UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two faculty members in Penn State’s College of Education were named as Distinguished Professors. David Passmore, in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems, and Patrick Shannon, in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, were selected this year.
For faculty members to receive distinguished professorships, they must be current, full-time active members of the faculty holding the rank of professor. They must not currently hold an endowed chair, professorship or faculty fellowship, and they must be acknowledged leaders in their fields of research or creative activity.
Passmore joined Penn State in 1979 where he currently works in the workforce education and development program. There he teaches graduate courses in data analysis, scholarly inquiry and research methods.
Passmore has held leadership positions throughout the University, including director of the office for the protection of human subjects, faculty fellow and director of the multimedia technology group for the Center for Academic Computing. Most recently he has worked with one of Penn State's presidential commissions related to diversity, the Commission for Women.
“This year, I am the co-chair of the Commission for Women,” said Passmore, “which serves as an advisory group to the President of the University on the status of women at Penn State, advocates for women's concerns and recommends solutions.”
Since 2010, Passmore has worked on allowing participation in Penn State resident-instruction courses from a distance.
“When travel costs are considered, the total costs of graduate education at Penn State are higher than the costs of tuition alone,” said Passmore. “Sometimes significantly higher.”
Passmore is also an editor or co-editor on a number of journals and publications, including the International Journal of Vocational Education and Training, and the Journal of Industrial Teacher Education.
Passmore received his bachelor’s degree from State University College of New York at Buffalo, his master’s degree from Bowling Green State University and his doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
Shannon came to Penn State in 1990. He teaches courses and held leadership positions in language and literacy education within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. For the past five years, he has coordinated the reading specialist certification program and the graduate portion of the integrated undergraduate/graduate program for special education and curriculum and instruction.
In 2014, Shannon published his 18th book concerning reading education as a catalyst for democratic life. He was asked to represent the Reading Hall of Fame to discuss the Common Core State Standards for English language arts at the European biannual meeting of the International Reading Association. He advised 18 graduate students’ theses and dissertations at Penn State and other institutions, enabling them to complete their master's degrees and doctorates.
Each summer, Shannon supervises reading specialist candidates during the Penn State Summer Reading Camp for elementary and middle school students.
“I have eagerly committed to the reading specialist program and its summer camp for five more years,” said Shannon. “I believe students who understand what reading is for and what writing can do, will make the best citizens and society in the future. Area reading specialists, certification candidates and summer campers keep me busy all year in different ways.”
Shannon received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from State University College of New York at Brockport and his doctorate from the University of Minnesota.