April 2012 Archives

The Rock Ethics Institute has announced the recipients of the 2012 Stand Up Award.  The Stand Up Award honors Penn State undergraduate students who have the courage and fortitude to take an ethical stand for a person, cause or belief, and thereby demonstrate ethical leadership concerning this issue.  This award and the individuals and stories it honors will remind the entire Penn State community of how often the extraordinary act is possible in ordinary circumstances.

Four students were honored at a reception on April 22.  Each student received $1000, and will be featured in a poster campaign to promote ethical leadership.  Three of the four awardees for 2012 are in the College of the Liberal Arts, and one, Joshua Brady Branch, is a Paterno Fellow.  Here is his story:

Joshua Brady Branch was not your typical high school athlete and Eagle Scout. The bullying he dealt with growing up led Josh to identify with members of other marginalized groups and become a vocal supporter of his high school's Gay-Straight Alliance. His advocacy for the LGBTQ community has continued at Penn State, where he has been a persistent and courageous voice against discrimination. As a participant in dialogues across the community, Joshua reminds us that ethical leadership can occur through seemingly small, everyday encounters.

Watch Joshua's video interview online, and learn about the other awardees on the Rock Ethics Institute's website.

Participate in the Liberal Arts Mentor Program--applications now being accepted.

All Liberal Arts students intending to graduate in 2013 or 2014 are eligible for the program, which is designed to help students develop professionally and explore career options by connecting them one-on-one with alumni.

Applications for the next program cycle, which starts in the fall, will be accepted till June 1, 2012, and you will notified by August 1 about the status of a match with a mentor.

Visit the program web-page for complete information including the on-line application.

The mentor program does not take a lot of time but can reap big benefits. View it as an investment in yourself and your professional development. Though it is not a job- or internship-finding program by design, some 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.

Here are comments from student participants:

• "Thanks for making the wonderful alumni mentoring program possible! I've yet to stop raving!"
• "The mentor program was the best thing I've done as a Penn State student."
• "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!"
• "Thank you again for matching me with (Beth) through the alumni mentor program. She was and continues to be an excellent mentor."
• "I had a very successful matching and have had wonderful experience."

Students interested in the Liberal Arts Mentor Program can also listen to Episode 39 of the Liberal Arts Voices podcast to hear more from student participants in the program.

The Paterno Fellows Program and Department of Political Science are pleased to announce a special presentation on April 19 on the American war in Afghanistan.

Sean Misko (International Politics '04) is a special advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) at the U.S. Department of State, part of the team implementing a "diplomatic surge" to facilitate a political settlement of the Afghanistan war.  He is responsible for shaping U.S. efforts to support Afghan reconciliation and coordinating negotiation of a strategic partnership to guide U.S.-Afghan relations following the withdrawal of combat forces.  Prior to joining the SRAP, Misko was part of a civilian-military team dispatched to Afghanistan by Gen. David Petraeus to evaluate the deteriorating security situation.  The assessment Misko co-authored informed the incoming Obama administration's policy review.

Misko spends a great deal of his time in Afghanistan working directly with Afghans, the U.S. Military, and the U.S. Department of State.  In his talk next week, he will give an update on the situation in Afghanistan as well as discussing his role, and his journey from Penn State to Kabul.

At Penn State, Misko was a Schreyer Honors Scholar and played trumpet in the Blue Band.  He was recently inducted as a 2012 recipient of Penn State's Alumni Achievement Award and is an active volunteer with the Department of Political Science, participating in an annual career program for undergraduates.  Next week he will receive the Political Science Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Seating for this event is limited.  If you are interested in attending on Thursday, April 19, at 11:00 a.m. in 124 Sparks Building, register now by sending an e-mail to Barb Edwards at bae1@psu.edu.

The Center for Democratic Deliberation invites Paterno Fellows to an informal conversation about the 2012 presidential campaign with nationally renowned political commentator Kathleen Hall Jamieson on Tuesday, April 24 from 3:00-4:15 p.m. in 124 Sparks. 

Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Jamieson is the author of 16 books on political communication, campaigns, and political rhetoric.  She is a frequent guest on PBS News Hour, Moyers and Company, and many other programs. For more information about her, see http://www.asc.upenn.edu/faculty/Faculty-Bio.aspx?id=129

Refreshments will be served. 

Seating is limited, so please RSVP and reserve your seat by emailing Mark Hlavacik at mjh450@psu.edu.  Include your name and email address, and mention that you are a Paterno Fellow.

And plan to attend Professor Jamieson's lecture, "Patterns of Deception in the 2008 and 2012 Presidential Campaigns," in 112 Kern Building on the University Park campus at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24.  The Paterno Fellows Program is one of the sponsors of the lecture.