AlumniWeekend, GalaSet June 3-4

Alumni Address Class of 2011

Commission HonorsOutstanding Young Women

Inspiration and advice from three distinguishedalumni highlighted Cal U’s 172nd Commencement.

President Angelo Armenti, Jr. conferred degreeson nearly 1,200 associate, bachelor’s and master’sdegree candidates, including students whose diplomaswere awarded in absentia.

“I invite you to return often and to keep in touchwith us,” President Armenti said.

“Be sure to let us know about your life after youleave here. Please know that California University ofPennsylvania is extremely proud of you and youraccomplishments.”

Daryl Zupan ’77 addressed the master’s degreecandidates May 6 in Hamer Hall, and RaymondMilchovich ’71 delivered remarks May 7 at theundergraduate event, which was held outdoors atAdamson Stadium for the second consecutive year.

Before the undergraduates received their diplomas,Provost Geraldine Jones introduced Charles S. Pryor’73, who was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters,honoris causa.

Senior GiftBefore students received their diplomas, graduating

senior Taylor Williams, chair of the Senior Gift DriveCommittee, presented President Armenti with a checkfor more than $6,700 contributed by seniors and theirfamilies.

In recognition of their generosity, President Armentiand First Lady Barbara Armenti contributed $1 for eachstudent donor and $2 for each family donation to theSenior Gift Drive.

To date, more than $14,000 has been raised for anendowed scholarship since this Cal U for Life initiativebegan with the first senior class donation at the spring2010 Commencement.

Graduating seniors who donated to the 2011 gift

drive wore red tassels affixed to their caps.“Those of us who worked on the senior class gift

drive embrace Cal U for Life, which is an importantinitiative,” Williams said.

“Even though we were not exposed to Cal U for Lifeas the incoming freshman are now, we take seriouslythe lifelong relationship we want to have with our almamater.”

At The PodiumAt both ceremonies, speakers with local ties took

the podium to address the graduates.Milchovich, a leader in the energy industry, retired

from Foster Wheeler AG in 2010. A native of Roscoe,Pa., he remains the non-executive chairman of theboard for Foster Wheeler, a global engineering and

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The President’s Commission for the Status ofWomen presented awards to two outstandingstudents during a luncheon May 4 in Kara

Alumni House.Graduate student Katie Mercadante and

undergraduate Amanda Smith were recognized atthe spring 2011 Woman of the Year event.

The awards are given each semester by thecommission, which was established in 1990.President Angelo Armenti, Jr. and Provost GeraldineJones were among those at the luncheon tocongratulate the honorees.

This is the second Woman of the Year honor forMercadante, who received the undergraduate awardin fall 2009. She has earned three degrees in sixyears: a bachelor’s degree in earth science with aconcentration in meteorology; a bachelor’s insecondary education: earth and space science; and amaster’s degree in mentally/physically handicappededucation.

Mercadante has organized several residence hallprograms geared toward women, such as a ThinkPink program for breast cancer awareness and Walka Mile in Her Shoes to help prevent domesticviolence. She also writes curriculum for summer

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California University will honor alumni,recognize faculty and raise funds for studentscholarships during the 2011 Alumni

Weekend and President’s Gala, set for June 3-4.President Angelo Armenti, Jr. and First Lady

Barbara Armenti will host the annual President’sGala, “Puttin on the Ritz,” in the Grand Ballroom ofthe Omni William Penn Hotel in downtownPittsburgh.

Proceeds from the fundraiser benefit studentscholarships.

The Gala reception begins at 6 p.m. on June 4,followed by dinner at 7 p.m. A silent auction, casinogames and dancing also are on the agenda.

During the festivities, President Armenti willhonor Mrs. Gwendolyn G. Simmons, winner of theLillian M. Bassi Core Values Award.

Also being honored are faculty members Dr.Christine Patti, of the Department of EducationalAdministration and Leadership, who will receive thePresident’s Faculty Award for Teaching; Dr. Robert

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Nearly 1,200 GradsReceive Degrees May 6

Amanda Smith (left) and Katie Mercadante received thespring 2011 Outstanding Woman of the Year Awards fromthe President’s Commission for the Status of Women.

Kristin Ross celebrates after receiving balloons and confetti from faculty members of the Theatre and Dance Department andher diploma from President Armenti.

VOLUME 13, NUMBER 16 MAY 23, 2011

California University

2

Alumni Address Graduates at Commencement

Say It In SpanishHealth care professionals from the University of

Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Veterans AffairsPittsburgh Healthcare System and the Cal U facultyattended Survival Spanish for Nursing, a workshopheld April 30 at Cal U’s Southpointe Center.

Andrea Cencich, an instructor in the Departmentof Modern Languages and Cultures, presented theworkshop with the assistance of students MargaretFike, Justine Fartini and Valerie Wortley.

Participants learned about the culture of theHispanic/Latino community as it relates to medicineand practiced techniques that health care workers whoare not fluent in Spanish can use to communicatewith Spanish-speaking individuals.

In addition to workshops, Cal U is serving theneeds of a diverse community with certificateprograms in Spanish for business and for lawenforcement.

Staff Recognition Dinner SetStaff members should mark their calendars for the

30th annual Staff Recognition Dinner on June 10. Theevent will include dinner, entertainment, and door prizesprovided by the Foundation for California University.

The President, Trustees and vice presidents lookforward to celebrating the work of staff members andrecognizing their employment anniversaries.

Staff members should reserve their seats now forwhat promises to be a memorable evening.

Student Marketers Win Awards

The Student Marketing Association at Cal Uwon three awards at the 33rd annual AmericanMarketing Association International CollegiateConference, held recently in New Orleans, La.

The chapter won Outstanding Efforts in

Community Service, Outstanding Efforts inCommunication and Overall Efforts in ChapterPlanning.

More than 160 collegiate chapters participated inthe competition.

SMA president Katy Ostronic and executive vicepresident Matthew Roos, both of whom graduatedthis month, gave presentations to the internationalmembership about how to recruit and retainmembers effectively.

Roos, who was nominated for InternationalStudent Marketer of the Year, was the first Cal Ustudent to serve as a student judge for the selectionof the Hugh G. Wales International CollegiateFaculty Advisor of the Year Award. Last year, Dr.Shirley Lazorchak was the recipient of this award.

Cody Foster has been elected president of theSMA for 2011-2012.

Campus BRIEFS

Four Faculty Members Earn Merit Awards

— Continued from page 1

construction firm with offices in 25nations.

His advice: Have a plan, be yourself,embrace and confront failure, and formrelationships.

“This is not rocket science, because Ido not believe success in life is rocketscience,” Milchovich said. “This isn’tcomplicated. It’s just really, really hardwork.”

Milchovich traveled the world duringhis 40-year career, but he calledsouthwestern Pennsylvania a uniqueregion populated by honest, hard-working and caring people.

“You have been raised, nurtured andeducated by these people,” he told thegraduates. “I would suggest you use thatedge to your advantage and beginbuilding the life you always imagined.”

Zupan, who grew up in Charleroi,Pa., is president and CEO for the AFCOand CAFO brands and Prime RatePremium Finance Co. of BB&T Corp.,one of the largest and oldest companiesfinancing property and casualtypremiums in North America.

He used the final three letters of Cal U’s website address in his talk,noting that E stands for education, D isfor determination and U represents theunexpected.

“Don’t forget that address,” saidZupan. “It has served you well up to this

point, and it will continue to do so farinto the future — particularly if youbuild on the education you received here,and add for good measure determinationand confidence in meeting theunexpected.”

Pryor, the vice president of businessdevelopment for L.R. Kimball, laudedPresident Armenti for transforming Cal U into the “flagship for the StateSystem and the envy of the highereducation community.”

A generous benefactor, Pryor said hewas humbled by his selection to receivethe honorary degree.

In his address, Pryor commented thatwhen he was a student-athlete atCalifornia, the country was in anunpopular war and had both a flateconomy and high unemployment.

“That sounds familiar, but … thecountry survived and flourished. It willdo so again because of you, the newleaders for the 21st century,” he said.

“As you leave here today to beginyour journey, opportunities will presentthemselves to you. What you do withthose opportunities will be up to you.”

Sarah Howarth celebrates during the graduate Commencement in Hamer Hall.

Four Cal U faculty members withdifferent areas of expertise arerecipients of the 2011 Faculty

Merit Awards.Given by the subcommittees of the

Faculty Professional DevelopmentCommittee (FPDC), the awardsrecognize Cal U professors who areengaged in exceptional research,committed to teaching, using grants andcontracts, devoted to service or exploringcutting-edge technology.

The awards were presented at aluncheon on May 6. Winners are Dr.John Confer (earth sciences) for research;Dr. Cheryl Hettman (nursing) for serviceand service-learning; Dr. Margo Wilson(English) for technology; and Dr. CarolBocetti (biological and environmentalsciences) for teaching and learning.

Along with wooden plaques, eachrecipient received a $1,000 award andwas recognized at Commencement. The

monetary awards can be used forprofessional activity such as travel,supplies, equipment, books or periodicals,publications, or professionalmemberships.

“There are many good things goingon within the University,” said PresidentAngelo Armenti, Jr., “and I believe theFPDC is the jewel in the crown ofCalifornia University’s excellence.”

He commended the award winnersfor their efforts and said they should beproud to be honored by their peers,something that takes hard work anddedication.

Dr. David Argent, of the Departmentof Biological and EnvironmentalSciences, received the Robert A. VargoLifetime Achievement Award.

Co-chairs of the FPDC for 2010-2011were Drs. Ali Sezer and Craig Smith.The Faculty Center coordinator is Dr.Kurt Kearcher.

Among those taking part in the FPDC Merit Awards presentation were (standing, from left)Dr. Ali Sezer, FPDC co-chair; President Angelo Armenti, Jr.; Provost G eraldine Jones; and Dr.Craig Smith, FPDC co-chair; (seated, from left) Dr. Margo Wilson, Technology Merit Award;Dr. Carol Bocetti, Teaching and Learning Merit Award; and Dr. John Confer, Research MeritAward.

Guest speaker Raymond J. Milchovich ’71addresses the student body at theundergraduate Commencement atAdamson Stadium.

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Alumni Weekend, Gala Set— Continued from page 1

Whyte, of the Biological andEnvironmental SciencesDepartment, who will receive thePresident’s Faculty Award forResearch; and Dr. RalphBelsterling, of theCommunication DisordersDepartment, recipient of thePresident’s Faculty Award forService.

Retired professors Dr. Donald Thompsonand Marsha Nolf will receive the President’sEmeriti Faculty Awards.

Honorary chairs are Robert ’66 andSuzanne Lippencott.

The President’s Gala is the highlight ofAlumni Weekend festivities that begin June 3with campus tours at 3 p.m., Cal U trivia at4 p.m. and a 5 p.m. reception for members ofthe Class of 1961 in the Kara AlumniHouse.

The annual Pioneer Dinner follows at 5:45p.m. in the Kara Alumni House. Special

recognition will be given to theClass of 1961, but all alumni mayattend; ticket price is $15.

On June 4, the annual meetingof the Alumni Association willopen at 8:30 a.m. in Room 206/207of the Natali Student Center. At 11a.m. guests will convene for theannual Alumni Association Awardsof Distinction Luncheon in thePerformance Center inside thestudent center. Cost is $15.

Alumni award recipients are Dr. StanKomacek ’80, recipient of the John R. GreggAward for Loyalty and Service; Dr. KateMitchem, the C.B. Wilson DistinguishedFaculty Award; Margaret Lappan Green ‘70,the W.S. Jackman Award of Distinction; DaveRobey ’77, ’80, the Michael Duda Award forAthletic Achievement; Dr. Emily Sweitzer‘92, the Pavlak/Shutsy Special ServiceAward; Fred Gladney ’92, the ProfessionalExcellence Award; Oliver Comstock ’08, theYoung Alumni Award; and Adele Lynn ’74,the Meritorious Award.

— Continued from page 1

camp programs at the Carnegie Science Center and volunteers at OldEconomy Village in Ambridge, Pa.

Mercadante, who graduated May 6, has accepted a position asassistant director of residence life at Gannon University in Erie, Pa.

Smith graduated May 7 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology anda minor in women’s studies. She completed an internship with theWomen’s Studies program at Cal U in spring 2010.

Smith’s outstanding contributions as an intern and then a work-study student were particularly evident while Dr. Marta McClintock-Comeaux was on maternity leave this semester. Smith was one of thekeys to the success of the recent Audrey-Beth Fitch Women’s StudiesConference.

A member of Pi Gamma Mu honor society, Smith worked withother undergraduate students to start Social Justice Activism Now —So Just Act Now. She is a member of the women’s hockey team andwas named its most valuable player during the final game of theseason.

Also at the luncheon, Dr. Lisa McBride was announced as presidentof the President’s Commission for the Status of Women. She had beenserving as interim president.

Rhonda Gifford will be vice president of the organization. She servedon the spring semester’s nominating committee, along with Dr. MelanieBlumberg, Dr. Emily Sweitzer, Rose Markovich and Sheleta Webb.

Young Women Honored

For students in Dr. Tom Mueller’sEnvironmental Applications ofGIS class, the spring semester

literally was a walk in the park.Along with their coursework, the

students divided into six groups andworked on geographic informationsystems projects for the Pittsburgh ParksConservancy.

After Mueller and his colleague Dr.John Confer arranged the work with theConservancy, senior restoration ecologistErin Copeland visited the class, presenteddata and suggested a few project ideas.

The students then devised heir ownprojects. They used equipment at Cal U’sGIS Laboratory, visited the parks andlooked at spatial data to analyze theirinformation. Then they created detailedposters and presented their results tomembers of the Parks Conservancy atRiverview Park.

“Their projects covered everythingfrom the slopes of recreational trails to …what soils were good for planting trees todemographic analysis of the populationsaround the parks to crime mapping,”Mueller said.

Grant Eaton, a junior GIS major,headed a group that used ArcInfo andESRI software to relate crime data toweather. They analyzed crime patterns in

certain areas, looking at times of the yearwhen crime rates were higher or lower.

“Using the equipment for this projectwas really helpful and a good experience,”Eaton said. “After our presentations wealso received excellent feedback from thepeople at the Parks Conservancy.”

Vicki Dulnikowski’s group conducteda demographic analysis of all four majorparks in Pittsburgh — Frick, Highland,Riverview and Schenley.

“We focused on what should bebrought to the parks and taken away,” she

said. “Our emphasis was more onattracting youths to the parks, becausethey will return to the parks for the rest oftheir lives and later bring their families.”

Her group’s findings suggested thatelementary school children could getinvolved by designing tiles and creatingmosaics to enhance the parks’appearance. The group also cited a needfor basketball courts at Riverview Park.

Another project, led by student FredSmith, analyzed the parks’ wooded areasand found that Schenley Park had a 160

percent gain in woodland.“We thoroughly valued the time and

work the students put into the GISanalysis, map creation and presentations,”Copeland said. “There were many thingsour staff learned.”

Mueller consulted with Drs. TomWickham and Harrison Pinckney beforeand during the process. He said he wasimpressed with the diversity of theprojects students devised.

“These projects really gave ourstudents a real-world experience,” he said.“They had to deal with real data, realquestions and real methodology on howto solve those problems, and then analyzethe data they received. This was acomplete project, and I am proud of themand pleased with their results.”

Cal U’s relationship with thePittsburgh Parks Conservancy isapparently just beginning. Copeland saidthe Conservancy looks forward to futurecollaboration with the University toconduct projects such as a spectralanalysis of sections of Highland Park,plus mapping and data creation, editingand analysis.

“It is very exciting to us that everysemester we have access to classes, internsor work-study projects that will help uswith our GIS needs,” she said.

GIS Students Help Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Standing in front of a poster presented to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy are GIS students(from left) G rant Eaton, Vicki Dulnikowski, F red Smith and Joshua Alderson.G

Gwendolyn Simmons

Camp-O-ReeDr. Michael Hummel, director of the Linda andHarry Serene Leadership institute, talks withBoy Scouts from troops in the G reaterPittsburgh Council during their spring Camp-O-Ree, held May 13-15 at Cal U . The Scoutscamped outdoors at Roadman Park and spenta full day enjoying workshops and careerexploration activities on the main campus.Despite rainy weather, about 150 Scouts andtroop leaders attended.

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

Alumnus toEnter SportsHall of F ame

SpringSports Score

Junior Annabel Pieschihelped Cal U ’s women’stennis team win its fifthconsecutive PSAC andNCAA Atlantic Regiontitles this spring. TheVulcans reached the

NCAA nationalquarterfinals and finished

the season with a 22-8overall record. Also

advancing to NCAA post-season play this spring

were the men’s andwomen’s golf teams, the

softball team, and severalindividual track-and-field

competitors. f orcomplete results, visitwww.calvulcans.com .

For the fifth consecutive year, a California Universitygraduate will be inducted into the Mid-Mon Valley AllSports Hall of Fame (MMVASHOF). This year’s

inductee is Paul Zolak ’69.A graduate of Donora High School, where he was a

multi-sport star, Zolak earned a degree from California StateCollege and enjoyed a distinguished career in athleticadministration.

Zolak was thestarting kicker andbackup quarterbackon Cal’s 1968 PSACco-championshipteam. He made allfour extra points inthe Vulcans’ 28-28state championship tiewith EastStroudsburg.

After collegeZolak taught for eightyears in RinggoldSchool District andserved as an assistantfootball coach for nineyears. He wasRinggold’s athleticdirector for 20 years,and then served inthat same capacity atBethel Park HighSchool for nine years before retiring in June 2006.

During his nearly 30 years as an athletic director, Zolakestablished himself as one of the premier athleticadministrators in the WPIAL. In 2004 he received thePennsylvania State Athletic Director Association’sDistinguished Service Award. He was a member of theWPIAL’s basketball, football, baseball and softballcommittees, and the athletic directors’ representative on theWPIAL Board of Control.

He founded the Tri-County Athletic DirectorsAssociation, and under his leadership Ringgold was the firstschool in the nation to install FieldTurf on its football field.

Zolak also helped with the successful merger of theMonongahela and Donora campuses into the unifiedRinggold High School in 1979.

Zolak credits Cal U and the late President Emeritus Dr.Michael Duda — also an MMVASHOF inductee — forinstilling in him the importance of academics. During hisinitial meeting with Duda, Zolak recalled, the collegepresident challenged him to make the dean’s list.

“He was instrumental in me developing a desire to strivefor success in academics and ultimately to parallel that withathletics,” Zolak said. “I was so proud when I was able toreport to him that I had made the dean’s list.”

Zolak said that Dr. Duda and California made him lookat academics and athletics as partners in excellence.

“This is a motto I took with me to the Ringgold andBethel Park school districts,” he said. “I tried to use thismotto to the best of my ability with the student-athletes.”

At Cal U, Zolak received the Alumni Association’sMichael Duda Award for Athletic Achievement in 2005.

This year’s Mon Valley Hall of Fame banquet will be heldat 5:30 p.m. June 17 in the Willow Room, RostraverTownship. The other inductees are the late Willie Ross,Charles Ahlborn, John Hostetler, Charles “Yogi” Jones, DonLaw and Michael Moorer.

Six ROTC CadetsCommissioned as Officers

Leadership principles took center stage whensix ROTC cadets were commissioned assecond lieutenants in the U.S. Army at a

ceremony May 4 in Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre.Cal U cadets Zachary Drysdale, Joseph

Hummel, Konrad Kearcher, Nicholas Messina andDavid Schott Jr. received the gold bars signifyingtheir new rank at the Department of MilitaryScience’s Reserve Officer Training Corpscommissioning ceremony.

They were joined by cadet James Cooper, whoattends the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.

Before taking the oath of office, the cadetsheard words of advice from Dr. Michael Hummel,director of the Linda and Harry Serene LeadershipInstitute at Cal U and a retired Army officer withmore than 23 years of military service.

“Leading and learning are lifelong obligations,”said Hummel, whose son was among those beingcommissioned.

“Hold people to a tough and high standard, andyourself to an even tougher and higher standard.”

The six new officers have different

military assignments. Drysdale will serve in the Field Artillery, and

the younger Hummel will receive a National Guardcommission into the infantry. Kearcher, whoreceived an educational delay, will attend lawschool in the fall.

Messina will enter the Army Corps ofEngineers. Schott, recognized as a DistinguishedMilitary Graduate, will enter the MilitaryIntelligence Corps. Cooper also will be assigned tomilitary intelligence.

After completing his address, the elder Hummeljoined other family members who, one by one,pinned a gold bar to a cadet’s uniform. FollowingArmy tradition, each newly minted secondlieutenant gave a silver dollar to an officer inexchange for his first salute.

Lt. Col. Joseph P. Alessi, professor of militaryscience at the University of Pittsburgh, closed theceremony.

“We free people, protect people and calmpeople,” he told the new officers. “You are adefender and will be for the rest of your life.”

Dr. Michael Hummel pins a gold bar on the uniform of his son, Joseph Hummel, during the May 4 ROTCcommissioning ceremony at Steele Hall.

A previous winner of Cal U 's MichaelDuda Award for AthleticAchievement, Paul Zolak '69 will beinducted into the Mid-Mon ValleyAll Sports hall of f ame. This marksthe fifth straight year that a pastVulcan great has received thishonor.