UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Penn State New Kensington just surpassed the Pittsburgh Steelers' record of six Super Bowls … in an academic sort of way. With the Aug. 30 announcement that Nancy Burns, a staff assistant VI in the Office of Enrollment Management, is a “We Are!” recipient, the campus now claims seven "We Are!" trophies. The Steelers have six Vince Lombardi trophies.
“We Are!,” a weekly feature of the daily email publication Penn State Today, is a University-wide initiative that was launched in February to provide students, faculty and staff with a platform to give kudos to fellow Penn Staters for work that goes above and beyond their job duties or responsibilities. Burns is the seventh staff member from the New Kensington campus to receive the honor in the past seven months.
Previously, Nancy Miller, co-director of continuing education; Corinne Coulson, enrollment specialist; Kevin Churik, information technology generalist; Jennifer Marino, assistant director for financial aid; Danielle DeStefano, assistant director of enrollment management; and Susan Dale, administrative support assistant in the Office of Academic Affairs, were accorded the prestigious honor. All were nominated by campus colleagues for personifying Penn State’s commitment of service to the community.
Kevin Snider, chancellor of the New Kensington campus, praised the recipients for shining the Penn State spotlight on New Kensington. He encouraged the campus community to recommend other colleagues for the honor.
“We need to get the word out about what a great campus and community we are,” Snider said. “It's a great way to continue to get our fantastic community recognized outside the campus.”
A “We Are!” candidate could be a maintenance worker taking extra steps to make sure a project is completed, a student organizing a charitable event, an administrator doing something special for employees, or a faculty member taking additional time to advise students. To nominate a “We Are!” candidate from the campus community, visit http://news.psu.edu/WeAre.
Burns, Scholarships, Nursing ProgramBurns’ nominator wrote, "Nancy epitomizes the phrase 'customer service.' When guests arrive in our office, she is the first to greet them and to ask if they need help. She often walks them to other offices if they aren’t familiar with campus. We pride ourselves on personal attention, and Nancy definitely walks that walk."
A graduate of Youngstown College of Business and Professional Drafting, Burns joined the campus community in 1988. She was honored recently for 25 years of service to Penn State.
"Nancy is a truly valuable member of our enrollment team," said Patty Brady, director of enrollment management. "She and I have worked together for many years and often know each other's thoughts without saying a word. This is a big help especially when we are extra busy — which is most often!"
In her position, Burns provides support for the enrollment management staff, which includes admissions and financial aid, in a variety of areas. The Lower Burrell resident also works closely with Marino on the scholarship process.
“I enjoy working with the students,” said Burns, who grew up in Sharpsburg. “Once a student comes on campus I think it is our "family" atmosphere that attracts them to apply and enroll.”
Last year, new and returning students at the New Kensington campus earned a total of $538,000 in scholarship money — $304,000 from private donors and $234,000 from the University. The campus has 56 scholarship endowments, annual gifts and program awards that funded 120 students this year with an average award of $2,000 per student. For a list of campus scholarships, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Giving/endowments.htm.
In addition, Burns serves as the liaison for the campus’ nursing program and the Citizens School of Nursing. The Citizens curriculum requires two nursing classes at Penn State New Kensington. Graduates of Citizens can seamlessly enter the bachelor of science in nursing program at the campus.
The program offers registered nurses the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree. The mode of delivery is adjusted to permit adults with family and occupational time constraints to pursue the degree in their home area. Nurses in the program acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to provide comprehensive nursing care to individuals, families, groups and communities. In addition to classes, the program affords nurses the opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty in designing experiences in the clinical setting. For information on the nursing program, visit www.nk.psu.edu/nursing.
Burns is a member of the enrollment management Green Paws Team. In July, enrollment management became the first campus team to successfully navigate the requirements for level one certification by the Penn State Sustainability Institute’s Green Paws program. The enrollment management team earned its certificate in three months. For information on joining the campus green team, contact Ruthann Herstek at 724-334-6032 or rah32@psu.edu.
SustainabilitySponsored by the Penn State Sustainability Institute, Green Paws are groups of faculty and staff volunteering to take specific actions to help their offices or departments operate in a more efficient, innovative and healthy way. The groups work in conjunction with the institute’s Green Paws program to earn certificates of achievement.
Snider is a big proponent of the program. He encouraged the campus community to learn about sustainability and put it into practice. Since April 1, campus teams have been reducing waste and saving energy. New Kensington is the only Penn State campus with 100 percent participation by its faculty and staff.
“Sustainability is one of the focus areas in our strategic plan,” Snider said. “We can succeed in improving our overall sustainability on campus with simple, relatively easy steps that require only small changes on our part.”
The campus program is composed of 12 teams comprising 77 faculty and staff. Many teams are on the precipice of level one certification. Team IT, led by Churik, the team coach, recently earned a level one certificate. Green Paws is a four-step program for resource efficiency in the office.
Each level comprises nine sustainability categories: energy, recycling, waste reduction, purchasing, outreach and production, events and meetings, transportation, kitchens and break rooms, and publications. Each category has a checklist of certain criteria to meet, and each level makes the office "greener." Certification is bestowed upon those who complete the checklist at each level.
For more about sustainability on campus, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Information/45255.htm.