January 2012 Archives

Dear Paterno Fellows and Aspirants,

To honor Joe Paterno and send our gratitude and condolences to the entire Paterno family we are preparing a compilation of students' remarks on behalf of all Paterno Fellow students.   This is an opportunity to share with the Paterno Family your thoughts, whatever they may be - condolences on Joe's passing, gratitude for all they have done for us as students, personal stories of their impact, and more. 

Should you like to participate feel free to use whatever medium (type written, hand written, drawing, etc.) you deem appropriate.  The only restriction is that is must be able to fit into a 12x12 sized scrapbook.  In addition to providing your thoughts, we welcome any photos of your experiences in the Paterno Fellow program and encounters with the Paterno Family.

These submissions may be sent to Kaitlyn Randol via email at k2randol@gmail.com or Christen Buckley at christenbuckley5@gmail.com.  For hand prepared pieces, label them 'ATTN: Kaitlyn Randol' and deliver them to 119 Sparks.  Please also include your name, year, and major with your submission.

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 6TH TO BE INCLUDED.

Here's an overview of Special Events for Spring Semester.  Watch for additional information--and mark your calendars.

• January 9:  Paterno Fellows Recognition Event
• January 26:  Discovery Grant information session, 4 pm, 124 Sparks
• February 2:  Presidential Leadership Academy information session (for first-year students), 4 pm, 124 Sparks
• February 3: Coffee-hour conversation about the 2012 presidential election season with Dr. John M. Murphy from the University of Illinois. Informal and fun--come to 124 Sparks from 10:00am-11:00am for coffee and snacks. (Dr. Murphy is a leading scholar of presidential rhetoric. He has published academic articles about the presidential rhetoric of John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. He will be sharing his thoughts about the current election cycle, responding to your questions, asking asking you some.)
  

• Special Series on Civil Rights:

• Bettye Collier-Thomas (Temple University): "Women, Religion, Race, and Civil Rights:" Friday, February 3, 12:20-1:10 in 124 Sparks (lunch included)
• Charles McKinney (Rhodes College):  "Narratives in the Civil Rights Story:" Wednesday, March 15, 12:20-1:10 in 118 Willard (lunch included)
• Frank Walker (University of Kentucky): poetry reading - Thursday, March 29, 11:30-12:45 in 124 Sparks (lunch included)
• Jeff Ogbar (University of Connecticut): "Black Power and Hip Hop:" Thursday, April 5, 11:30-12:45 in 124 Sparks (lunch included)

• February 29:  Big Event of the Semester:  Attend at a substantially reduced price the performance of "American Idiot" in Eisenhower Auditorium.  Details to follow.
• Early April: Sarah Vowell will be meeting Paterno Fellows in an event to be announced.  Ms Vowell, an essayist and social commentator (and the voice of Violet in The Incredibles!), for over a decade was a regular contributor to features on NPR's This American Life series. Details to follow.
• April 22: Sue Paterno's Beaver Stadium 5K Run for Special Olympics. Details to follow.
• April 24:  Meet Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an expert on presidential elections.  See http://vimeo.com/36951741
  
• May 4: Ceremonies honoring the first graduating class of Paterno Fellows.  Details to follow. Liberal Arts graduation will be the next day, May 5.
  

At the Recognition Event on January 9, the following Paterno Fellows were recognized for meeting the requirements to enter the Schreyer Honors College:

Class of 2013
Craig Anderson, Robert Baldassarre, Denise Bartolome, Andrew Bellwoar, Alexandra Beyda, David Darr, Jessica Deitzer, Alicia Doorey, Jessica Drobnick, Sarah Eissler, Genevieve Farrell, Ryan Green, Winston Hamel, Reba Higley, Matthew Jewitt, Daniel Kannell, Danielle Mackintosh, Victoria Martin, Elizabeth Masgarha, Shannon Mccarrick, Carolina Morales, Courtney Mundt, Megan Naude, Mark Petusky, Gina Ranieri, Dredeir Roberts, Allison Robertson, Harrison Rogers, Beth Rudoy, Lauren Zychowicz

Class of 2014
Chelsea Allen, Chelsea Amaral, Philip Antonello , Tamires Bastos, Carl Boswell, Alexander Brillman, Sean Carr, Lauren Christiansen, Mitchell Culler, Emma Decker, Nicholas Defillipo, Melissa Dijulio, Kimberly Foerster, Rachel Franceschino, Helen Geleskie, Michael Goldenberg, Lili Hadsell, Cortlyn Hagman, Andrew Huffard, So Hyun Jin, Sarina Katz, Kendyl Keesey, Michael Kern, Michael Kramer, John Lee, Seung Wong (Sally) Lee, Zachariah Mandell, Annie Marcinek, Abigail Massaro, Jay Mathias, Jessica Maynor, Samantha Mitchell, Thomas Nichols, Leah Pappas, Katharine Pecorino, Katherine Pettine, Brian Prewitt, Kathleen Quinn, Natalie Roberts, Gabrielle Rosenblum, Devon Santoro, Thomas Shutt, Douglas Smith, Lucas Sobchack, Madison Sopic, Rachel Steinberg, Victoria Thomas, Elizabeth Thorwart, Jordan Tobe, Rebecca Vickery, Alexandra Walsh, Sarah Walsh, Ariel Weber, Sophia Weidner, Hannah Weinberg, James Yarnell, Sean Yu

Class of 2015
Vera Abaimova, Jeanne Almeida, Emily Bellwoar, Alexandra Busalacchi, Katherine Busalacchi, Stephanie Crilly, Kara Crouse, Nicholas Dau, Sean Dooling, Emily Duke, Fallon Dungan, Coral Flanagan, Katherine Greensmith, Carolyn Harmeling, Kari Hartbauer, Sean Lane, Michelle Lenze, Alexandra Manbeck, Erin Mctiernan, Katherine Milliken, Whitney Moore, Christina Nguyen, Reema Pangarkar, Rachel Patchen, Katherine Rhodes, Erik Rocchino, Corynne Ross, Matthew Senior, Julia Shaner, Brian Shiue, Bryn Spielvogel, Benjamin Stewart, Daniel Sulvetta, Keith Taylor, Samantha Yuhas, Zachary Zern

For a story on the event, visit Penn State Live.

Check out the slideshow of photos from the 2012 Paterno Fellows Program Recognition Ceremony:

Paterno Fellows have a chance at an up-close-and-personal meeting with Bettye Collier-Thomas, professor of history at Temple University and the founding director of the Bethune Museum and Archives in Washington--the first museum and archive established to recognize African-American women.

Come and take part in an informal exchange with Professor Collier-Thomas on Friday, February 3, 12:20-1:10 in 124 Sparks. Lunch provided!--but you must email your reservation to hms4@psu.edu by 5 pm February 2.

Joe Paterno, one of the Paterno Fellows main inspirations, the greatest coach in the history of American sports, and an educator who devoted his life to bringing out the very best in young people, died Sunday morning as he had lived: courageous, generous of heart, committed to living an an exemplary life. "He died as he lived," the Paterno family said in a written statement. "He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."

Here is what I said at the Paterno Fellows Recognition Event on January 9:

Many of you have read The Aeneid, I know--it's a poem about struggle. That's why it's a Paterno family favorite. Aeneas, the hero of the poem, spends his life struggling in a seemingly never-ending voyage to find a home after the fall of his beloved Troy. He is a tremendously capable man, full of ability and virtue, admired by his compatriots, devoted to his family, crew and community, driven to make a difference, who nevertheless undergoes all kinds of hardships--some of them caused by others or by the elements, some of them brought on by human weaknesses. He escapes from Troy with his son, but fails to protect his beloved wife; he makes some bad navigational moves; he shows his temper; most famously, he has an affair with a woman, abandons her, and drives her to suicide. Aeneas isn't out to avoid trouble; he knows the world is imperfect, fallen; he can't avoid trouble and isn't naïve about his own shortcomings.  But he believes that in the face of that imperfection, it's our job to persevere, to struggle, to excel to the best of our ability anyhow. Life is nothing but trouble, it sometimes seems: get used to it because you can't avoid it.

What matters is how you deal with it, how you respond to trouble. Aeneas in the end learns from all the challenges, perseveres in the face of all of them, and ultimately founds a City on a Hill (seven of them, actually), the city of Rome--a new and better Troy, a better (if still imperfect) community. For that we rightly regard him as a hero.  

And here is what Joepa said to all of us a year ago, at the first Paterno Fellows Recognition Event: http://youtu.be/lgxTpk0JMY0

In the coming days there will be many tributes to Joe Paterno.  I will do my best to let you know about them.  And of course in April there will be opportunities to support Sue Paterno's 5K Stadium Run in support of Special Olympics.  It will be a massive event this year, and your help will be critical.  Watch for announcements about how to get involved.

I'm writing to encourage first-year Paterno Fellows and PF aspirants to apply for membership in the next Presidential Leadership Academy class. The selection process takes place this semester and activities begin in the fall.

Interested? Come to an info session Thursday, February 2 at 4 pm in 124 Sparks. You can still apply without coming to the info session, but the info session will include helpful hints and address frequently asked questions. Current Liberal Arts Presidential Leadership Academy members will be there to offer their perspectives on what makes a successful application and what the PLA involves and offers.

Established in spring 2009, the Academy is a three-year leadership development opportunity for a select group of students. Through the Presidential Leadership Academy, students will develop leadership fundamentals to thrive in an environment in which multiple dimensions of an issue are explored, diverse viewpoints are welcomed and heard, and a fully informed and respectful discourse ensues that leads to sound action. The curricular and extracurricular opportunities available through the Academy lead to further development of critical thinking abilities necessary for leaders to implement decisions with sensitivity to the circumstances that led them and the flexibility to rethink decisions and even change course along the way. A highlight of the Academy is a one-credit introductory seminar led by the President of the university. For more information, see http://academy.psu.edu/

Note that the only requirements necessary for nominations are:

1. Current status as a first-year student
2. Demonstrated leadership skills, either in or outside the classroom 
3. Minimum GPA of 3.2
   

Deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday, February 14, 2012. Students nominated for the Academy will be asked to complete the application process, which includes a resume, two essay questions, and two letters of recommendation.

For those of you who don't know me, which is probably a good deal of you, my name is Sean Dooling. I am a freshman Paterno Fellow and Schreyers Honors Scholar majoring in Biological Anthropology and French. I come from Bensalem a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. However, Dear Old State is quickly becoming home for me. But more about me later...

For now I wanted to give a shout out of congratulations to the Paterno Fellows who were recently recognized Monday, January 9, 2012!

I thought this recognition ceremony was a great way to kick off the new semester and to reward students for all the hard work they have put in so far. Plus, it was also really special to have all of the Paterno Fellows and Aspirants together for the night since we rarely ever gather like that. The event definitely had a strong community feel - especially with members of the Paterno Family in attendance, as well as alumni such as Rick Barry returning to give some words of wisdom. It wouldn't be possible to have this program without the generous contributions of our PFP supporters.

Danielle Mackintosh '13, our student speaker, also gave a great speech, recounting some of her experiences such as honors mythology courses and studying abroad in the Netherlands. She really made me excited for all the connections and opportunities I hopefully will have in the future as a Paterno Fellow.

Last but not least, we also got awesome sweatshirts! I wear my hoodie all the time when I do homework. While simple in design, they are incredibly warm and comfortable - perfect as the snow and temperature begins to fall on campus.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic beginning to the second semester!

Sean

At home enjoying a well-deserved "long winter's rest?"  Please take some time over break to update your information on the Paterno Fellows Database.  It's a fast and easy way to be certain your hard work for the Paterno Fellows Program is officially documented.  Moreover, we use this information not only to track your eligibility into the program (if you are an aspirant), but also to certify you for Fellows standing when you graduate.

Follow the instructions below:

• Login to http://laus.la.psu.edu/current-students and select "Check my Status" under the section labeled Paterno Fellows. You sign-in to the database with the same information you use to access eLion.
• If you completed any requirements upon the conclusion of the fall 2011 semester or earlier, change your status from "In Progress" to "Claimed Satisfied."  Your adviser can then review what you've done and mark the requirement "Satisfied."
• For requirements you are working on next semester, select the status, "In Progress," and describe what you are doing in the "Comments" box the follows. For example, if you are studying abroad in Italy next semester, you might write "Studying abroad in Rome SP 12" under the Study Abroad/Internship requirement.  When you return, your adviser can easily check your transcript and mark the requirement satisfied.
• New!  A non-credit internship for the Study Abroad/Internship requirement and the Service/Leadership requirement must be documented before they can be marked satisfied. Documentation forms now can be found online at http://laus.la.psu.edu/current-students/paterno-fellows-program.  Look for "Documentation of a Non-credit Internship" or   "Documentation of a Service or Leadership Experience" in the menu on the left-hand side of the page.  Complete the appropriate form and submit it to your academic adviser, who can then mark the requirement satisfied.
  

Problems using the database? E-mail Christine Meyer at cjh32@psu.edu for help.