Individuals and businesses seeking Marcellus Shale training can get the training they need locally through a special partnership of Penn College's Shale Training and Education Center (ShaleTEC) and Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.

The training offered at the Fayette campus features a range of noncredit courses to meet the needs of Marcellus Shale industries in the region.

Tina Sepic, Penn State Fayette's area representative in Outreach and Continuing Education, said "With Marcellus Shale, it's like the Wild West out there. These courses offer local companies the opportunity to become players and grow their businesses, but at the same time they are training their workers in safe and responsible drilling practices."

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, recognized outstanding achievement and service among its faculty and staff at a special awards banquet recently. Awards were presented in six categories after nominations were considered by the various awards committees this fall.

The excellence awards for 2012 include:

The Scholarly Excellence Award -- presented to Jo Ann Jankoski, assistant professor of human development and family studies, for her accomplished level of scholarship in recent years, including publishing five articles and two book chapters related to her field of study, and for receiving numerous awards for professional excellence and civic endeavors.

The local community is invited to hear Zach Wahls speak on marriage equality at noon Nov. 28, in Swimmer Hall, located in the Williams building at Penn State Fayette. In 2011, Zach Wahls addressed the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in a public hearing regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa. The then-19-year-old son of a same-sex couple, Wahls proudly proclaimed, "The sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character." Hours later, his speech was posted on YouTube, where it quickly received more than 2 million views.

Prospective students of Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus have an opportunity to attend the application workshop from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 26 to 29, in 110 Eberly.

Donna M. Newell will be the speaker at Penn State Beaver's fall commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, in the Student Union Building auditorium. Newell, principal owner and president of NTM Engineering, Inc. in Dillsburg, Pa., attended Beaver campus from two years before graduating from Penn State. She has 17 years of civil engineering experience, specializing in hydrology and hydraulics (H&H). Her background includes designing hydraulic structures, performing H&H analysis and modeling, performing bridge scour analysis, investigating safe yields, and developing in-house computer programs for water resources engineering applications. She has held her current position since 2007. Prior employers included Erdman Anthony & Associates, Mechanicsburg, Gannett Fleming, Inc., Camp Hill; Penn State University Park, State College, and Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, West Mifflin. Newell holds a master's degree in environmental engineering and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Penn State. For information about the fall commencement program, contact the Beaver campus Office of Academic Affairs at djm5@psu.edu or 724-773-3571.

NBC Sports football analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward will be the featured speaker at 7 p.m. Nov. 13, in the Main Arena of the Community Center building at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Tickets are free and will be available to students, faculty, staff and the general public, beginning Oct. 15, on a first-come, first-served basis.