VOLUME 13, NUMBER 11 APRIL 4, 2011

California University

Staff Hears Financing Messageat Spring Convocation

Rally Urges State Support for Higher Ed

Cal U will honor alumnaMichele M. Mandell ’69 withits 2011 Lifetime

Achievement Award during the fifthannual Cal Pride Weekend festivities.

The celebration on Friday andSaturday will feature events designedto connect alumni with current andprospective students.

On Friday, a group ofaccomplished alumni will discusstheir careers with classes related totheir particular disciplines.

Among the nearly 20 guestspeakers returning to campus areDavid Amati ’70, ’72; Julie Berger ’01;Adam Bujanowski ’01; Nancy ’66 andTom ’64 Crumrine; Bob Lippencott’66; Jim Lopez ’81; Carol Mitchell’72, ’75; Michele Papakie ’96; MattPitzarella ’02; Tom Rutledge ’77; andLinda ’64 and Harry ’65 Serene.

At deans’ receptions from 2:30-5p.m., awards will be presented todistinguished alumni from Cal U’sfour colleges. Award winners are:

• William Polachek ’71, owner ofThe Grand Residence of Upper St.Clair senior living community,honored by the College of Educationand Human Services.

• Dr. William Dinello ’81, deanfor the Executive Office/President’sOffice at York College CUNY,honored by the School of GraduateStudies and Research.

• Thomas L. Bakaitus ’83,certified public accountant andoperating officer/partner at Herbein+ Company Inc., honored by the

— Continued on page 3

Faculty and students spoke out against proposed cuts inthe state appropriation for higher education at aMarch 22 rally in front of the Natali Student Center.

Organized by Cal U’s chapter of APSCUF, theAssociation of Pennsylvania State College and UniversityFaculties, the rally was part of a statewide effort on PASSHEcampuses to raise awareness of the budget cuts and theirconsequences.

Students and faculty were asked to fill out postcards byexplaining briefly how they would be affected by the 50percent reduction in funding proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett.

Some wrote short paragraphs; one student expresseddispleasure by drawing a “frownie face.”

The cards — reading “United We Stand, UnderfundedWe Fail” — will be sent to state legislators, union members

said. Nearly 200 cards were collected during the event.“If we don’t stand together, we will be underfunded, and

that means failure for all of us in the State System,” said Dr.Michael Slavin, president of Cal U’s APSCUF local.“Everyone needs to understand just how important this is.”

Cal U’s rally was one of 13 held at PASSHE schools onMarch 22. Kutztown University held a similar event earlierin the month.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education isspreading the word about the effect of funding reductionsthrough a Web page that includes a “budget alert,” contactinformation for state legislators, and links to budget messagesposted by each PASSHE university.

To reach that Web page, visit the Cal U homepage,www.calu.edu , and click on the PASSHE logo.

Proposed cuts in the stateappropriation for higher educationwere on the minds of staff

members who gathered for the springStaff Convocation March 21.

No one anticipated the magnitude ofthe funding cuts proposed by Gov. TomCorbett, said President Angelo Armenti,Jr. But he pointed out that Cal U hasbeen preparing for a future that relies lesson state support — a situation thePresident often has described as“privatization without a plan.”

The governor’s proposal would reduceappropriations to state-owned universitiesby half.

“We need to remember the mission ofthe State System of Higher Education,”the President said. “It’s to provide a highquality education at the most affordableprice to the students. We have to keep thismission in mind.”

Cal U’s innovative and entrepreneurialactivities have placed the University in amore favorable financial position thansome other institutions, he added.

For instance, Cal U’s No. 1 rankingamong online universities nationwidecould not have come at a better time.

Largely because of the Global Onlineprogram, graduate enrollment hasincreased 10.1 percent compared to a yearago. Over the past nine years, theUniversity’s total full-time enrollment hasrisen by 57 percent.

“Our top ranking for Global Online isgreat news, and the program’s success hascome at a time when we need to growenrollments any we can,” PresidentArmenti said. “Many of you (staff) play asignificant role in creating enrollmentincreases, by talking with students andworking with them and their families.”

Emphasizing the positive, thePresident also pointed out that Cal U isclose to achieving “gender equity,” bothin athletics and on the faculty.

The University has worked hard toadd both female athletes and athleticscholarships for women, so that the male-female ratio within the athletic programmirrors that of the student population.

An effort also has been made to addmore women to the faculty. Over the past17 years, the number of female facultymembers has nearly doubled, from lessthan 25 percent to more than 47 percent.

“We will soon be one of very fewpublic schools that can truthfully say we

have achieved gender equity,” PresidentArmenti said.

Although budget concerns top hisagenda, “I’m not shutting the placedown,” he said. A number of facultysearches are under way, work on the

— Continued on page 3

President Angelo Armenti, Jr. gives his State of the University update at the Staff Convocation,where he thanked staff members for their role in supporting Cal U’s continued progress.

MandellHonoredDuringCal PrideFestivities

Michele M. Mandell ’69 will receivethe 2011 Lifetime Achievement Awardduring Cal Pride Weekend festivities.

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Big Band Headlines ‘Jazz Experience’

Philosophers’ Conference Set

The Department of Philosophy will host the 24thannual conference of the PASSHE InterdisciplinaryAssociation for Philosophy and Religious Studies onFriday and Saturday in the Eberly Science andTechnology Center.

Undergraduate and graduate students, as well asfaculty members from various PASSHE universities,will present papers on topics related to philosophy andreligious studies.

Dr. Nicole Hassoun, assistant professor ofphilosophy at Carnegie Mellon University, will deliverthe keynote address. In 2009-2010, she was theBarbara McCoy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre forEthics in Society at Stanford University.

Hassoun’s work has appeared in AmericanPhilosophical Quarterly, Critical Review ofInternational Social and Political Philosophy,Environmental Ethics, European Journal ofPhilosophy, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Journal ofMoral Philosophy, and Public Affairs Quarterly,among other publications. Her book on global justice is

under contract with Cambridge University Press.For more information, contact Dr. Joel Press, assistant

professor in Cal U’s Department of Philosophy, at 724-938-1522, or send e-mail to press@calu.edu .

Cal U Welcomes BiologistsCal U will host the annual meeting of the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologistson April 16.

Founded in 1973, CPUBemphasizes undergraduatestudent research and providesfunds for that research througha competitive grant process.

Its activities have includedscientific meetings, symposiaand institutes for theprofessional development of itsmembers and associates. The

organization also provides a forum for graduate andundergraduate students to present their research.

Cal U campus director Dr. Brian Paulson, aprofessor in the Department of Biological and

Environmental Sciences, estimates that as many as 150faculty and students from PASSHE universities willarrive for the meeting in the Eberly Science andTechnology Center.

Dr. Sam Taylor, newly appointed director of theCarnegie Museum of Natural History, will give thekeynote address. The meting will close with a banquetand recognition of winners in various researchcategories. An outstanding student from each schoolalso will be honored.

Cal U’s CPUB Outstanding is Bethany Stone, asenior from Susquehanna, Pa., who is majoring infisheries and wildlife biology.

For more information, contact Paulson at 724-938-5978, send e-mail to paulson@calu.edu or visit theCPUB website at http://academics.sru.edu/cpub .

Read The Journal OnlineThe online Journal is easier to read! Just click on

“News” at the top of the Cal U homepage,www.calu.edu , then choose “Cal U Journal” to seethe current edition in its new format or to reviewarchived editions from 2011.

Campus BRIEFS

‘Cabaret’ OpensThursday

The Department of Theatre and Dance closes its spring2011 season with Cabaret, directed by Dr. MichelePagen.

Performances of this classic musical are set for 8 p.m.Thursday and Friday, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday in Steele HallMainstage Theatre.

Set in 1930 at the Kit-Kat Club, a Berlin nightspot whereanything goes, Cabaret introduces the audience to Sally Bowles,a young English entertainer who dreams of fame and fortune.She and Cliff Bradshaw, a penniless American writer, exploreromance in a seedy rooming house as the Third Reich gathersstrength.

First staged in 1966, the musical is based on John VanDruten’s 1951 play, I Am a Camera, together with ChristopherIsherwood’s short stories, Goodbye to Berlin (1939).

Musical numbers include It Couldn’t Please Me More,Willkommen, Cabaret, Don’t Tell Mama and Two Ladies.

Ticket price for Cabaret is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors;students are admitted free with a Cal Card and a $5 refundabledeposit. The production is not suitable for the youngestpatrons.

For ticket information, or to order tickets (with a creditcard) by phone, call the Steele Box Office at 724-938-5943.

Cal U students Kristin Ross and Sam Silva rehearse for Cal U’s first-ever production of the award-winning musical‘Cabaret.’ Ross portrays Sally Bowles, a performer at Berlin’s seedy Kit-Kat Club, and Silva plays Cliff Bradshaw, apenniless American writer visiting Berlin just before World War II.

Aperformance by the ’Burgh Big Band willwrap up the 29th annual California JazzExperience, three days of master classes and

jazz performances in Gallagher and Morgan Halls.Dubbed CJE XXIX, the event will bring high

school and middle school jazz bands to campusTuesday through Thursday for performances andmaster classes with guest jazz artists. In addition,clinicians will work with students on sight-readingskills and prepared pieces.

Young musicians from the Brentwood, Charleroi,Chartiers-Houston, Kiski Area, Keystone Oaks,Montour and Ringgold school districts will attend theevent.

Among the guest instructors is saxophone playerCurtis Johnson, now retired from West VirginiaUniversity. A former associate professor of music,Johnson continues to perform and to promote musicas a soloist, clinician, adjudicator and conductor.

Johnson has performed on numerous programs forthe North American Saxophone Conference, WorldSaxophone Congress and National SaxophoneSymposium. He has performed as a soloist with theWest Virginia Symphony Orchestra and worked asarranger and performer with the Wheeling SymphonyOrchestra. He also is a substitute performer for the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Renowned in the field of rhythm and blues, his

work can be heard on more than 80 CDs, includingjazz, blues, rock and R&B recordings.

Cal U’s jazz ensemble will give lunchtime concertsat noon during each day of the Jazz Experience,playing in the Morgan Hall Learning Resource CenterAuditorium. A concert with a “Motown Reflections”theme is planned for 8 p.m. April 6 in the samelocation.

A “Pop A Cappella” concert will take place at 8p.m. Tuesday in Morgan Hall. All music will beprovided by human voices alone. Three Cal U groupsare scheduled to perform: the all-male Vulcanize, all-female A Cappella Stella and the mixed groupCalifornia Singers. Visiting a cappella groups also willbe singing.

The Jazz Experience will close with a performanceby the ’Burgh Big Band at 8 p.m. Thursday in MorganHall.

All concerts are free and open to the public, aswell as the Cal U community. The Music Departmentand its chair, Professor Max Gonano, host the popularevent.

For more information, contact the Cal U MusicDepartment at 724-938-4878.

The California Jazz Experience will again bring high schooland middle school students to campus for performancesand master classes with guest jazz artists.

Dr. Brian Paulson(with friend)

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Mandell to be Honoredat Cal Pride Weekend

Staff Hears Financing Message— Continued from page 1

Convocation Center is continuing and projects such as the Loop Road construction andrenovations at the Phillipsburg facility and Roadman Park are also continuing.

The President reminded staff members that the state budget will not be finalizeduntil June 30.

“We are perceived by students and their families to offer high-quality education,” hesaid. “They like what they see on this campus and what we have to offer. I do notbelieve the budget cut will be as big as it is now proposed, and I don’t think enrollmentswill go down.

“Whatever the budget is, it is. We will deal with it and we will be fine.”He praised the staff for supporting the University’s continued progress despite the

financial challenges.“I know you give your best every day, and I thank you for your hard work and

dedication. This University received success and recognition, largely because of whatyou do every day.”

Alisha Carter (left), Gena Sproul and Dr. Lisa McBride listen attentively to PresidentArmenti’s presentation at Staff Convocation.

— Continued from page 1

College of Liberal Arts. • Clement P. Gigliotti Sr. ’96, CEO

of Merit Contracting Inc., honored bythe Eberly College of Science andTechnology.

President Angelo Armenti, Jr. willhost a dinner for invited guests andpresent the Lifetime AchievementAward to Mandell, who will speak at 7p.m. in the Performance Center of theNatali Student Center.

Her talk is free and open to thepublic.

Mandell retired in 2009 after 26years with Talbots, a leading specialtyretailer and direct marketer ofwomen’s classic clothing, shoes andaccessories.

Starting as a store manager inShadyside, Pa., she assumed steadilyincreasing positions of responsibilityand ultimately was named executivevice president, the first woman to holdthat position at Talbots.

As executive vice president,Mandell was responsible for Talbots’entire retail stores operation, includingsales volume in excess of $1 billion.Under her leadership, Talbots’ U.S.retail operation more than quadrupledin size.

At California University, Mandellhas received the ProfessionalExcellence Award presented by the Cal

U Alumni Association, as well as the2006 Distinguished Alumna Award.She addressed Cal U’s graduatingseniors at Commencement ceremoniesin 2009.

Secretary of the board of directorsfor the Foundation for CaliforniaUniversity, she also is a member of theBoard of Presidential Advisors.

Mandell is the fifth recipient of theUniversity’s Lifetime AchievementAward. Previous winners are longtimeCal U faculty member George Novak’55, honored last year; U.S. Rep. FrankR. Mascara ’72, the 2009 honoree;former Nationwide Insuranceexecutive Thomas Crumrine, who washonored in 2008; and Lt. Gen. PaulVan Riper, honored in 2007.

On Saturday, President Armentiwill serve as moderator for an alumnipanel on life at Cal U from a youngalumni perspective. The discussion isplanned for 9:15-10 a.m. in Steele HallMainstage Theatre.

From 11 a.m. -12:30 p.m., the “CalU For Life — Meet Our Alumni”event will be held in the Kara AlumniHouse’s Booker Great Room.

For more information about CalPride Weekend and specific classroompresentation times, contact AmyLombard, executive director ofAlumni Relations and Annual Fund,at 724-938-4418 or e-maillombard@calu.edu .

New Look andLonger HoursThe on-campus shuttle’s new buswrap features students wearinggraduation caps and gowns, with abackground of stunning campusscenes. The on-campus shuttle hasextended its service and will runfrom 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday. For a route map andadditional shuttle information, visitwww.calu.edu/parking .

Junior Ben Snyder will use his knowledge ofgeographic information systems when he returns toPittsburgh’s National Energy Technology

Laboratory (NETL) for his second summer internship.Snyder, a geography major with a concentration in

GIS, recently was awarded a 2010 Excellence inEnvironment, Security, Safety, and Health Awardpresented by the Office of Fossil Energy.

He was part of a team recognized for its work on“Incident Response Pre-Plan,” an emergency responsetool created as part of the NETL internship, which isfunded by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science andEducation.

NETL, one of the U.S. Department of Energy’snational laboratories, focuses on providing secure,reliable energy at reliable prices.

Snyder and the team created a field-use tool basedon information extracted from site maps in a GISplatform. It is designed to be used for incidents involvingNETL facilities.

The tool addresses the need for emergency responsepersonnel to retrieve physical data about those facilitiesquickly. The application allows emergency personnel toaccess maps, floor plans, confined-space data andinformation about hazards, fire hydrants and utility shut-offs. The tool, which includes aerial photos and contact

information for facility custodians, will speed responsetimes in emergency situations.

Snyder is a member of the Pennsylvania ArmyNational Guard, where he is his unit’s acting executiveofficer. He also is involved in Cal U’s Army ROTCprogram and Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society ofLeadership and Success.

Snyder says the GIS course he took with his

internship faculty adviser, Dr. Tom Mueller, preparedhim well for his summer at NETL.

“It gave me practical experience,” he said. “Theinternship made me realize I knew more about GIS thenI realized, and I was able to bring NETL some skillsfrom what I read or did in labs at Cal.”

Snyder said he felt more like an employee than anintern at NETL, and he enjoyed using GPS units orGoogle Earth software to get coordinates and mapthem.

“It was almost like we were artists commissioned tocreate a map,” he said.

Snyder’s experience shows the importance ofinternships and applying what students learn in class tothe real world, Mueller said.

“Ben is very passionate about his learning. To go outand not only do your internship but do it so well that itis recognized by outside agencies says a lot about Benand the students we have here at Cal U.”

Snyder joined the military after graduating fromBethel Park High School in 2007. He said the internshipreaffirmed his decision to attend college.

“GIS is up and coming, and there are so many waysit can help an organization,” he added. “I am lookingforward to going back to NETL, and I really feel likepart of their team.

GIS Project Earns Encore for Intern

Junior Ben Snyder will return to Pittsburgh’s NationalEnergy Technology Laboratory for his second summerinternship. His work a year ago recently earned himrecognition by the Office of Fossil Energy.

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Dr. Angelo Armenti, Jr.University President

Geraldine M. Jones Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Lenora Angelone Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Charles Mance Vice President for University Technology Services

Ron HuiattVice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Robert Thorn Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance

Craig ButzineInterim Vice President for Marketing and University Relations

Christine KindlEditor

Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff BenderWriters

The California Journal is published weekly by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

The Journal is printed on paper made from trees harvested under the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative ( www.SFIprogram.org ).

Office of Communication and Public Relations 250 University Avenue California, PA 15419 724-938-4195 wald@calu.edu

Ex-Frostburg CoachLeads Volleyball Team

Dr. Clarissa Confer, assistantprofessor in the Departmentof History and Political

Science, has published her third book. Daily Life During the Indian Wars

takes an in-depth look at every aspectof AmericanIndian life —food, dress,customs andmore — duringalmost 300years of conflictwith Anglo-Americans.

The workoffers acomplete

chronology of military and politicalevents in American Indian history,ranging from Colonial times throughthe 19th century. It includes amulticultural bibliography ofsignificant materials from the fields ofhistory, ethnography andanthropology, pointing readers towardadditional information.

This is Confer’s second workpublished by ABC-CLIO Green Press.

Peter Letourneau has been namedhead coach of the women’svolleyball team.

For the past six years he was thehead volleyball coach at Frostburg State(Md.) University, where he compiled a144-61 cumulative record that included93 wins over the last three seasons.

He led the Bobcats to fourconsecutive conference tournamenttitles as a member of both theAllegheny Mountain CollegiateConference and Capital AthleticConference .

Under his direction, Frostburg Statereached the NCAA Division IIITournament in each of the last fouryears. In 2010, the team advanced to theregional championship for the first timein school history.Letourneau previously was an assistantcoach at Division I Rutgers (N.J.)University and head coach of both themen’s and women’s volleyball programsat Division III Stevenson University(Md.).

He replaces Stephanie Burner, whocoached the Vulcans from 2008-2010.

“I’m excited and honored to acceptthe position,” said Letourneau. “I am

impressed by the way the team hasbonded together during this transitionperiod. I also believe the team’s workethic and culture will serve us well aswe move forward in preparing for the2011 season.”

The new coach will lead a Cal Uteam that has achieved sevenconsecutive 20-win seasons, six straightPSAC playoff appearances and fiveconsecutive trips to the NCAA DivisionII Atlantic Regional championshipmatch.

Letourneau, a 2003 graduate ofTowson University, was a standoutplayer before moving to the sidelines.

During his six-year stint with theU.S. Air Force, he was selected for theAll-Services Volleyball Team and theAll-Air Force team. He played on theFlorida Pro-Beach Volleyball Tour afterstarting his playing career at EastStroudsburg University. .

“We are very excited to have Peteras our new volleyball coach,” said CalU athletic director Dr. Tom Pucci. “Hecomes to us with an excellent career atthe NCAA Division III level, and welook forward to him being verysuccessful here.”

After six highly successful years at Frostburg State (Md.) University, Peter Letourneau ishonored to be the new women’s volleyball head coach at Cal U.

Steelers’ Super Trainer Visits Cal UAriko Iso, athletic trainer for the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, discussed her work during a presentation to students and otherinterested members of the Cal U community on March 23 in Hamer Hall. Iso is the only female athletic trainer in the 32-team NationalFootball League, and her visit was part of the University’s Women’s History Month celebration.

Confer’s ThirdBook Published