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Open house planned for prospective students

9/7/05

Prospective students and their families may attend an open house at Penn State Berks beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. The program offers information to local high school juniors and seniors considering admission to the Penn State Berks campus, as well as to those students who already have been offered admission to the campus. Sessions will present information on Penn State admissions, financial aid, academics, student activities, athletics and alumni benefits. For more information, call (610) 396-6060 or visit http://www.psu.edu/admissions online.

Penn State Berks aids victims of Hurricane Katrina

9/7/05

Penn State Berks, a member of the Higher Education Council of Berks County, has several initiatives planned to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Higher Education Council of Berks County (HECBC) is opening its doors to students who were enrolled this fall at colleges and universities that are now closed indefinitely due to flooding or long-term utilities shutdowns on the Gulf Coast. In addition to its effort with the HECBC, the campus is working with the American Red Cross to organize a coordinated relief effort to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Students, faculty and staff are involved in the fund-raising campaign. enn State is welcoming students at its 24 locations who were enrolled this fall at colleges and universities affected by the disaster. The University is prepared to quickly welcome them to appropriate Penn State campus locations so that these students do not fall behind in their studies this semester. For more information on eligibility, students should contact the Berks Admissions Office at (610) 396-6060 or the main Penn State Admissions Office at (814) 865-5471.

Hurricane victims at Penn State share stories, ask for continued support

9/7/05

In the midst of helping their families recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, seven students from Xavier University in New Orleans who are studying at Penn State this semester as part of a cooperative program between the two institutions shared their stories as victims of the hurricane Wednesday (Sept. 7) in Robb Hall of the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus. "Everything in our lives and our families' lives became uncertain," said third-year doctoral student Larry Napoleon Jr. in a statement on behalf of the seven students. "During the days following the hurricane, as our city was flooded beyond imagination, we realized we'd have to prepare for the possibility of family relocating to State College. On Thursday we reached out to the University for help and the very next day we sat in Old Main plotting a course for recovery. The outpouring of support from the University and the community at large has been both humbling and encouraging."

President Spanier's State of the University address is today

9/7/05

President Graham B. Spanier will give his State of the University Address at 4 p.m. today (Friday, Sept. 9) in Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus. Beginning at 3:15 p.m. an ice cream social will be held on the portico of Eisenhower Auditorium. The event should conclude by 5 p.m. The event will begin with an Academic Convocation in which many faculty and staff will be recognized, followed by Spanier's address to the University community.

First-year students move in on Aug. 27

8/22/05

Approximately 380 first-year students will be moving into the residence halls from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at Penn State Berks. Services that will be available for the students include meningitis vaccinations, and cable and computer hook-up. In addition, staff from the Finance Office, Financial Aid Office, Housing and Food Services, and Police Services will be available to assist students and answer questions.

Art from here, across the sea on exhibit

8/22/05

Penn State Berks' Freyberger Gallery will be exhibiting paintings by Banana Factory exchange artist, Hinrich Schueler of Germany and sculpture by Milan "Skip" Kralik, winner of the first Public Sculpture Commission 2004 with the stainless steel art work, "Solar Wings," which is displayed at the main entrance of the Penn State Berks campus.

Preacher Moss to speak on 'The End of Racism'

8/22/05

Preacher Moss will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium, Berks campus. His tour is titled "The End of Racism." Through laughter, respect and the humility of a man who has felt the sting of racism, Preacher Moss delivers the goods on how people see race. For information, call Spencer Chambers at (610) 396-6287.

Andes Manta brings the music of South America to campus

8/22/05

South American musical group Andes Manta will perform at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium, Berks campus. In the Andes region of South America, songs and festivals mark life events such as the blessing of a new house, the birth of a child or the cycles of planting and harvesting. Energetic music and dance animate Andean religious festivals, blending pre-Colombian and Catholic rituals. Whether they sing in Spanish or Quechua, the first language of many Andean peoples, Andes Manta celebrates the music of their people.

Award-winning author to be part of common reading experience

8/22/05

Alan Weisman, author of "Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World," will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Penn State Berks' Beaver Community Center. This is part of a new initiative at Penn State Berks that incorporates a common reading experience for all incoming students. Weisman also is scheduled to speak to several campus classes on the day of the lecture.

Instructional designer recognized at Educause Institute

8/10/05

Bo Zigner, instructional designer at Penn State Berks, was part of a team participating in the Educause Instructional Technology Leadership Institute at University Park this summer. Their team project, "Creating a Faculty Support Model To Increase Faculty Adoption of Technology" was recognized as the outstanding presentation for the institute. Projects were judged on details including effective use of instructional design principles, project management skills, financial/budget planning, assessment and evaluation, and faculty issues.

Associate professor named fellow in Gerontological Society of America

8/10/05

Jennifer Hillman, associate professor of psychology at Penn State Berks, has been awarded fellow status in the Gerontological Society of America. The society's fellows represent the highest class of membership in the organization and are recognized by peers for outstanding contributions to the field of gerontology. Hillman was awarded fellow status in the behavioral and social sciences section of the society. Her main area of research focuses on AIDS and the elderly, and she and her students have given presentations at community organizations, stressing education and prevention.

Prospective students receive assistance at Application Night

8/10/05

Penn State Berks' Office of Admissions will hold a free Application Night to help prospective students with the application process beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29, in the Perkins Student Center. Students will be provided step-by-step instructions on completing their admissions application from Office of Admissions employees. The program also offers an overview of Penn State and an optional tour of Penn State Berks before the program. To learn more about this program, degree options, upcoming open houses or to schedule a campus tour, call (610) 396-6060.

Incoming students learn about service through orientation

8/10/05

Before Penn State Berks' incoming students hit the books this fall, they will learn about community service -- and about themselves -- through the college's Orientation Program. All first-year students have the opportunity to choose from one of three Orientation Programs, which will run from Sunday, Aug. 21, to Wednesday, Aug. 24.

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Penn State news widget launched; more widgets on the way

8/9/05

More than a quarter of a million subscribers receive news about Penn State in their e-mail boxes through the Penn State Newswire, the companion Penn State Live Web site receives nearly 10,000 hits a day from people seeking information about the University, and RSS feeds deliver much of the same information directly to news Web sites and individual subscribers. Now, the Department of Public Information has launched the Penn State news widget. Anyone who uses an Apple computer loaded with the OSX 10.4 (Tiger) operating system can get Penn State news delivered right to the desktop with the new Penn State Live widget. Widgets, which are mini-applications that perform common tasks and provide fast access to information, run through the operating system's Dashboard feature. The Penn State Live widget gives users the most recent Penn State headlines automatically. The headlines then link directly to the full stories on the Penn State Live Web site.

University announces change to the fall semester calendar

8/8/05

For the past several years, the first day of the fall semester has been a Tuesday, but students and faculty were instructed to follow a Friday class schedule. While this scheduling anomaly balanced the number of schedule days across the fall semester, it resulted in confusion for students and faculty as the new semester began. At the recommendation of the University Faculty Senate, President Graham B. Spanier has approved a change to the fall semester calendar. Beginning this fall, the first day of classes, Tuesday, Aug. 30, will follow a normal Tuesday class schedule.

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