCharles Pryor. “Thank you all for your care andconcern for our students, and for your commitment toCal U.”

Acting President Geraldine M. Jones and her husband, Jeffrey, begin the first dance of the 19th President’s Gala at the OmniWilliam Penn hotel, in Pittsburgh.

KON Lends a HandStudents from Cal U’s chapter of Kappa Omicron Nu join Mary Popovich, mayor of West Newton, at the West Newton Lions Club’sannual Bowl ’n’ Roll soup and salad fundraising event. Founded by World War II veterans in 1945, the club is experiencing decliningmembership, so the students’ help was much appreciated, said Popovich, a Lions Club member and an assistant professor in theDepartment of Heath Science. KON faculty adviser Dr. Joni Roh, a professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies,supported the project through a membership vote. Enjoying a moment after the busy evening were (from left) Rebecca Barnhart,Kaleigh Adkins, Drew Slocum, Mary Popovich, Erika Peavy, Brittany Ferguson and Aimee Thompson.

Michael Amrhein

Presentation ExaminesPrivacy Case

Dr. Jeffrey Magers and Dr. Christina Toras, bothof the Department of Professional Studies,presented “Technology v. Privacy: The Legal andPolicy Implications of U.S. v. Jones” last month atthe 49th annual Academy of Criminal JusticeSciences Annual Meeting in New York City.

The meeting focused on “Theorizing CriminalJustice: Practical Applications for the Field.”

The academy iis an international associationthat was established in 1963 to foster professionaland scholarly activities in the field of criminaljustice.

Dance Team Takes Firstin Intercollegiate Competition

Cal U’s Vulcanette Dance Team achieved thetop overall high score at the Intercollegiate DanceCompetition held at Washington and JeffersonCollege.

The 18-member dance team placed first amongeight competing schools in the large group dancescategory. They danced to a jazz routinechoreographed by Diane Eperthener.

“The team represented Cal U with both talentand respect,” said Eperthener, the team’s coach anda dance instructor in the Department of Theatreand Dance. “They did a great job.”

Campus BRIEFS

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Forty Cal U students recentlyproposed a series of projectsdesigned to increase the

number of visitors to California andCoal Center.

The 10 plans were created as partof Dr. John Confer’s recreation sitedesign and management class andpresented to elected officials,community leaders and the generalpublic on April 28.

The community presentation waspart of the River Town Program,which was launched by thePennsylvania Environmental Councilin 2011.

The program is designed to helpseveral towns along the MonongahelaRiver — Point Marion, Greensboro,Rices Landing, Fredericktown,Millsboro, California and Coal Center— expand existing businesses andcreate new ones to serve the outdoorrecreation market.

The purpose of the students’ workwas to identify projects to support theRiver Town Program goals. Theirplans included a proposed layout of a

trail that would connect Rotary Park,Mechanic Street Park, Wyatt Park,Szalay Park and the Project 70 landwith the business district.

Students also developed plans forhiking, walking, fitness, mountain-bike and nature trails; a natureplayground; an amphitheater andoverlook; a wildlife and bird blind; adisc golf course; a climbing/lowbouldering structure; and a skatepark.

“I try to provide my students withservice-learning opportunities thataddress real-world problems andallow them to develop potentialsolutions,” Confer explained. “Theylike it, and they seemed to really getinvolved in this one.”

“Our part was to propose differentoptions,” said senior RomanSulkosky, whose team proposed thelow bouldering/climbing structure.“(Community leaders) are going totake it from there. Some people at themeetings were involved in developingother towns, so it was good to knowthese were good ideas.”

Lena Danka, who graduated inMay, was part of a team that plannedan environmentally sensitiveplayground with natural features,such as logs and rocks, instead oftraditional play equipment.

“Parks and recreation do a lot tobenefit a community. Some of ushave volunteered to come back tohelp build whatever project theychoose,” she said.

Added rising junior Bryce Wilson,who worked on plans for a skatepark, “(The trail) is going to be agood thing. We are excited to see itcome through.”

Confer said he looks forward tothe River Town Program’sdevelopment — some work on thetrail could begin as early as thissummer, he said — and an ongoingpartnership with Cal U.

“There are a lot of faculty andstudents here who could help themsolve problems and provideinformation. We have to look to whatwe have and use it to bring people tothe area.”

High school students can learn to lead at the thirdannual Leadership Challenge summer camp,which began Sunday and ends Saturday at Cal U.

Sponsored by the Linda and Harry Serene LeadershipInstitute, the Leadership Challenge is a weeklong summeradventure for high school students entering their senioryear. Participants take part in leadership education andactivities to help them reach their full potential.

Students are selected to participate by nearly 20 highschool counselors throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

“We designed this weeklong event to be rigorous forour student participants,” said Dr. Michael Hummel,director of the Linda and Harry Serene LeadershipInstitute.

“The students’ leadership abilities will be challenged asthey participate in team building, taking charge, confidencebuilding and self-esteem exercises over five days.”

Students will work in teams to climb the rock wall inthe Herron Recreation and Fitness Center.

They also will participate in a leadership adventure atOutdoor Odyssey, a 500-acre facility in Boswell, Pa., thatfeatures campgrounds, zip-lines, rappelling courses and avariety of outdoor activities.

In the classroom, camp participants will learn aboutleadership theories, characteristics and styles. Hummelteaches many of the classes, with assistance from Lindaand Harry Serene and other volunteer leaders.

This year’s volunteers include Dr. William Rullo,director of counseling services at Upper St. Clair HighSchool, and attorney Bart Gabler, of McKinsey Companyand Associates.

Cal U faculty members Dr. Gary Delorenzo, chair of

the Department of Math, Computer Science andInformation Systems; Dr. Tony Rodi, assistant professor inthat department; and Kelley Hunt, executive director forthe Entrepreneurial Leadership Center and StudentIncubator, also will volunteer to teach classes.

“Our participants always tell us what a great time theyhave at camp,” Hummel said.

“It is not all about academics. It is about buildingfriendships and learning how to work with others that maybe different than you.”

To learn more about the Leadership Challenge and the Lindaand Harry Serene Leadership Institute, visitwww.calu.edu/business-community or contact Dr. MichaelHummel at hummel@calu.edu .

River Trail Plans Proposed

Camp Hones Leadership Skills

Linda and Dr. Harry Serene address participants at the thirdannual Leadership Challenge summer camp, which runsthrough Saturday.

TrusteesAddress

LeadershipTransition

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positive influence of Dr. Armenti and his wife.”Barbara Hess, vice president of the

Association of Pennsylvania State College andUniversity Faculties, thanked the Board ofGovernors “for standing up for the students andstaff of Cal U, and for the taxpayers.”

On behalf of the faculty union, she calledon the Trustees to “put California on the‘academics first’ track”; to mandatetransparency, especially in financial matters; andto mandate “true shared governance.”

During the routine business portion of themeeting, the Trustees gave final approval for anew bachelor’s degree program in MechatronicsEngineering Technology. Slated to begin in fall2013, it will be the first of its kind in the StateSystem.

The four-year degree in mechatronics — anemerging field that blends mechanical andelectrical engineering technology with computerscience — will align with Cal U’s commitmentto science, technology, engineering and math,and to STEM education.

In other business:• Acting President Geraldine Jones told the

Trustees that she has been sharing weeklymessages with the campus community. “Havingcredible information can be reassuring in timesof transition,” she said, adding that she intendsto continue communicating regularly withfaculty, staff, students and alumni.

• Associate Provost Bruce Barnhart,representing the Office of Academic Affairs,introduced a report that highlighted studentpresentations at national conferences and CalU’s second-place award winner in the PASSHEbusiness plan competition.

• Robert Thorn, vice president forAdministration and Finance, focused on aworkshop for commercial music technologystudents offered in conjunction with the grandopening of the Convocation Center. The KennyRogers concert featured at the grand openingturned a profit of $6,200, he reported, andVenuWorks, which has been hired to managethe new facility, has begun planning for otherentertainment events.

• Dr. Lenora Angelone, vice president forStudent Affairs, reported on plans to use theSAI Farm as a site for academic projects. Ageology demonstration already has been held onthe south campus property, and facultymembers are organizing ICES — theInterdisciplinary Center for EnvironmentalStudies — to manage appropriate grantproposals and research requests.

• Craig Butzine, vice president for Marketingand University Relations, explained how thequarterly alumni magazine and otherpublications are used to enhance the image ofthe University by pointing out the positiveactivities of students, faculty and staff.

• Sharon Navoney, interim vice president forUniversity Development and Cal U for Life,summarized recent alumni activities andreported that The Campaign to Build Characterand Careers has raised about $30 million, or 85percent of its goal. Progress for this fiscal year,as of April 30, is $3.8 million.

• Dr. Charles Mance, vice president forUniversity Technology Services, described anew customer satisfaction survey that will helpto inform decisions about resource allocationsfor technology services. He also reported on the“smart” classrooms project, which is on trackfor completion by fall. The project calls forupdating every one of Cal U’s 70 classroomswith new audio-visual technology and Internetaccess.

Part of Recreation Site Design and Management Class

Roman Sulkosky(left), Lena Dankaand Bryce Wilson,students in Dr. JohnConfer’s recreationsite design and man­agement class, wereamong those pre­senting recreationalplans to CaliforniaBorough officials andthe public as part ofthe River TownProgram, launchedby the PennsylvaniaEnvironmentalCouncil in 2011.

Champion Swimmer Heads to Olympic Trials

Intramural TeamsCompete at Nationals

Three-time NCAA national swimming championMelissa Gates will compete in the U.S. OlympicTrials beginning June 29 at the CenturyLink

Center in Omaha, Neb.Gates, who graduated from Cal U last month, will

compete in both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyleevents.

The 100-meter preliminaries and semifinals will heldon June 29, followed by the finals on July 1. The 50-meter preliminaries and semifinals will be held July 1,with the finals scheduled for July 2.

Gates earned an Olympic Trials berth in the 100-meters on May 27, when she won the USA SwimmingSenior Circuit 3 meet held at the University ofPittsburgh. Her time was 57.10 seconds.

She qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 50-meterfreestyle last summer, but Gates bettered her qualifyingtime in this event by winning the Senior Circuit 3 onMay 26 with a time of 25.96 seconds.

Both of Gates’ winning times set new Senior Circuit3 records.

Cal U’s head swimming coach, Ed Denny, said theU.S. Olympic Trials in swimming may be the mostcompetitive in the world, because only the top twofinishers from each event advance.

“It’s so competitive to just get there, and then thestress and pressure once you’re there is phenomenal,”he said. “With Melissa, the culmination of her careerhere and all the work she’s done the past four yearscontinues to be on an upward swing.”

Despite the odds, Denny believes anything ispossible with Gates, a 10-time All-American.

“I won’t be shocked by anything she does at theOlympic Trials,” said Denny. “To make the Olympicteam is a very, very tall order, but there aren’t manyother Division II athletes competing at this meet. It’squite an accomplishment.”

Gates concluded her extraordinary Cal U career inMarch, when she repeated as NCAA Division IInational champion in the 50-yard freestyle and alsowon the D-II national title in the 100-yard freestyle.

In addition, she placed second in the 100-yardbreaststroke and swam with two All-American relayteams.

The first swimmer in school history to be selected asthe PSAC Athlete of the Year, Gates won fivechampionships — three individual and two relay — atthe 2012 conference meet.

She is just the second Vulcan to win three individualnational titles. Track and cross country standout BrianFerrari won the 1983 NCAA Division II cross countrychampionship and consecutive 10,000-meter nationaltitles in 1983 and 1984.

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games will take placein London from July 27-Aug. 12.

Three­time NCAA national swimming champion MelissaGates will compete in the 50­meter and 100­meterfreestyle events at the U.S. Olympic Trials beginning June29 in Omaha, Neb.

Following strong showings atregional tournaments earlierthis spring, Cal U’s top

intramural women’s and men’sbasketball teams competed at theNational Intramural-RecreationalSports Association nationalchampionships.

Cal U was the only school whoseteams received at-large bids to boththe women’s and men’s tourneys,held at the University of NorthCarolina at Charlotte. Cal U wasone of just four Division II schoolsamong the 15 schools competing.

The women’s team dropped 38-36 decisions to Henderson State andOhio State universities, and theVulcans lost a 43-41 contest toanother big school, Missouri.

Team members were Bria Jones,Chaunice Lightfoot, RachaelMcDaniel, Syvae McDaniel, LauraMontecalvo, Davida Penn, Alyse

Washington and AshleyWashington.

The men’s team lost by six pointsto Southern Illinois (45-39) anddefeated Florida State by 13 points(63-50) before being eliminated 42-40 by Howard University.

Players were Josh Arnold, DanteClark, Edwin Colwell, JoshuaJohnson, Teddy Maloney, MilesPorter, Jordan Ruggiero, NicholasThomas, Evan Scott, AndreTwyman and Bradley Wiggins.

“Both teams did amazing jobsand showed a lot of heart competingagainst premier Division I clubs,”said Tom Hasbrouck, assistantdirector of recreational services.

“In the last few years theintramural program has continued togrow. … We have been producingcompetitive teams on the local,regional and national levels. I believewe are only going to get better.”

RachaelMcDaniel (left)and LauraMontecalvodisplay regionalall­tournamenttrophies fromthe NationalIntramural­RecreationalSportsAssociationnationalchampionships,held earlier thisspring. Cal U’stop intramuralwomen’s andmen’ basketballteams competedat the event.

Fun onthe

QuadStudent Andrew Tischler(right) snags a Frisbee out ofthe air during an enjoyableafternoon on the Quad withfriends, including Nate Taylor(below). Both students aregraphic design majors whowere in a playful mood at theend of the spring semester.

Geraldine M. JonesActing University President

Dr. Lenora Angelone Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Charles Mance Vice President for University Technology Services

Robert Thorn Vice President for Administration and Finance

Craig ButzineVice President for Marketing and University Relations

Sharon NavoneyInterim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Christine KindlEditor

Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff BenderWriters

Read the Journal online at www.calu.edu

The California Journal is published weekly by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Office of Communications and Public Relations 250 University Avenue California, PA 15419 724-938-4195 wald@calu.edu