February 2010 Archives

After seeing the headlines from the Collegian about PSU Deans "warning" students about Saturday's State Patty's Day, I thought that it might be a good idea to tweet Sam Loewner, President of the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council and an officer from University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), so we might engage in a discussion about the celebration.  Below is the beginning of our discussion, which we hope will continue in the comments here and elsewhere in the Penn State online and in-person community.

Dean Long: How are students responding to the comments reported in the Collegian and on Onward State in which Deans and other officials are attempting to address the issues around State Patty's Day?

Sam: I think the students are responding in a defensive manner.  The messages from the University range from "Don't drink" to "if you do drink, there will be serious consequences."

Dean Long: How could we enter into a discussion about the important concerns regarding responsible drinking in a productive way?  Specifically, I am interested in the possibility of a deeper dialogue about undergraduate drinking without falling into a paternalistic mode that often provokes the sort of defensiveness you mention.

Sam: Students are already taking a proactive and responsible approach. The UPUA sponsored a full page ad reminding students to make responsible decisions. The Greek governing bodies took actions that limit the roles that sororities and fraternities will play over the weekend. But let's not forget that State Patty's Day was established as a way to bring the Penn State community together.

Dean Long: I think that is an important reminder.  In talking to Meghan White, a 2006 CLA graduate working now at Allegheny College, I was struck by her suggestion that "the event attracts alums as well and it should be noted that it is up to alums to set a positive example to undergraduates about how to celebrate the spirit of Penn State in a responsible way." I think it is important to emphasize the role alums play in this and the fact that it is in some degree a celebration of the Penn State community.

The issue is, can the community respond in a thoughtful and mature way to the real problems that the event can generate?

Sam: The kind of discussion we are having here might serve as a way to begin such a response. Since this is an event based around the Penn State community, I think we can mitigate some of the problems by making sure we are looking out for one another, as I think many of the concerns center around the question of safety.

Dean Long and Sam: How will you look out for your fellow community members this weekend?  What should the University response to State Patty's Day be? How can faculty, students, administrators, and alums work together to address the complex set of issues that stem from the State Patty's Day phenomenon?

This seems to us to be a good opportunity to open a deeper dialogue about these issues and we hope that you will join in the discussion here. 

For those Twitterers, let's use the #StatePatty hash tag.

Internship at Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a pharmaceutical research company that creates and markets vaccines and medication for populations in need. According to Vault, they also host one of the top ten internship programs in the US. After reading about their program on the College of the Liberal Arts internship website, Tim Reside (senior, economics and sociology major) applied and was offered an internship, which he immediately accepted.

At Merck, Tim interned in the business management branch of the Global Human Health Information Technology department. Not only was his internship a great opportunity for Tim to develop his interest in economics, but it was also convenient, because he could live at home and commute to work daily. Tim worked mainly at corporate headquarters in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, although he occasionally commuted to Merck's other location in Landsdale, Pennsylvania.

Working as a business management intern for eleven weeks, Tim focused mainly on one long-term project: an economic model that would forecast Merck's spending for the next year. Tim received previous spending statistics from 2008 to June 2009, and worked to predict future spending for the remainder of 2009 and 2010. Upon completion of the forecast model, Tim was asked to document the model, which entailed writing how-to-use instructions so the model could be used after Tim completed his internship. The model was such a success that the company is still using and refining it today.

Tim's day usually began with updates from his supervisor's receptionist, and then transitioned into various meetings regarding the model. He constantly communicated with colleagues from Landsdale by phone, e-mail, and video conference. During Tim's last week, he and his partner had to present their model to clients world-wide, using the video conference technology. While such a big presentation was a challenge for Tim, he says it was all worth it when his supervisor later commended him and his partner. Tim's experience giving an important presentation in front of management made him realize the value of his Penn State coursework. He credits CAS 100 with helping him with his public speaking skills, and his economics classes with giving him valuable information he used while creating his model.

One highlight from Tim's internship was attending a Phillies game, one of the many "intern outings" created by Merck. This game allowed Tim to interact with other interns that he wouldn't necessarily have met while working in the office. Another intern outing included a day off of work and a cruise with DJ, full buffet, and prizes awarded to the interns. Merck also hosted many recruiting activities, such as a lunch meeting at corporate headquarters in which its employees discussed the future of the interns at the company.

Reflecting back upon his internship, Tim notes the importance of excellent communication skills and the ability to work both in teams and alone efficiently. For more information regarding Tim's experience at Merck, please e-mail him at tcr5007@gmail.com. See Merck's website for additional details of their internship program.

As an adviser, I routinely talk to students about their classes---ones that they feel good about and others that are not going so well. Invariably, I ask, "Who is your professor?" and many students struggle with this question. They say things, like, "I can't think of her name...she's tall and she has curly black hair...."

Sometimes when a student and I are navigating our way through a difficult academic process, I will ask the student, "Okay, what's the name of the person you dealt with in that office in case we need to follow up?" Nine times out of ten, the answer is: "I have no idea."

There are three pieces of advice I like to give to my students:

1. Always know the name of the person to whom you're speaking---staff assistants in academic departments, employees in the Registrar's Office, financial aid counselors in the Office of Student Aid, etc.

2. Be sure you know the names of all of your professors every semester. Their names appear on their syllabi, and they are listed on the Schedule of Courses. Ask questions in class and stay in touch with instructors you especially liked.  After the class is over, tell these faculty members what you appreciated about their courses and keep them updated about your current progress and developing interests.

3. Resist the temptation to be anonymous.  At a large institution, it's very easy to remain unknown and choosing that path is academically and professionally detrimental.  Make sure that faculty and staff know who you are. Routinely introduce yourself and repeat your name in every interaction.

The majority of Penn State students take important steps to enhance their professional development by participating in service activities, taking on leadership roles in student organizations, completing internships---all of which are tremendously valuable endeavors. But one critical aspect of their professional development that students routinely overlook is the significance of professional relationships here at Penn State.

When people apply for jobs, their potential employers want to know something about the work that these applicants did previously. They want to know how they handle stress or set-backs, about their work ethic, their communication skills, and what roles they take on in collaborative efforts (read: group projects).

Similarly, whether students plan to enter the workforce or apply to law school or graduate school or join the Peace Corps, those institutions and agencies will want to know what the applicants bring to the table. In other words, they want to know who these recent graduates are -- not just information about their grade point averages and a laundry list of their extracurricular activities -- but a real sense of them as potential employees and colleagues.

In terms of your own professional development, begin to think about Penn State as not only the place where you earned your degree, but also as the institution -- made up of faculty and staff -- that future employers will consult with to assess your candidacy for a job, graduate school admission, and so on.

At a large school like Penn State, students have to work a little harder on the relationship aspect of their professional development. I know this because I am a Penn State graduate myself. But I also know that students are fully capable of taking on this challenge to expand their professional networks.

So, again, very simply: know whom you're talking to, learn your professors' names, and invest energy in becoming known for the person you are.

This year the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (LAUC) took a leadership role in THON 2010. To see the students at Penn State so actively involved in philanthropy is extremely heartening.

Anyone concerned about "the apathy of today's undergraduate students" need only venture into the Bryce Jordan Center on THON weekend to learn about dedication, ethical leadership and compassion.

THON is the largest student run philanthropic initiative in the world, having raised $61 million for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children's Hospital to fight pediatric cancer.  This year they raised over 7.8 million dollars.

The LAUC had two dancers, Lauren Perrotti and Chrissy Boggs.  To hear them talk about THON, how they prepared, and what it means to them to participate, listen to them on LAUSRadio episode 3.

The LAUC covered the event on their blog with updates about THON from the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend.

Also, you can read the account Chrissy Boggs gives of the LAUC canning efforts to raise money for THON in Scranton, PA earlier this year.

Visit THON.org to learn more about this very special event.

Episode 3 of LAUS Radio focuses on this weekend's THON Dance Marathon. Associate Dean Long and Heather Summerlin are joined by LAUC members Lauren Perrotti, Chrissy Boggs, and Sam Loewner.

Lauren Perrotti, LAUC webmaster, and Chrissy Boggs, LAUC THON chair, will be representing the LAUC and LAUS as THON dancers for the first time this weekend. THON participants have been raising money all year in anticipation of the Dance Marathon. Lauren and Chrissy, along with over 700 other THON Dancers, will be dancing for forty-six hours straight this weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The LAUC members help to explain THON's mission and philanthropy goals. Lauren and Chrissy also share their training strategies and encourage Liberal Arts undergraduates to come out to show their support and to keep the dancers motivated.

For more information, visit the THON's web site.

LAUS Radio Episode 3

To subscribe to LAUS Radio through iTunes, click here.

I met with Sean Healy last week to talk about the Liberal Arts Magazine he is starting here at Penn State. It will be called, Agora.

Sean tells the story of how it came about:

"When I changed campus to University Park last fall I was seeking an opportunity on campus to get involved. I found it difficult to find a student organization that I was passionate about or thought would fit my personality. I was looking to get involved in some sort of publication or magazine because I enjoy writing, and when I explored my options I found that Penn State did not have a Liberal Arts magazine. I decided that a Liberal Arts magazine at Penn State would be the perfect opportunity for Liberal Arts students and Penn State as a whole to gain from the experience of writing and the invaluable process of peer editing, review, and discussions.

This was the start of Agora and it the organization has been slowly growing ever since."

The first edition of the magazine is due out March 1st, and it will be available at the LAUS office in 119 Sparks.

Here is Sean's description of the magazine itself:

"Agora is a monthly Liberal Arts publication that seeks to promote diversity, free thought, and a marketplace of ideas for the Penn State community. All writing pieces within this publication are the original ideas of our authors who are encouraged to write about the issues they are most passionate about and feel should be further discussed. The result is a body of writing different from any Penn State publication. With no limits, our writers are free to express viewpoints that are often muffled, sidelined, or under discussed. From this thought the motivation for our name is derived: Agora.

The agora was a place of assembly unique to the ancient Greek civilization that served as both a political and commercial marketplace. The powerful symbolism embodied within the principal of an agora is clearly represented in the first amendment of the United States constitution: freedom of speech."

I look forward to the appearance of this new magazine and hope that we can work together to amplify its voice in the College and the University.

David Morgan, '85 PL SC, JD '88, has proven that small companies can offer big benefits to Penn State students. David is the creator of Simulmedia, a media marketing company, and gladly hosted two Penn State Liberal Arts student interns last summer to give them knowledge and skills useful for the business world.

David is best described as a serial entrepreneur. Before founding Simulmedia he was the founder, CEO and Chairman of TACODA, Inc., an online advertising company that pioneered behavioral online marketing in 2001 and was acquired by AOL in 2007, as well as Real Media, Inc., one of the world's first ad serving and online ad network companies and a predecessor to 24/7 Real Media (TFSM), which was later sold to WPP. Most recently, David served as Executive Vice President, Global Advertising Strategy, at AOL, formerly a Time Warner Company.

Today, David is the CEO for Simulmedia, a New York City-based media marketing company dedicated to improving the effectiveness of program promotion on television. This fast-paced startup is pioneering the development of predictive technology using a variety of data sources to help television companies deliver the right on-air promotions to the right viewers at the right time.

When David learned about the opportunity to sponsor Liberal Arts interns, he immediately saw the possibilities for Simulmedia. He believes a liberal arts education helps students to develop key writing, communication and critical thinking skills, which are just as necessary backgrounds in technology companies as engineering and technical backgrounds. Therefore, Liberal Arts students, Lindsay Keane, a senior in psychology, and Austen Talbot, a senior in economics, joined his company for the summer.

Working full-time, Lindsay and Austen were immediately embraced as part of the staff at Simulmedia and given various tasks reflecting the variety of work done at the company. A major ongoing project involved classifying 5,000 shows broadcasted during April and May into subcategories according to their audience statistics. By the end of the internship, both students created and delivered presentations to the staff, analyzing different communications companies and their relations to Simulmedia. Their positive energy and relentless work ethic allowed Lindsay and Austen to accomplish David's objective, as well as demonstrated to the Simulmedia staff how they can utilize future employees with backgrounds similar to those of Lindsay and Austen.

The Penn State interns had the unique experience of working in an emerging technology company in the media marketing industry. Rarely do people have a chance of working in a start-up company, a growing trend in the current economy. Also, the students were able to work in Manhattan, the corporate heart of the nation. David understands how different working in this environment can be, having grown up in Western Pennsylvania and coming to Manhattan only 15 years ago.

David plans on hosting more Liberal Arts interns in the future and is currently working on creating positions for this summer. He highly recommends that other Penn State alumni consider sponsoring interns as well. To learn more about making internship positions available to Liberal Arts students, see the Employer page of our internship website, or contact Ashley Tarbet at aet143@psu.edu.

Episode 2 Recap:

Geoff Halberstadt, LAUC Faculty Senator and AAC Delegate, joins LAUS Radio and discusses the latest UPUA news, including the recent resignation of the representative for the commonwealth campuses. Geoff also gives an update on LAUC's preparation for THON.

Also, Ashley Tarbet, CLA Undergraduate Enrichment Coordinator, discusses CLA's recent successful internship information session: The Internship Search. Ashley talks about internship opportunities and resources for Liberal Arts undergraduates.

Associate Dean Long and Heather Summerlin highlight LAUS social media news and updates and encourage undergraduates to start participating.

Jillian Balay announces several LAUS staff awards and achievements.

LAUS Radio Episode 2

To subscribe to LAUS Radio through iTunes, click here.

Before I launch into my very first post, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Samantha Miller (though most everyone calls me Sam) and I am a senior liberal arts student here at Penn State. I am currently finishing up a double major in political science and minor in Spanish. I say finishing up because I have, as of the first week of January, officially filed my intent to graduate (it was a very bittersweet moment). 

The Liberal Arts Office of Undergraduate Studies (LAUS) would like to congratulate one of our staff members, Karen Sones, Lead Adviser in Crime, Law, and Justice and Sociology, on receiving the Liberal Arts Staff Employee Recognition (LASER) Award. The LASER Award is the highest award a staff member in the College of the Liberal Arts can receive. Recipients of the award have demonstrated superior performance in their position, have exceeded expectations, and have significantly impacted the College for the better.

Karen has been with the College of the Liberal Arts for thirteen of her almost twenty three years as an employee at Penn State. She began in the Liberal Arts as an adviser in the Crime, Law, and Justice and Sociology Departments. She is currently the Lead Adviser in the same department. Karen's main responsibilities include advising students; supervising advisers in her work unit; and serving as project lead for College initiatives as well as University sponsored programs for the College, such as FTCAP and Accepted Student Offer Sessions. Additionally, Karen supports the department by overseeing a student newsletter and serving as a member of the Justice Association Advisory board, SOC Undergraduate Committee, and CLJ Undergraduate Committee.

In addition to her job related duties, Karen has extended her service to the University community at large. For the last ten years she has devoted her time to the Fast Start Mentor Program as well as taking an active role in adult learner advocacy by serving as a member of the Hendrick Best Practices Subcommittee for the Commission for Adult Learners. In other student support roles, Karen is a member of the LGBT Support Network and is a mentor for foreign exchange students.

Congratulations on this prestigious award, Karen!

See the Liberal Arts Staff Awards web site for a complete list of 2009-2010 recipients.  

This post invites responses, video and otherwise, about how your education has shaped who you are.  Please join the discussion by commenting or posting a video of your own.

In the video I talk briefly about the impact my study abroad experience in Vienna, Austria in 1989 had on me.  I then ask you how your education changed who you are.

We were pleased to see LAUC President and UPUA Academic Affairs Committee Chairman Sam Loewner's recent informed and thoughtful post on academic integrity at Penn State. LAUS shares the AAC's goal, after all: to give students "an equal chance at success based on their individual merits." I thought I'd continue this important discussion by sharing a bit about the academic integrity process here in Liberal Arts.

Our academic integrity committee's task is twofold: discussing ways to promote academic integrity (which involves educating both students and faculty), and dealing with specific cases of academic dishonesty in Liberal Arts courses that merit our attention.

The committee, which actually just met yesterday afternoon, performs paper reviews of two types of cases at meetings: those in which the student contests a charge of academic dishonesty made by a faculty member, and those in which a student accused of academic dishonesty has a prior academic integrity violation on file at Penn State. We are careful to follow our Policies and Procedures regarding committee membership and meetings. While I do not vote on the committee, I coordinate its efforts and serve as the point of contact for any faculty member or student who has a question about this process.

I would like to correct one statement in Sam's post. He writes that receiving a grade of XF for an AI violation "indicates that there was a criminal element involved (a student who steals a copy of a test from a professor's briefcase, for instance)." Receiving an XF does not necessarily indicate that the academic dishonesty was criminal in intent. Rather, an XF is reserved for either repeat AI offenses or for particularly egregious first offenses (that may or may not be criminal in nature). Before it is assigned, an XF - which we view as a very serious sanction - must be approved by three parties: the instructor, our AI committee, and the Office of Judicial Affairs.

We encourage anyone who is interested in our process, or in tips for maintaining academic honesty in the classroom, to check out the materials on our website. A recent addition - part of our efforts to ensure that students facing academic integrity charges in Liberal Arts courses receive due process - is the Student Instructions document. Here, we list UPUA Legal Affairs as a resource for students seeking additional counsel regarding the academic integrity process.

To you all for your support, prayers, and financial contributions. I am deeply moved by your generosity and thoughtfulness. As Haiti begins to rebuild, rest assure your prayers and funds will be of great help. Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation.

Warmly,

Marie

There's No Place Like State College

Nonie Ebeling, the director of major gifts for the College of the Liberal Arts, would be a perfect overseas tour guide. She has traveled extensively throughout India and Central America, visiting sites like the Taj Mahal, the beaches of Goa, Mayan ruins in Honduras, and volcanoes and coffee plantations in El Salvador, to name a few.

But the globe-trotting Nonie feels right at home in Happy Valley and jumped at the chance to work for her alma mater. She started with the College of the Liberal Arts on November 30, 2009. "I was attracted to the idea of coming back to Penn State because of the opportunity to work with a great team of high-achieving professionals," Nonie says. "I'm also eager to tell everyone about the great work happening at this top-notch institution."

Nonie graduated from Penn State in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in speech pathology and audiology and went on to earn a master's degree in public health and education studies from the University of Alabama. While living in Atlanta, she was a public health fellow for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonie also previously worked in nonprofit development for organizations like the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Most recently, she served as the senior development officer for the Southern Environmental Law Center in Atlanta.

"I hope to use my twelve years of fundraising experience to connect with Liberal Arts alumni in meaningful ways," Nonie says. "I'd like to engage them in ways that not only support the financial goals of the college, but also add value to their personal lives."

In addition to development, Nonie's other professional interest is environmental health. She has published several academic articles in the field and co-wrote a textbook chapter titled "Environmental Justice" for the book Teaching Strategies for Environmental Health. Nonie loves sports, especially Penn State and Georgia Tech football, and is also excited to experience State College's performing arts scene. She lives with her husband and fellow alum, Don Wilson, her 12-year-old daughter, and two Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs.

Please welcome this world traveler back to Penn State!

-Written by Virginia Harrison, Administrative Support Assistant, Development and Alumni Relations