Nominations sought for College of Education awards
The college's Development and Alumni Relations Office is accepting nominations for the annual Faculty, Staff and Student Awards. Awards are: Outstanding Researcher Award; Outstanding Teaching Award; Career Achievement Award; Climate Enhancement Award; Outstanding Staff Award; Graduate Student Recognition Award; and Undergraduate Student Leadership and Service Award.
Nominations must be submitted by Wednesday, Feb. 28. For more information about the awards and to access a nomination form, visit https://ed.psu.edu/internal/fac-staff-awards.
Advising Center relocates due to construction
As a result of the construction of the new science wing in Chambers Building, the College of Education's Advising and Certification Center has been temporarily relocated to 113A Chambers Building, effective Thursday, Jan. 18. Students should report to this room for scheduled appointments with advisers. For general questions, students may contact the center at 814-865-0488.
Information sought for AERA presenters
The College of Education's Communications Office is putting together a story with information about those presenting at the 2018 AERA annual meeting, being held April 13-17 in New York City. Faculty and graduate students who have been selected to present at the meeting are asked to contact Annemarie Mountz at amountz@psu.edu by Feb. 9 and provide the session type (symposium, paper session or poster session), session title and presentation title. To see the story about last year's presenters, visit https://ed.psu.edu/news/2017-04-06-news/2017-aera.
DCEC to host free bias-based bullying workshop
The College of Education's Diversity and Community Enhancement Committee (DCEC) will host a justice education workshop on Jan. 27 at the Nittany Lion Inn. "Bullying Among Diverse Populations" will discuss the prevalence and impact that bias-based bullying has on society and how individuals can begin to identify these acts.
The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, and is free for all Penn State students, faculty and staff. Participants must register online at http://bit.ly/2vvMNmt by Friday, Jan. 19. Questions about the workshop can be sent to Seria Chatters, assistant professor of education (counselor education), at sjc25@psu.edu.
Diversity in Education conference set for Feb. 10
The College of Education's Diversity and Community Enhancement Committee (DCEC), in partnership with the Penn State Student Council for Exceptional Children, will hold its annual Diversity in Education conference on Saturday, Feb. 10.
The conference will provide discussions and learning opportunities for future teachers, administrators, counselors and educational leaders about working with students from diverse populations, including LGBTQA students, English language learners and students with disabilities.
The conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, in Chambers Building and is free for Penn State students, faculty and staff. Those interested in participating can register by visiting https://goo.gl/forms/0NIKlc2TDeK2fpdJ2. Those interested in presenting at the conference must register at https://goo.gl/forms/tbmYcQn3RFdbKtEx1. Additional inquiries may be directed to Jonte Taylor at jct215@psu.edu.
SCASD seeks volunteer tutors
The Volunteers in Public Schools (V.I.P.S) Tutoring Center is looking for volunteers to tutor students in grades K-12 in the State College Area School District. Volunteers would tutor school-aged students on Wednesdays and/or Thursdays for one hour between the hours of 3:30 and 6 p.m. Tutors are needed in all subject areas but there is a high demand for math and science tutors.
The tutoring center is located in South Building of the new State College Area High School, which is less than two miles from the University Park campus. Students who do not have transportation will be provided bus tokens by V.I.P.S. To apply to be a tutor, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4dbYgpGibJZhFqI65g-0WOpVQCahdT6udQwYwxJpOunvsFQ/viewform.
Faculty, graduate students sought for Upward Bound instructor positions
Penn State Upward Bound Programs currently are accepting summer instructor applications from faculty and graduate students for the 2018 Summer Academy for Creative Studies. The academy will bring 120 low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students in grades 10-12 to University Park from June 9 through July 19. Instructors are needed to teach high-school math and science classes. Math courses being offered are pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus and statistics; science courses are biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences and engineering.
Instructors will be paid $25 per hour of instruction. Compensation also will be provided for additional hours of prep time as well as two hours of mandatory staff training. Those interested in applying for an instructor position must apply at https://equity.psu.edu/ub/employment/summer-employment. Those interested in applying may visit the Upward Bound Programs office in 203 Grange Building or call 814-865-2320 for more information.
CETC releases updates to combat vulnerabilities
Two computer vulnerabilities — Spectre and Meltdown — were disclosed in the last week, which affect central processing units (CPUs) in all devices.
For Mac clients, to resolve these vulnerabilities an update to macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 is required. The upgrade is available to all macOS clients. Faculty and staff may upgrade their system at their convenience; however, CETC strongly encourages users to upgrade as soon as possible. All upgrades will be made available through the college's Managed Software Center. If the upgrade has not been installed within 30 days, it will be forced the next time users check in with CETC's update server. Those running macOS 10.7 (Lion) or macOS 10.8 (Mountain Lion) will first need to upgrade to macOS Sierra (10.12) before upgrading to macOS 10.13.2 (High Sierra) as there is currently no direct upgrade path from these older versions of Mac.
For Windows clients, these vulnerabilities have been addressed by a Microsoft update, deployed to all clients.
Users with questions or concerns regarding these vulnerabilities and updates may contact the help desk at 814-865-0626, submit a ticket at help.educ.psu.edu or stop by the CETC office, relocated in Rackley Building.
Group therapy available through CAPS
Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers a wide variety of therapy groups for all students. Therapy groups are a form of psychotherapy, focusing on developing insight and behavior change. Five to eight group members meet weekly with one or two group therapists throughout the semester. CAPS offers general therapy groups for all students, groups for particular populations (e.g., graduate students, women, men, returning adults) and for specific issues (e.g., sexual assault, eating disorders, stress and depression). CAPS also offers discussion and support groups for members of underrepresented populations. A list of groups offered during the spring semester can be found at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/services/CurrentGroups.shtml. A referral to group needs to be made through a therapist at CAPS. For more information, visit http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/ or call CAPS between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 814-863-0395.
Learn life hacks through CAPS
Students interested in learning how to manage expectations, gain sound sleep strategies, build resiliency for peak performance, cultivate self-compassion or other life hacks can attend free drop-in workshops offered through Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Life hacks are free drop-in workshops for all enrolled Penn State students. No registration is required. Workshops are offered from 4 to 5 p.m. in 540 Student Health Center. For the schedule, visit http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/services/workshops.shtml. For more information, call 814-863-0395 or contact Stephanie Stama at slf245@psu.edu.
Changes made to campus battery recycling procedures
Due to the need to adjust to changes in safety standards of battery collection, battery recycling buckets are being removed from all buildings and will be replaced with a two-part recycling system. To recycle rechargeable batteries that no longer are usable, building occupants in the College of Education should see Brandy Wood in 274 Chambers Building, who is the designated contact person for recycling rechargeable batteries.
There will be 10 Central Battery Collection Boxes across the University Park campus that will collect both non-rechargeable and rechargeable batteries, and small electronics for recycling. Each box has a roll of small bags on the side to package the rechargeable batteries. Nonrechargeable batteries do not have to be bagged.
Visit the battery resource page at http://sustainability.psu.edu/batteries for information about the difference between nonrechargeable and rechargeable batteries, central battery collection station locations, building contacts and frequently asked questions.
Off-Campus Housing Fair set for Jan. 27 at University Park
Penn State's Office of Off-Campus Living will hold the spring 2018 edition of the Off-Campus Housing Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center at the University Park campus.
The fair will provide students with an opportunity to speak with realtors in the State College area, ask questions about off-campus living, and take guided tours of local housing for the 2018-19 academic year. For more information, visit http://www.studentaffairs.psu.edu/offcampus or send an email to offcampus@psu.edu.
If you have an announcement you would like to share with the College of Education, send it via email to edrelations@psu.edu. Submissions must include a contact name and telephone number so that Connections can verify the information.