February 2010 Archives

Looking for an interesting thing to do over Spring Break?  Here's an announcement that caught my eye:

Ethics Film/Video Competition

The Rock Ethics Institute announces a new short film competition designed to encourage Penn State students to engage their creativity and ethical sensitivities by producing short films/videos on ethics. Films (up to five minutes) can focus on an ethical issue or one that enhances our appreciation of the importance of being ethical. The competition is open to all undergraduate students. All finalists and semi-finalists will have their entries posted on the Rock Ethics Institute's YouTube page. Finalists will be honored at a ceremony in April 2010 during which they will be presented with a $500 award. Deadline for submissions is March 19, 2010. Complete guidelines and instructions are available on the Rock Ethics Institute's web site. 

This entry is for those 71 Paterno Fellows who arrived at Penn State as freshmen in the summer/fall of 2008 and who have subsequently been admitted as Fellows to the Schreyer Honors College.  And it's meant for those SHC students in the same class of 2012 who have chosen to be Paterno Fellows as well.

You qualify for a Liberal Arts Mentor.

Remember? Obtaining a mentor is one of the benefits of being a Paterno Fellow, and now it's your chance to collect on that benefit if you'd like. Visit the College of the Liberal Arts Mentor Program website and see the Student FAQs for more details on this excellent opportunity. I'm aware that the SHC also has a mentoring opportunity, and you may prefer that one; but you can tell that I very much think that having a mentor is a great benefit.

Note that if you indicate an interest, you'll be matched with a suitable mentor this summer, just before your junior year. Then you'll reap the rewards in your junior and senior years. 

Fill out the online application if you are interested in participating in the Liberal Arts Mentor Program. Be sure to indicate in your application that you are a Paterno Fellow. 

The mentor program does not take a lot of time but can reap big benefits. Though it is not a job- or internship-finding program by design, a good number of students have in fact achieved such results through excellent relationship-building and communication with their mentor. At the very least, you will develop clearer career plans, a top-quality résumé, a professional reference, and access to your mentor's network. View it as an investment in yourself and your professional development. 

Here are some comments from recent participants.
 I can't help but think about how great it is to have a mentor who has traveled the same path I'm hoping to enter onto and who can put me in touch with the right people to help me learn.

Thanks for making the wonderful alumni mentoring program possible! I've yet to stop raving!

The mentor program is the best thing I did at Penn State.

Thank you so very much for opening the Penn State network to me and putting me in touch with my mentor. I'm very excited to say I have a paid internship with her agency this summer!  

Sue Paterno is wondering if she might get some help from Paterno Fellows.  I'll bet the answer is: Yes!

It seems that she's been helping to arrange a 5K run for charity on the day of the Blue-White football game, Saturday, April 24, beginning around 10:00 a.m.  Football players will be running with Penn State donors, with the finish line in Beaver Stadium, and Mrs. Paterno feels that she'll need 12-15 people from 9:00-11:00 a.m. to help with arrangements, prizes, and so forth. More details will come later.

But for now I'd like to know if you'd be interested in helping with one of the Paterno's favorite causes.  I'll schedule the first 15 people who contact me at jselzer@psu.edu.  How about it?  Sounds like fun, for a good cause, in the service of our Paterno Fellows namesake!

The Paterno Fellows Information Evening, scheduled for Tuesday, February 23, 5:30 in 233 HUB, has been postponed (because the HUB unexpectedly canceled our meeting room).  We hope to reschedule for March 2.  Stay tuned for updates.

Here are a few things to keep an eye out for, in addition to the Monterey Jazz event on February 16.  These events have been coordinated by your Paterno Fellows Event Team, Ryan Hartnett, Caitlin Embrey, Jackie Young, and Caitlin Ogram.  Watch for further details on the following:

• Paterno Fellows Information Evening:  Tuesday, February 23, 5:30 in 233 HUB. (Let Jack Selzer know if you have ideas for what you'd like to see covered in this Info session.)WHOOPS, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED BECAUSE THE HUB CANCELLED THE MEETING ROOM.  WE HOPE TO RESCHEDULE FOR MARCH 2.
  

• Service and Leadership Opportunities for Paterno Fellows:  Date TBA.  This may be folded into the February 23 event, or it might be separate.  In any event, we'll provide suggestions for interesting and meaningful service and leadership opportunities particularly suited to Paterno Fellows. 
  

• Liberal Arts Week events:  March 29-April 2.  Watch for details about the Cultural Fair, the Research Panel, the Great Debate, and the other events being planned by the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council. (Some are designed for Pure Fun, I've heard.) 

• Toni Morrison Visits Penn State:  at 8 pm on April 7, the Nobel Prize winner (and author of several amazing novels, including Beloved--a book which many regard as the greatest novel written by an American in the past fifty years--will be here to give a lecture in Eisenhower Auditorium.  Fifty free tickets in a prime location have been reserved for Paterno Fellows, and we hope to have a fantastic event beforhand as well.  Stay tuned for more information.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Now here's a bit of news for anyone who knows me: I am now a blogger.  OMG.  (Indeed, this is my first post.)  From now on, I will be making regular posts on the Paterno Fellows Blog so that you can keep up with Paterno Fellows news and coming events--and so that you can register your own comments and questions in response. (Be patient with me until I get the hang of it.)

Now all I need is some readers.  I hope that Paterno Fellows and aspirants will subscribe!

Your Paterno Student Advisory Board has arranged a great way for you to celebrate Mardi Gras, Tuesday, February 16:  with some jazz!  For just $5, as a Paterno Fellow or aspirant you can attend the Monterey Jazz Festival 7:30 p.m. performance in Eisenhower Auditorium AND a special pre-performance chat with some of the musicians (and some appropriate-for-the-day food and drink) beginning at 6:15.  Claim your ticket by coming to 119 Sparks as soon as you can.

You may also bring one non-Paterno Fellow/aspirant with you if you'd like, for the same $5 price. (Student tickets for this event are normally priced at $20.)  We have arranged for special seating together in a top location.

Also Note: if you take advantage of this opportunity and buy a ticket or two, you must commit to attending the pre-performance discussion (featuring one or more of the performers!) beginning at 6:15.  Come to Eisenhower Auditorium at 6:15 and you will be directed to the room for the pre-performance food-and-discussion.
 
Final Note: The first 25 people to claim tickets will be guaranteed a spot.  After that we will try to secure a space for you, and expect to secure it; but we cannot guarantee it. (This has to do with arranging for special rates.)

Visit Penn State's Center for the Performing Arts to find out more about this event.

Associate Dean Chris Long and Paterno Fellows Director Jack Selzer are wondering if a few students might want to try their hand as Paterno Fellows Bloggers.  We are aiming for about ten bloggers, so let Jack Selzer know if you have an interest--whether you've ever blogged or not.  (JSelzer@psu.edu.) 

We need your perspectives and insights and sense of humor.  Want to write about our THON dancers?  Or about the jazz night on Mardi Gras, or the appearance by Toni Morrison on April 7?  Want to raise questions or make suggestions or post photos?And who knows, maybe some of the postings you develop will find a place in your Excellence in Communication Certificate portfolios. 

What do you get in return?  Well, we can talk about it.... Let Jack Selzer know of your interest and he'll try to accommodate as many of you as possible.

 

Last summer, you may remember, 24 Paterno aspirants officially became the first Paterno Fellows on the basis of their successful academic work in their first two semesters at Penn State. Now, as a result of their efforts during fall semester 2009, an additional 46 Liberal Arts students have moved from aspirant to Fellow--they too are now officially Schreyer Honors College students as well as Paterno Fellows. This means that altogether 70 students who began in the fall of 2008 are in the first, "pioneer" cohort of Paterno Fellows. Over 100 additional fall 2008 entrants are also still in line to become Fellows, depending on how they do this semester, but for now, let's congratulate these latest 46 for their fantastic success:

• Autumn Griffin (English)
• Ju Hyun Park (English)
• John Hallinger (English)
• Stephen Koller (Sociology)
• Michele Weiss (Socilogy)
• Emily Kowey (International Politics)
• Torilynn Bell (International Politics)
• Amy Copley (International Politics)
• Kaitlyn Lynes (International Politics)
• Rose Hannah (Political Science)
• Ashley Trice (Political Science)
• Katherine Gregory (International Politics)
• Erin Morton (International Politics)
• Christen Buckley (International Politics)
• Robert Wiecorek (International Politics)
• Joshua Korn (Sociology)
• Brandon Betts (History)
• Diana Blair (History)
• John Fitzgerald (Jewish Studies)
• Richard King (CAMS)
• Nathanael Murphy (History)
• Kaitlyn Randol (Religious Studies)
• Conor Ryan (History)
• Paul Stretton (History)
• Elias Green (Political Science)
• Sara Chroman (Political Science)
• Charles Lewis (Political Science)
• Julie Swebinsky (Political Science)
• August Dombrow (Political Science)
• Rose Monahan (Political Science)
• Michael Paretti (Political Science)
• Matthew Farley (French)
• Jacqueline Gauthier (French)
• Danielle Miller (Spanish)
• Caitlyn Smith (Japanese)
• Stefan Orzech (Comp Lit)
• Alexandra Pecora (Spanish)
• Stephanie Brunner (Psychology)
• Gina Mattei (Psychology)
• David Capolupo (Philosophy)
• Pamela Dorian (Philosophy)
• Leanne Lane (Philosophy)
• Bryan Herling (Archeology)
• Marie-Christine Theberge (Spanish)
• Christopher Rozak (Political Science)
• Ainsley Hume (Anthropology)

Schreyer Honors College student, Bekah Cosco, and psychology professor, Rick Jacobs, want Paterno Fellows to know about (in Bekah's words) "an exciting opportunity for students interested in learning more about leadership skills. The Schreyer Honors College Leadership Assessment Center (SHCLAC) is a program free of cost to Penn State honors students.  While we have most spots filled, we are still  seeking participants for the February 27th session. Participating students will be able to learn more about their leadership strengths and areas of development, as graduate students and Penn State alumni provide valuable feedback."

Psychology professor Rick Jacobs adds this note on the offering: "This has been a project of mine for the past 4 years and it is really taking off thanks to the support of Dean Brady and his development officer, Marc McMullin." 

This is a wonderful opportunity for Paterno Fellows who are Schreyer Scholars to gain insight and information that will benefit them as leaders in Happy Valley and in future careers.  It should help Fellows who are thinking about ways to satisfy the leadership or service expectation for Fellows.

For details, visit the Schreyer Honors College website or send an email to SHCLAC@psu.edu

Discovery Grants are perfect for Fellows because Fellows are always engaged in original research. 

Even if applying for a 2010 grant is not a possibility, we wanted to make sure you knew about this competition, as many of you will be interested in applying in the future. While the summer between your junior and senior year is often an ideal time to devote to this type of research project, sophomores and freshmen are also welcome to apply and have been selected in the past. If you have a research question that you'd like to find the answer to, with assistance from a faculty member that you already know, this offering is for you.

Please see the original LAUS Announcements post for more details on the Discovery Grant Application process.

Chrissy Boggs (Psychology major) and Lauren Perrotti (Spanish and Italian major) will be dancing in THON this year, supported by the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council.

Here's a related story about the LAUC THON efforts.

Chrissy, a senior, arrived at Penn State too soon to become a Paterno Fellow, but she has been serving on the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board. Chrissy and the other members of the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board  worked particularly hard last year to develop guidelines for Paterno Fellows on matters like ethics courses and communications requirements. Lauren is a Paterno Fellow, having just been admitted as a result of her academic accomplishments during her first three semesters.  Both Chrissy and Lauren have been helping with the recruitment of new students this year.

I'm sure both of them would welcome notes with encouragement and best wishes.  It is great to have them giving their time and effort to such a great cause!  Let's give them our full support before, during, and after the weekend of February 19-21!