ALVERNIA UNIVERSITYHonors Convocation

Sunday, April 22

2012

The Board of Trustees,

President Thomas F. Flynn,

and Faculty and Staff

of

Alvernia Universitywelcome you to the

2012 Honors Convocation

Welcome Shirley J. Williams, Ed.D. Provost

Processional

Invocation Joseph J. Cicala, Ph.D. Vice President for University Life and Dean of Students

Remarks Thomas F. Flynn, Ph.D. President

Student Speaker Andrew Smolarski ’12 2011 Senior Scholar

Introduction of Faculty Speaker Shirley J. Williams, Ed.D. Provost

Faculty Speaker Beth Berret, Ed.D., SPHR Associate Professor of Business

2011 Lindback Award Recipient

Presentation of Department AwardsAllied Health & Human Services Delores Bertoti, MSPT, Chair Business Mary Ellen Wells, L.L.M., J.D., ChairCriminal Justice Edgar J. Hartung, MA, J.D., Chair Education Steven Melnick, Ph.D., ChairEnglish, Communication, & CIS Mary Beth DeMeo, M.A.T., ChairFine & Performing Arts Nathan Thomas, Ph.D.Humanities Kevin Godfrey, Ph.D., ChairNursing Mary Ellen Symanski, Ph.D., RN, ChairPsychology & Counseling Peggy Bowen-Hartung, CTS, Ph.D. Chair

Science & Mathematics Elizabeth A. Gardner, Ph.D., Chair

Honors ConvocationSunday April 22, 2012 • 2:00 p.m.

Welcome to Alvernia University and thank you for joining us as we honor students and faculty for academic achievement. Please silence all electronic devices during the program. You are invited to a reception following the ceremony.

Presentation of Student Scholar Athletes Bill Stiles, M.Ed.

Athletic Director

Presentation of Peace & Justice Student Award Sister Roberta Agnes McKelvie, OSF ’71

Assistant to the President for Mission Integration & Education

Presentation of Senior Scholar Barry Harvey, MS

Chair, Academic Standards Committee

Presentation of St. Bernardine Faculty Award Karen Thacker, Ph.D., RN, CNE

Dean, College of Professional Programs

Presentation of Sr. Donatilla Faculty Award Cynthia D. Rothenberger, MSN

Chair, Honors and Awards Committee

Presentation of Honor Cords to Graduates Karen Thacker, Ph.D., RN, CNE

Dean, College of Professional Programs

Graduates of the Alvernia University Honors Program Scott Davidson, MA

Instructor of Theology

Presentation of HCCE Fellows Jay Worrall

Director, Holleran Center for Community Engagement

Presentation of Faculty Award for Exemplary Service-Learning Jay Worrall

Director, Holleran Center for Community Engagement

Benediction Sister Roberta Agnes McKelvie, OSF ’71 Assistant to the President for Mission Integration & Education

Welcome to Alvernia University and thank you for joining us as we honor students and faculty for academic achievement. Please silence all electronic devices during the program. You are invited to a reception following the ceremony.

Faculty Speaker:Beth Berret, Ed.D., SPHR Associate Professor of Business 2011 Lindback Award Recipient

Beth Berret has been a professor in the business department at Alvernia University since 1989 when she joined us after serving as a practicing professional in HR administration for many years. She teaches students of all levels, from freshmen through doctoral level in the areas of Management and Human Resource Management. Her classes are consistently challenging and rewarding for students at each of those levels.

In addition to her excellence in teaching, Dr. Berret is, in the words of one of her co-workers, one of the best colleagues imaginable. She is committed to Alvernia and its students as well to as the business department as a whole. She does a tremendous job fulfilling the leadership position of MBA Coordinator and Program Coordinator for Continuing Studies in Business and is the first to volunteer to pitch in and plan, start, or finish whatever departmental work is necessary, all in a top-quality and timely manner.

Student success and opportunities are vital to Beth, both in terms of students’ academic success as well as their success in becoming well rounded individuals, ready to make a positive contribution to the business world. In furtherance of those beliefs, Beth was the founding faculty advisor to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and has continued to serve in that role since 1995, with the Chapter earning Superior Merit awards and Beth herself earning the accolade of SHRM Advisor of the Year in 2009. Beth is passionate about the need to stay up to date in her profession and to that end, maintains her Senior Professional In Human Resources certification. Due to her work, Alvernia’s HR curriculum has been recognized by SHRM as a preferred course of study for students entering the field. Beth’s student service has also found her serving as study abroad coordinator for two rewarding student and faculty academic trips to Italy over the past four years. The coordination effort was daunting and time consuming, yet one that Beth committed herself to because of the global benefit of such trips to students.

In addition to her teaching and service to students Dr. Berret recently published, Planning in Reverse: A Viable Approach to Organizational Leadership, a new book co-authored with two other business department faculty members, Drs. Scott Ballantyne and Mary Ellen Wells. Other recent co-authored publications include articles titled: “A Generation lost; the reality of age discrimination in today’s hiring practices” and “Comparing the intensity of student attitude and perception changes from short-term travel courses.”

In addition to national and local membership in SHRM, Beth is a member of Home Health Care Management Board of Directors and HR Committee; Boy Scouts of America, Membership Committee Chair and Merit Badge Counselor; and the Eastern Education Research Association as Submission Evaluator.

Beth is truly an example of a hard-working, high achieving, committed faculty member at Alvernia University.

Student Speaker:Andrew Smolarski ’12

2011 Senior Scholar

Andrew Smolarski grew up in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania with his brother and two sisters. Graduating with honors from Boyertown Area Senior High School in 2008, he was very involved in the community through Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) teaching and in school through Future Business Leaders of America. Andrew came to Alvernia University in his sophomore year due to the academic and friendly environment that Alvernia offered. He quickly became involved in academics through dual majoring in accounting and management, minoring in mathematics, concentrating in fraud, and joining the honors program. In addition to his academics, Andrew is involved in Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Institute of Management Accountants, and Delta Mu Delta. He previously served as PBL Chapter President and SHRM Chapter Vice President, and is currently serving as PBL State Secretary and SHRM Chapter Secretary.

Through PBL, Andrew has excelled in regional and national competitions in his discipline, winning first place in Who’s Who in Phi Beta Lambda, third place in Business Law, and third place in Word Processing at the State Leadership Conference. His interest in PBL introduced him into the role of State Secretary where he sits on the PBL State Executive Council and partakes in state affairs. Andrew has demonstrated leadership in the community through his volunteer service. He has consistently given back with efforts towards the Annual Turkey Drive, March of Dimes, Salvation Army, Animal Rescue League, and campus activities including Christmas on Campus. Andrew has shared his knowledge and faith with others by teaching CCD for nine years. This year, Andrew has been diligently working on his thesis, which examines the best model for continual quality improvement in the business environment. The thesis analyzes three major quality initiatives to determine the best model to ensure a business’ success and to secure a competitive advantage. Professionally, Andrew is an intern at Penske Truck Leasing in the financial reporting department. At Penske, he worked closely with the retirement plans’ financial statements and month-end close procedures. Andrew plans to pursue his CPA license following graduation.

Department Awards

Allied Health & Human Services

Paul J. Marr, MD Athletic Training Scholarship Award: presented to an outstanding athletic training student who

has demonstrated academic achievement, while personifying exceptional qualities and characteristics of the profession.

Academic Excellence Award: presented to the senior student with the highest grade point average in the athletic

training education program.

Outstanding Social Work Academic Award: presented to a graduating senior who demonstrates overall outstanding

academic performance.

Outstanding Social Work Field Placement Award: for a graduating senior who has demonstrated outstanding

dedication to the profession of social work through his or her field placement experience.

Dr. Phyllis Hay Research Award: presented for a senior research team project that reflects social work’s value and

commitment to the contribution of knowledge to the field of social work.

Caron Treatment Centers Award of Excellence: presented to an addiction studies student who most personifies

outstanding achievement in the area of academics, who has received positive peer recognition, and who has made

personal contributions to the overall good of the addiction studies program.

Betty Ford Center Academic Award: presented to the addiction studies graduate who has attained the highest grade

point average.

Director’s Award: presented to the student who has demonstrated academic achievement as well as a sustained

commitment over an extended period of time in pursuit of a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in addiction studies.

Father Martin’s Ashley Academic Award: presented to a Philadelphia Center graduating senior in behavioral health,

who has attained the highest grade point average.

Business

ACBSP Student Leadership Award: presented to the business student who demonstrates outstanding leadership

through his or her activities while at Alvernia.

PennsylvaniaInstituteof CertifiedPublicAccountantsAward: for a student who demonstrates excellence in

accounting studies and professional development, who desires to pursue a career in accounting.

Institute of Management Accountants — Reading Chapter Award: for a graduating senior who demonstrates

excellence in accounting studies and in professional development.

Excellence in Marketing: presented to a student who demonstrates superior academic performance and potential

for professional accomplishment in marketing.

Excellence in Sport Management: presented to a student who demonstrates superior academic performance and

potential for professional accomplishment in sport management.

Excellence in Business: presented to the student achieving the highest grade point average in the business program.

School of Graduate and Continuing Studies Master in Business Administration Award of Excellence: given for

a commitment to academic excellence and Franciscan ideals.

Criminal Justice

Academic Excellence Award: presented to a graduating senior with the highest grade point average in criminal justice,

who holds true to the mission of the major, stipulated by the faculty of the department.

Internship Award: presented to a graduating senior who demonstrates outstanding accomplishment in the criminal

justice internship.

Saint Michael the Archangel Award: presented to a graduating senior in criminal justice for overall dedication, a quality

of the Patron Saint of Law Enforcement.

Sister Pacelli Award: presented to a graduating senior in criminal justice for dedication to the core Franciscan values of

service, humility, peacemaking, contemplation, and collegiality.

Education

Emma Yoh Award for Outstanding Professionalism: given in recognition of an outstanding student majoring in

education who demonstrates the dispositions for the teaching profession, and who exhibits the qualities that demonstrate

professionalism in teaching on a consistent basis.

Outstanding Undergraduate Education Major: presented to a graduating senior who earns the highest grade point

average and demonstrates the greatest accomplishment in the education department.

Outstanding Student Teacher Award: for graduating seniors who demonstrate outstanding performance in the field.

English, Communication, & CIS

TheElizabethSusmanAwardforScholarshipandCreativityinthefieldof Englishand/orCommunication:

presented to a senior in honor of the late Professor Elizabeth Susman, former chair of the English department at Alvernia.

Alvernian Award for Business Excellence: given to a student who has demonstrated managerial excellence working in

the business office of the Alvernian.

Alvernian Award for Editorial Leadership: given to a student who has taken a leadership role in composing, editing and

revising articles for the Alvernian.

Alvernian Award for Photographic Excellence: given to a student who has demonstrated excellence in composing and

editing images for the Alvernian.

Excellence in Video and Television Production: presented to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence

in television and video production both in front of and behind the camera, and outstanding skill in reporting, scriptwriting,

producing, editing, lighting, sound, and technical directing.

English/CommunicationAwardforStudentLeadership:given to students who have demonstrated leadership,

particularly in their work with student organizations.

Margaret Oberholtzer Lawrence Award for Excellence: presented to a senior who demonstrates excellence and

extensive participation in activities that promote an interest in the discipline.

Henry Miller Award: presented to the graduating Sigma Tau Delta member who best exemplifies the character and

intellectual curiosity of an individual who had a love of literature, an appreciation for education, and a question for every answer.

Academic Excellence Award in CIS: awarded to the student with the highest grade point average in CIS classes.

Fine & Performing Arts

Alvernia University Choral Award: presented to an outstanding graduating senior recognized for overall commitment

to the Alvernia University Chorus and the vocal arts.

Alvernia University Instrumental Award: presented to an outstanding graduating senior recognized for overall

commitment to the university instrumental program.

Frances J. Thomas Theatre Award: presented to an outstanding graduating senior recognized for overall

commitment, as well as achievment in the theatre program.

Humanities

Outstanding Student in the Humanities: for the graduating senior who maintains a grade point average of 3.7 in his

or her major, a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 overall, and demonstrates superior ability and leadership in the

study of humanities.

High Achievement in History: for a senior who maintains a grade point average of 3.5 in history and a cumulative

grade point average of 3.3.

High Achievement in Political Science: for a graduating senior who maintains a grade point average of 3.5 in

political science and a cumulative grade point average of 3.3.

Nursing

Outstanding Clinical Performance Award: given to a graduating senior nursing student who has consistently

demonstrated the highest standards of clinical nursing performance.

Excellence in Community Health Nursing Award: given to a graduating senior nursing student in recognition of

outstanding performance of nursing care within community settings.

Nursing Leadership Award: presented to a graduating senior nursing student who has demonstrated leadership among

peers in service to the community and the profession while maintaining high standards of academic and clinical performance.

Spirit of St. Francis Award: awarded to graduating nursing students whose performance through the undergraduate

program has best fulfilled the Alvernia University Motto: “To Learn, To Love, To Serve.”

Nursing Excellence Award: given by the Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor

Society to a member of the graduating class (traditional pre-licensure program) who best exemplifies the qualities of

professional nursing while consistently maintaining high academic achievement.

Leaders in Learning Award: given to a graduating senior nursing student who demonstrates outstanding academic and

clinical performance, exemplifies the qualities of a Franciscan scholar, and whose service to the university, community,

and profession has earned her/him respect among peers and the faculty.

Leaders in Learning Award (RN-BSN): awarded to a graduating RN to BSN student, who has demonstrated

outstanding academic performance and whose scholarship impacts nursing practice.

Spirit of Saint Francis Award (RN-BSN): awarded to a graduating RN to BSN student whose academic and clinical

performance exemplifies Alvernia University’s motto: “To Learn, To Love, To Serve.”

Psychology & Counseling

Research Excellence: presented to a graduating senior who demonstrates exceptional skill in applied

research and psychological content areas.

Clinical Excellence: presented to a senior who demonstrates exceptional skills in an internship placement.

Academic Excellence: presented to a senior who demonstrates the highest academic achievement.

Leadership Award: presented to a senior who demonstrates leadership ability.

Service Award: presented in recognition of a student’s outstanding achievement in the area of service. Students who achieve

this award embrace the mission of Alvernia by serving in their community and embodying the ideal of “knowledge joined with love.”

Science & Math

Frank Podczasy Award: presented to a graduating senior who demonstrates outstanding scholastic achievement,

community service, and dedication to the sciences.

American Chemical Society Award: presented by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS),

this award recognizes a science student for outstanding achievement in chemistry and community service.

Sr. Alodia Outstanding Lab Assistant Award: presented to a graduating senior lab assistant who demonstrates a high

level of scholastic achievement, community and departmental service, and dedication to the science profession. Moreover

the recipient of this award has shown on numerous occasions to go above and beyond the call of duty of a lab assistant.

Continuing Studies

Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: presented to a graduating senior for commitment to academic

excellence and Franciscan ideals.

Criminal Justice Academic Excellence Award: presented to a Philadelphia Center graduating senior in criminal justice

for commitment to academic excellence.

Director’s Award: presented to a Schuylkill Center graduating senior for commitment to academic excellence and

Franciscan ideals.

University Awards

Outstanding Scholar Athlete AwardTwo student athletes, one male and one female, are recognized annually for maintaining the highest grade point average after four

years as an Alvernia athlete.

The Franciscan Peace and Justice AwardThe Franciscan Peace and Justice Award is given to a graduating senior who demonstrates a spirit of service and leadership in

academic and co-curricular activities, promotes diversity and respect for all people, is dedicated to service in the community,

especially with the poor and marginalized, and is actively committed to building a global community around social justice and peace.

Senior Scholar AwardThe Senior Scholar Award is a $10,000 scholarship toward Alvernia senior year tuition presented to one student. The recipient

must maintain a 3.7 GPA, submit a letter describing their goals, a résumé, a reference letter from a faculty number, and a reference

letter from a peer. Finalists are interviewed by the faculty Honors and Awards Committee and the Academic Standards Committee

to determine the recipient.

Saint Bernardine Faculty AwardThe Saint Bernardine Faculty Award for Excellence in Part-Time Teaching is an award presented to an adjunct instructor.

Sister Mary Donatilla Faculty AwardThe Sister Mary Donatilla Faculty Award is awarded to a full-time faculty member who has given long service to the university

in teaching, advising, service, and support. The Honors and Awards Committee selects the recipient.

The Alvernia University Honors ProgramThe Honors Program is designed to recognize and encourage academic excellence. The program offers a variety of challenging

interdisciplinary courses and provides an academic climate to promote learning. Graduation from the program is contingent upon

the completion of designated honors coursework, a minimum grade point average, and the completion and presentation of a

senior thesis or project.

Holleran Center for Community Engagement FellowsHolleran Community Fellow Awards are presented to selected sophomores, juniors, and seniors who, in exchange for

committing to serving 300 hours tutoring and mentoring in the local community over the course of the academic year, will

receive an AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,208 upon completion of their service. These students address compelling

community needs in the areas of education access and success, while developing their skills as outstanding, engaged citizens.

Faculty Award for Exemplary Service-Learning The Holleran Center for Community Engagement’s Faculty Award for Exemplary Service-Learning is an annual award of

$500 given to a full-time faculty member who demonstrates excellence for incorporating service-learning pedagogy into their

curriculum. The recipient uses service-learning practices as an innovative teaching tool to engage students in civic learning while

creating opportunities for community benefits. This faculty member helps build institutional commitments to service-learning

and civic engagement by fostering reciprocal community partnerships and enhancing Alvernia’s contributions to the public good.

Alvernia Honor Societies

Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society: Alpha Phi Sigma is the Criminal Justice National Honor Society at Alvernia University. Its purpose is to promote critical thinking, rigorous scholarship, and lifelong learning, to keep abreast of the advances in scientific research, to elevate the ethical standards of the criminal justice profession and to sustain in the public mind the benefit and necessity of education and professional training. Alpha Phi Sigma has recognized Alvernia University as the Gamma Nu Chapter. The nationally recognized chapter strives for the commitment to life-long learning.

Current Members: Jessica Beisswanger, Sean Brett, Francisco Contreras, Aaron Farrell, Thomas Hall, Christopher Hartman, Shannon Heist, Ryan Hermany, Angela Smith, and Beth Staskiewicz.

Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society: Alpha Sigma Lambda is the premier national honor society for nontraditional adult students. Its aim is to recognize the special achievements of adults who accomplish academic excellence while facing competing interests of home and work. For the nontraditional student, the Society stands as an inspiration for continuing scholastic growth, and is a builder of pride through recognition. To this day Alpha Sigma Lambda is not only the oldest, but also the largest chapter-based honor society for full and part-time students.

Current Members: Cynthia Dros, Dorothyanne LeFore, Denna Long, Teresa Ann Mohler, Yarlin Z. Rivera, Lisa A. Schade, and Debra Sola.

Beta Kappa Chi Honor Society: Beta Kappa Chi — Natural Sciences & Mathematics — has the purpose of encouraging the advancement of scientific education through original investigations, the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and the stimulation of high scholarship in the pure and applied sciences.

Current Members: Tanya Acevedo, Christopher Altomare, Scott Barr, Sharon Bedell, Chelsea Borror, Matthew Cornell, Kaitlyn Hayes, Ashley Leibensperger, Amanda McGettigan, Gissellie Ortiz, Virginia Parsons, Benjamin Schuettler, Emily Seifert, Stephen Smerecki, Amy Sottosanti, and Krista Weaver.

Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society: Delta Epsilon Sigma is a National Scholastic Honor Society for students, faculty, and alumni of colleges and universities with a Catholic tradition. Benefits of this honor society include an annual scholarship and fellowship competition, life-long subscription to the Delta Epsilon Sigma Journal, voting and nomination rites, a national student award for graduating seniors, an annual writing competition, and a distinguished lecturer program.

Current Members: Gerauldine Alderfer, Christopher Altomare, Lisa Bailey, Rachael Broad, Sarah Brojack, Cory Carbone, Katie DeTurk, Lisa Dieffenbach, Katelyn Eby, Stephanie Fowler, Alexandria Gaul, Sara Gimber, Carly Glasmyre, Angela Goudy, Susan Hafer, Jessica Hardinger, Christopher Heathcote, Dianne Hefter, Jeffrey Helm, Ryan Hermany, Brian Horning, Rochelle Jones, Jillian Kohr, Emily Kratz, Lindsay Krause, Mark Kruse, Michelle LaFaver, Kaitlyn Malyszko, Lauren Mance, Jonathan Marazas, Janet Milford Schneider, Chelsie Ober, Jade Pereira, Jennifer Pope, Zachary Reber, Katherine Roesch, Amy Rusak, Tonya Rutt, Andrea Shade, Corey Shadle, Sarah Shayka, Jolynn Shelton, Elena Smith, Andrew Smolarski, Justine Snyder, Debra Sola, Jayson Ulrich, Tyler Wagner, John Waldron, Amanda Wanner, Susan Wolfe, and Barbara Youndt.

Delta Mu Delta Honor Society: Delta Mu Delta is an honor society for junior, senior, and graduate students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement in business. Membership in the society is limited to students whose achievement places them in the top twenty percent of their class. Membership in Delta Mu Delta symbolizes earnest, intelligent purpose and achievement. Alvernia University’s business program sponsors the Lambda Zeta Chapter of Delta Mu Delta through its accreditation in the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.

Current Members: Justin Arnt, Charles Clauser, Katelyn Eby, Brian Horning, Gabriel Kamarousky, Melanie Kramer, Holly Kowalski, Susan McCord, Harry Moran, Vy Nguyen, Susan Rhoad, Melanie Schrader, Andrew Smolarski, and Jennifer Wegman.

Phi Alpha Honor Society: “Through knowledge — the challenge to serve,” the purposes of Phi Alpha Honor Society are to provide a closer bond among students of social work and promote humanitarian goals and ideals. Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.

Current Members: Anna Arbolino, Jennifer Czarnecki, Laura Ehnes, Sara Gimber, Danielle Gordon, Manouche Latouche, Michelle Lesagonicz, Marlene Lopez, Decontee Mah, Ashley Palmieri, Ashley Rhoads, Christina Solomon, and Cara Tatangelo.

Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society: Pi Lambda Theta is the oldest and most selective educational honor society that recognizes excellence in education. The mission of PLT is to honor outstanding educators and inspire them to be effective leaders who address critical issues in education. Membership in the society is by invitation only and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who intend to pursue a career in education.

Current Members: Gerauldine Alderfer, Margie Alloway, Lisa Bailey, Anita Butz, Ashley Ellingsworth, Kelli Goshert, Angela Goudy, Jennifer Grill, Jessica Hardinger, Erica Hassler, Rochelle Jones, Kristine Keener, Jennifer Kingman, Jillian Kohr, Lauren Mance, Cory Marques, Maggie Maskerines, Ellen McCallister, Brendon McGirr, Jessica Mendez, Jodi Moyer, Katherine Reimert, Katherine Roesch, Amy Rusak, Heather Shainline, Rebecca Smither, Justine Snyder, Krista Weaver, and Jennifer Wennerholt.

Psi Chi National Honor Society: Psi Chi is a National Honor Society whose purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology. The most fundamental intent is to provide psychology majors and minors who have excelled in courses the ability to perform service in their field as well as be nationally recognized as a scholar of psychology. This organization is an excellent means upon which students can create a network for future career and academic goals and aspirations. Current Members: Gabrielle Albanesius, Thomas Casper, Cory Carbone, Amy Dilworth, Ashley Frain, Heather Kraft, Emily Ranck, Tonya Rutt, Benjamin Schuettler, Angela Smith, Tiffany Smith, Eric Soltysik, Heather Swain, and Nicholas Wingate.

St. Thomas More Honor Society: The St. Thomas More Honor Society is the local honor society of the criminal justice department and is open to all criminal justice majors who meet the membership criteria. New members must be criminal justice majors, must be active members of the Criminal Justice Association, must have attained junior status academically at time of application, must have completed 15 credits in criminal justice at Alvernia University at the time of application, must have a 3.2 grade point average in criminal justice in their major and a 3.2 overall grade point average at the time of application, must attend the banquet in all years of eligibility, must attend Honors Convocation, must demonstrate knowledge of the life of Saint Thomas More as a model and patron for criminal justice majors, and must make a one-time dues payment at the time of application.

Current Members: Jessica Beisswanger, Sean Brett, Francisco Contreras, Aaron Farrell, Thomas Hall, Christopher Hartman, Shannon Heist, Ryan Hermany, Angela Smith, and Beth Staskiewicz.

Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society: Sigma Tau Delta is the International English Honor Society. The purposes of this society are literary and educational. The Society strives to confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies. Members must exhibit high standards of academic excellence and serve society by fostering literacy. The Kappa Pi Chapter at Alvernia University was established in 1981.

Current Members: Amber Archambault, Sean Cullen, Katelyn Eby, Aida Garman, Carly Glasmyre, Courtney Harting, Jessica Heller, Jennifer Kaucher, Rachel Krall, Michelle LaFaver, Maria Locicero, Kellie Lorence, Megan McCue, Allison Pierce, Emily Rabadi, Derrick Rowe, Jessica Slavin, Derek Smith, Michael Wagner, Char’da Willis, Kristopher Wiltsey, and Rebecca Wisniewski.

Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society: The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of people worldwide through leadership and scholarship in nursing research, practice, education, and advocacy. Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International has the following purposes: to honor superior achievement, recognize and promote the development of leadership qualities, foster high professional standards, encourage creative work, and strengthen commitment to the ideals and purposes of the profession of nursing.

Current Members: Elizabeth Bakanowksi, Katie Bostwick, Kelsey Danko, Jennifer Davis, RN, Abigail Eby, Alexandria Gaul, Ann Gilhool, Susan M. Hafer, RN, Jeffrey Helm, Krystin Kettering, Roxanne Kinzer, RN, Nicole Koenig, RN, Allison Ludy, Kaitlyn Malyszko, Teresa Mohler, RN, Krystle Moyer, Yara Pascal, Jade Pereira, Nichol Smith, RN, Mary VanKirk, Vladislav Vdov, Jillian Weber, Jenna Wengert Becker, Susan L. Wolfe, RN, Jaide Worrall, and Tabitha Zafrany.

Alvernia University Annual Faculty ScholarshipToday, as we honor students and faculty with annual awards, we also recognize faculty members who have authored scholarly works, presented findings and new ideas (both locally and abroad), performed time-honored musical pieces to enthralled audiences, or received awards and grants in the past year.

Alvernia University’s commitment to academic excellence is reflected in its faculty’s wide-ranging scholarship — from several year’s worth of research culminating in well-written books to creative analysis presented at national and international conferences.

Faculty scholarship activity at Alvernia is complementary to courses of study offered to our students, which allows professors to accord interesting and timely information related to a variety of chosen fields.

Please enjoy the faculty scholarship, displayed by College and divided into several sections:

• Awards, Grants & Installations

• Featured in Media

• Performances

• Presentations & Panels

• Publications & Recordings

College of Arts & Sciences

Awards, Grants & Installations

Roxana Delbene, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Languages Excellence Grant: “Students’ stances and evaluations of Spanish language: Implications for teaching and the curriculum.”

Jodi Radosh, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Communication, Associate Director of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement Awarded Alvernia University Faculty Excellence Grant“Local TV News Coverage of the November 2009 UPSTF Mammogram Guidelines.” This research project was a content analysis of television news stories regarding a recent “controversial” change in mammogram screening recommendations. This was a collaborative project with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Reading Hospital/Medical Center.

Jodi Radosh, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Communication, Associate Director of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement Installed into the Alvernia University Epsilon Gamma Chapter of the Delta Epsilon Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society in Oct. 2011.

Ana Ruiz, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology “Teaching Ethics in the Introduction to Psychology Course” This collaborative project received an Instructional Resource Award from the Society for Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2), and was partially presented at the 34rd Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology, Fla. The final project will be a resource for teaching ethics in psychology using APA outcomes.

Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D. Professor of Biology Neag Professorship Dr. Spencer S. Stober earned the Neag Professorship for outstanding service as a teacher and scholar. This award is supported by a generous gift to Alvernia University by Carole and Ray Neag.

Featured in Media

Jodi Radosh, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Communication, Associate Director of the Holleran Center for Community EngagementCo-hosted Election and Primary Night shows as well as political debates for Reading Mayor and Berks County Commissioner on BCTV. Also moderator for ‘Women League of Voters” show on primary election ads with a panel of Alvernia students, and featured on a “Medicine and the News” episode about healthy eating.

Jodi Radosh, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Communication, Associate Director of the Holleran Center for Community EngagementQuoted in the Reading Eagle on Oct. 5, 2011, “iEverywhere,” A1, A3, and Feb. 15, 2012 “Alvernia fans tips their hats — then donate them for kids,” B6.

Performances

Nathan Thomas, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theatre“Oklahoma!” and “No Such Cold Thing” and “The Feast”Directed the Alvernia Theatre productions of Alvernia’s first fully-staged musical “Oklahoma!” as well as the college premiere of “No Such Cold Thing” by Naomi Wallace and “The Feast.”

Presentations & Panels

Thomas R. Bierowski, Ph.D.Associate Professor of English“Plight of the Modern American Shaman”Lecture presented as part of the Notations Series at the Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Nov. 29, 2011.

Tim H. Blessing, Ph.D.Professor of History and Political Science“The Theoretical Implications of Partisanship and Ideology Among Expert Rates of United States Presidents.”Blessing presented, at the American Politics Group at Oxford, some of the theoretical implications of work performed by Drs. Anne Skleder (Cabrini) and Di You (Alvernia) on political and ideological bias found in a survey of expert presidential raters.

Tim H. Blessing, Ph.D.Professor of History and Political Science“Contrasting Voting Patterns in Swing States and Northeast States in the 2008 Presidential Election.”Blessing presented findings at the Midwest Political Science Association based on work done with Dr. Takele Tassew on long-term presidential voting patterns as demonstrated by county-level behaviors since 1892 for 48 states.

Tim H. Blessing, Ph.D.Professor of History and Political Science“Voting Patterns in Presidential Elections in Pennsylvania During the Twentieth Century.”Co-presented at the Pennsylvania Historical Association, with Dr. Takele Tassew on findings regarding long-term Presidential voting patterns (since 1908) of all Pennsylvania Counties, and a model explaining such long-term changes.

Rosemarie Chinni, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Chemistry“Applications of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Uranium Detection and Field Portable Instrumentation”Chinni was part of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy National Speaker Tour and presented research on uranium detection at Bruker Daltonics in Boston, Mass., and Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, in 2011. This presentation focused on the development of field portable instrumentation for fissile material detection using LIBS.

Rosemarie Chinni, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Chemistry“Detection of Mercury in Natural Waters in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (CVAAS)”Chinni co-authored this presentation with two undergraduate students from Alvernia for the American Chemical Society Meeting in March of 2012 in San Diego, Calif. This study focused on using CVAAS to detect potential mercury contamination in sixteen natural waterways in Berks County.

Roxana Delbene, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Languages“Students’ stances and evaluations about non-castilian varieties of Spanish: Implications for teaching.”Oral presentation at International Society for Languages Studies conference, held in Aruba, The Netherlands, June 2011.

James R. Kucsarits, MSAssistant Professor of Biology“Nest box selection in Eastern Pennsylvanian American Kestrels (Falco sparverius): What constitutes an ideal next box habitat?”At the Raptor Research Conference Oct. 5-9, 2011 in Duluth, Minnesota. Kucsarits and alumnus Joshua Rusbuldt presented how they examined habitat/landscape factors associated with high use nest box locations to see if they differed significantly from low use, unused, predated and abandoned box locations.

James R. Kucsarits, MSAssistant Professor of Biology“A Population Update of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) from a Long Term Nest Box Program in Eastern Pennsylvania (2006-2010), and Testing Conservation Strategies to Increase Kestrel Reproductive Success.” In Fort Collins, Colorado, Sept. 22-26, 2010, Kucsarits presented an analysis of kestrel reproductive data. Although kestrel pairs and nest box use had declined 2000-2005, there appears to be an increase in the number of kestrel pairs and nest box use 2006-2010, showing a stabilization of the kestrel population.

Richard Law, Ph.D.Associate Professor of English and Communication“Wordsworth’s The Prelude and Poetry Therapy”Presented at the Association for Integrative Studies annual conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Oct. 2011, Wordsworth’s engaging and edifying dramatic and philosophical “spots of time” invite readers to appreciate the uplifting effects of love, joy, and hope.

Richard Law, Ph.D.Associate Professor of English and Communication“Poetry Therapy for Students”Presented at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 2011. From mental-health professionals, literature teachers can learn to guide students, through poetry, to clarify and even validate important thoughts and feelings of their own.

Richard Law, Ph.D.Associate Professor of English and Communication“Conflict and Ambiguity in Poetry”Presented at the College English Association annual conference in Richmond, Virginia, March 2012. Several Robert Frost poems put into opposition comparatively good forces. A Hegelian reading could favor one side, yet respect both sides in the conflict.

Elizabeth Matteo, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Psychology“The Value in Assessing Moral Education: Aligning Institutional Mission”Research on students’ perceptions of mission identity was presented at the Association of Moral Education Conference, Oct. 2011, Nanjing, China.

Elizabeth Matteo, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Psychology“A Collaborative Team Approach to Women’s Health Research in a Leadership Focused Ph D Program”Co-presented with Rebecca Hartmann, doctoral student in Alvernia’s Leadership Ph.D. program and Dr. Mary Ellen Symanski at the Women in Educational Leadership Conference, Oct. 2011, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Jodi Radosh, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Communication, Associate Director of the Holleran Center for Community Engagement“Local TV News Coverage of the November 2009 UPSTF Mammogram Guidelines”Co-presented with Lee Radosh, MD at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine National Conference in Seattle, Washington in April 2012 and also accepted at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Northeast Regional Conference in Danvers, Mass., in Oct. 2011.

Jodi Radosh, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Communication, Associate Director of the Holleran Center for Community EngagementInternational Radio and Television Society Chosen faculty member to attend the International Radio and Television Society seminar “The Art of Reaching Consumers in the Digital Age: Marketing, Ad Sales, and Promotion at Today’s Media Companies” held in New York, Nov. 2011. Presenters included executives from Facebook, NBC Universal, ABC News, Nielsen Ratings, and Oxygen Network.

John A Rochowicz, Jr., Ed.D.Professor of Mathematics“Reading Berks Science and Engineering Fair” Judged physics exhibits at the annual RBSEF Fair, March 15, 2011. Outstanding exhibits included: Hydrogen and solar powered battery comparisons; Coolness absorption; and bridge construction. The winning exhibit, regarding bridges, demonstrated various advanced concepts of levers, moments of inertia and forces.

John A Rochowicz, Jr., Ed.D.Professor of Mathematics“Berks County Mathematics Championship”Judged and reviewed the results of the annual Berks County Mathematics Championship held at Albright College, Nov. 14, 2011. Oley Valley, Berks Catholic and Daniel Boone High were the top three schools.

Ana Ruiz, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology“Long-Term Impact of Service-Learning on Alumni Volunteer Service Activities.”This project was presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Service-Learning: Connecting the Global to the Local, China, with partial support from Alvernia University

Faculty Excellence grants. The collaborative presentation provided a portion of results of a quasi-experimental research study on the long-term outcomes of service-learning.

Ana Ruiz, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology“Reflections on Connections”This presentation at the Fourth International Symposium on Service-Learning: Connecting the Global to the Local, China, provided faculty who facilitate service-learning experiences the opportunity to benefit from structured reflection on both the process and product. Seven faculty members reflected on their academic, personal, and scholarly experiences with service-learning.

Ana Ruiz, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology“Evaluating the ethical and scientific integrity of international service-learning research.”This collaborative project, presented at the 11th Annual International Association for Research on Service-learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE), Chicago, offered aspirational ethical standards for research on ISL in the following four categories: the researcher’s obligations and responsibilities, protection of research participants, sponsorship, and the publication and dissemination of research findings.

Bongrae Seok, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Philosophy“Embodied Moral Psychology of Confucian Heart”Confucian moral philosophy has a strong orientation towards the embodiment of the moral mind. Its moral psychology focuses on the ethic of human heart that incorporates the extended and embedded bodily states of a person in the community of affectionate human relations. (Invited lecture, Columbia Society for Comparative Society, 2011.)

Bongrae Seok, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Philosophy“Buren and Ren: Mencius’s Theory of Moral Emotion”Presented at the APA Central Division Meeting (Feb. 2012, Chicago). The paper analyzes Mencius’s discussion of buren and his theory of moral emotions where involuntary and spontaneous states of the mind develop into well balanced and caring sense of moral engagement. In this paper, a non-sentimentalist approach is developed.

Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D.Professor of Biology“Universities and Community Engagement for a Sustainable Community”Co-authored presentation with Dr. Alicia Sprow at the International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Vancouver, Canada, Jan. 2012. We proposed a model for community engagement in light of community efforts to develop an environmental education park (Angelica).

Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D.Professor of Biology“Interdisciplinary Teaching: Confessions of a ‘Biologian’” Co-authored presentation with Dr. Donna Yarri at the International Conference on Science in Society, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., Aug. 2011. We explored challenges of interdisciplinary teaching in light of the creation of a new category of academician working at the intersection of theology and biology – a “biologian.”

Nathan Thomas, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theatre“Why Is Shakespeare *So* Great?”Panel with Ralph Cohen, founder of the American Shakespeare Center and Isabelle Anderson of the Shakespeare Theatre Company as part of a day-long conference on Shakespeare training sponsored by the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

Judith R. Warchal, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology and Counseling“Evaluating the ethical and scientific integrity of international service-learning research.”Co-presented with Ana Ruiz, Carole Wells and Andrea Chapdelaine at the 11th Annual International Association for Research on Service-learning and Community Engagement in Chicago, Ill.

Judith R. Warchal, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology and Counseling“Long-term impact of service-learning on alumni.”Co-presented with Ana Ruiz at The Fourth International Symposium on Service-Learning:Connecting the Global to the Local. Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, China.

Judith R. Warchal, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology and Counseling“Reflections on connections”Co-presented with Ana Ruiz, Mark, Drnach, Katherine Wills, Tony Brosky, and Nancy Marthakis at The Fourth International Symposium on Service-Learning: Connecting the Global to the Local. Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, China.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“Interdisciplinary Teaching: Confessions of a ‘Biologian’”Co-authored presentation at the International Conference on Science in Society, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., Aug. 2011. We explored challenges of interdisciplinary teaching in light of the creation of a new category of academician working at the intersection of theology and biology – a “biologian.”

Di You, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of PsychologyYou, D. (2011, Nov.). The impact of taking theology and philosophy classes as well as engaging in community service on undergraduates’ moral reasoning. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of Association for Moral Education, Nanjing, China.

Publications & Recordings

Thomas R. Bierowski, Ph.D.Associate Professor of English“Kerouac in Ecstasy”An academic study of Jack Kerouac as writer-shaman, that explores his ecstatic content and style. Dr. Bierowski’s book argues that Kerouac’s rise and fall reflect not only the usual changes in literary taste but the precarious position of the shamanic figure in modern America. (McFarland Press, 2011.)

Tim H. Blessing, Ph.D.Professor of History and Political Science“Reflections on the Findings of Uscinski and Simon, and Blessing, Skleder, and You on Rater Bias and Presidential Rankings.” Reflections on two different studies of bias in presidential ratings and the implications of such bias for professional publications. White House Studies, Vol. 11, no. 1.

Tim H. Blessing, Ph.D.Professor of History and Political Science“Reflections on the Findings of Uscinski and Simon, and Blessing, Skleder, and You on Rater Bias and Presidential Rankings.”Written with Dr. Anne Skleder (Cabrini) and Di You (Alvernia), this article both supplies the results of a major poll of historians regarding Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, and Bush 43 and examines the ideological and partisan biases of the raters. White House Studies, Vol. 11, no. 2.

Rosemarie Chinni, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Chemistry“Monitoring Uranium, Hydrogen, and Lithium and Their Isotopes Using a Compact LIBS Probe and High Resolution Spectrometer”Chinni co-authored this paper with David Cremers, Alan Beddingfield, Robert Smithwick, Randy Jones, Burt Beardsley, and Larry Karch — published in Applied Spectroscopy, March 2012. This paper discusses using a LIBS probe with high-resolution spectrometers to detect uranium, hydrogen, and lithium isotopes.

Rosemarie Chinni, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Chemistry“A Simple LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) Laboratory Experiment to Introduce Undergraduates to Calibration Functions and Atomic Spectroscopy”Authored this paper, accepted for publication in the Journal of Chemical Education in Jan. 2012. This paper discusses a laboratory procedure that can be incorporated easily into an Analytical/Instrumental Course for undergraduates using LIBS to determine detection limits and sensitivies.

Roxana Delbene, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Languages“Patients’ narratives of illness and the notion of biographical disruption” In Communication & Medicine Vol 8 (1) 2011, 13-24.

Elizabeth Matteo, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Psychology“Reducing mental illness stigma in the classroom.” This research examined the use of different stigma-reduction pedagogies on students’ attitudes of the mentally ill. Co-authored with Dr. Di You, it will appear in the journal Teaching of Psychology.

Elizabeth Matteo, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Psychology“A person-scholar approach to mission.” This reflective article describes a junior faculty member’s developing relationship with the Franciscan mission. It appears in the AFCU Best Practices newsletter.

John A Rochowicz, Jr., Ed.D.Professor of Mathematics“Bootstrapping Analysis, Inferential Statistics and EXCEL”Published in the journal eJSiE (volume 3 article 4 issue 3; 2011), when assumptions are not or cannot be addressed or when a certain statistic has no known sampling distribution, this paper provides bootstrapping techniques in EXCEL for making valid inferences.

Ana Ruiz, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology“International Service-Learning: Who Benefits?”This chapter, published in Service-Learning in Higher Education: National and International Connections, P. L. Lin (Ed.) 2011, by University of Indianapolis Press, is the result of collaborative work that provides best practices for the creation of partnerships that deliberately aspire to benefit all members involved in ISL.

Ana Ruiz, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology“A review of ethics from Project Syllabus”This collaborative project was published in the Psychology Journal (2011) and presented at the 33rd Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology, Fla. The authors reviewed undergraduate psychology syllabi available from a national database, and recognized the need to dialog on the importance of ethics as course outcomes.

Bongrae Seok, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Philosophy“Virtue Ethics”Virtue ethics is a theory of personal character and moral conduct that focuses on the carefully developed, stable, long term inner dispositions as the foundations of moral excellence and good life. The article discuses the uniqueness and challenges of virtue ethics in global justice. (Encyclopedia of Global Justice, Springer, 2011).

Bongrae Seok, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Philosophy“Collective Decision Problem”A collective decision is a decision made by a group of individuals to regulate their group activities. The article discusses and anlyzes major issues of collective decisions such as social loafing, ingroup bias, group polarization, outgroup homogeneity, and group think. (Encyclopedia of Global Justice, Springer, 2011).

Bongrae Seok, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Philosophy“Moral Reasoning”Moral reasoning refers to the reasoning on moral issues, the issues related to moral values and normative standards. The article discusses and anlyzes major theories of moral reasoning such as Piaget’s, Kohlberg’s,Cosmides and Tooby’s, and Hauser’s. (Encyclopedia of Global Justice, Springer, 2011).

Bongrae Seok, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Philosophy“Prisoner’s Dilemma”Discussion of a famous social dilemma called prisoner’s dilemma. The article analyzes Adam Smith’s optimistic harmony between the pursuit of individual interest and group interest and Garrett Hardin’s pessimistic discussion between the two. (Encyclopedia of Global Justice, Springer, 2011).

Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D.Professor of Biology“Environmental Memes: Form, Function, and Reasons for Optimism”Published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Vol. 7, 2011. A plenary presentation (University of Waikato, New Zealand); “international award for excellence” finalist, Common Ground: the paper explored environmental ideas, symbols, and practices.

Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D.Professor of Biology“Interdisciplinary Teaching: Confessions of a Biologian”Co-authored article with Dr. Donna Yarri, published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Science and Society, Spring 2012. We explored challenges of interdisciplinary teaching in light of the creation and description of a new category of academician working at the intersection of theology and biology – a “biologian.”

Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D.Professor of Biology“What Makes Us So Doggone Special? Darwin’s Challenge to Human Superiority”Co-authored essay with Dr. Donna Yarri, published in the edited volume 150 Years of Evolution: Darwin’s Impact on the Humanities and the Social Sciences, San Diego State University Press, 2011. This essay explored how Darwin’s theory might undermine the role of humans in the world in relation to animals.

Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D.Professor of Biology“Biology, Theology, and Academic Freedom: The Challenges of Interdisciplinary Teaching at a Catholic University”“Co-authored article with Dr. Donna Yarri, published in the peer-reviewed AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, Vol. 2, 2011. Utilizing our team-taught course on “God, Science, and Designer Genes,” this essay explored the challenges and opportunities afforded by teaching a controversial subject in a religiously affiliated institution.

Nathan Thomas, Ph.D.Associate Professor of TheatrePublished 12 columns for the online arts journal: Scene4.com.

Nathan Thomas, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theatre“The Inn-Keepers Song.”A Christmas anthem for baritone and mixed choir suggesting the character of the Inn-keeper in the Christmas story.

Judith R. Warchal, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology and Counseling“Promoting positive adaptation in adult natural disaster survivors.”Article co-authored with Louise Graham and published in the American Counseling Association journal ADULTSPAN in the spring, 2011.

Judith R. Warchal, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology and Counseling“Families in crisis: When the veteran returns home”Article co-authored with Paul West, Lousie Graham, Steve Gerke, and Aaron Warchal and published in the American Counseling Association’s VISTAS 2011: Ideas and Research You Can Use.

Judith R. Warchal, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology and Counseling“A review of ethics from Project Syllabus”Article co-authored with Ana Ruiz and Di You and published in Psychology Journal in the spring 2011.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“Kafka’s Creatures: Animals, Hybrids, and Other Fantastic Beings”

Co-edited volume with Dr. Marc Lucht, originally published in 2010 by Lexington Books as a hard cover volume. Because it has been doing well, the same press published it in a paperback version in April 2012.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“Interdisciplinary Teaching: Confessions of a Biologian”Co-authored article with Dr. Spencer S. Stober, published in the peer-reviewed journal, International Journal of Science and Society, Spring 2012. We explored challenges of interdisciplinary teaching in light of the creation and description of a new category of academician working at the intersection of theology and biology – a “biologian.”

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“What Makes Us So Doggone Special? Darwin’s Challenge to Human Superiority”Co-authored essay with Dr. Spencer S. Stober, published in the edited volume, 150 Years of Evolution: Darwin’s Impact on the Humanities and the Social Sciences, San Diego State University Press, 2011. This essay explored how Darwin’s theory might undermine the role of humans in the world in relation to animals.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“Mass Surveillance and State Control: The Total Information Awareness Project”This book review on the expansion of surveillance technology in light of 9/11 was published in The Journal of Value Inquiry, Spring 2012.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“The Road”This film review, an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same title, was published in the Film and History Journal, Spring 2011.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“Biology, Theology, and Academic Freedom: The Challenges of Interdisciplinary Teaching at a Catholic University”Co-authored article with Dr. Spencer S. Stober, published in the peer-reviewed journal, AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, Vol. 2, 2011. Utilizing our team-taught course on “God, Science, and Designer Genes,” this essay explored the challenges and opportunities afforded by teaching a controversial subject in a religiously affiliated institution.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“War, Politics, and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film”This book note on the political substance of popular culture comic books and graphic novels was published in Religious Studies Review, Spring 2012.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“Belzec”This film review on an independent documentary about a little-known Holocaust concentration camp as published in the Film and History Journal in Winter 2012.

Donna Yarri, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theology“As Seen Through Their Eyes”This film review on an independent documentary about the secretive creation of little-known Holocaust art was published in the Film and History Journal in Winter 2012.

Di You, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Psychology“Gender differences in moral sensitivity: A meta-analysis. Ethics & Behavior”You, D., Maeda, Y., & Bebeau, M.J. (2011), 21(4), 263-282.This meta-analysis synthesizes quantitative findings of the gender differences in moral sensitivity retrieved from 19 primary studies.

Di You, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Psychology“A review of ethics from Project syllabus.” You, D., Warchal, J., & Ruiz, A. (2011), Psychology Journal. The authors of this study reviewed 161 undergraduate psychology syllabi posted on the website of the Office of Teaching Resources of Psychology, Project Syllabus, to begin the process of identifying how ethics is presented to students in the syllabi.

Di You, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Psychology“Preparing occupational therapy students to make moral decisions.”Penny, N., & You, D. (2011), Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 25 (2-3), 150-163. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how moral reasoning changes during occupational therapy education.

College of Professional Programs

Awards, Grants & Installations

Travis A. Berger, M.Ed.Instructor of Sport ManagementSpring 2012 Faculty Excellence Grant: “Servant Leadership: A Literature Review” This review of servant leadership will demonstrate the progress made in servant leadership research, locate servant leadership within the larger body of leadership and organization theory, highlight the dominant models of servant leadership, and identify directions for future servant leadership research.

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“Alvernia University’s Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Training (SAFET) Program.” Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTS and Rose Chinni, Ph.D. applied for a National Institute of Justice FY11 Forensic Science Training Delivery and Research Program grant April 6, 2011. Amount requested $234,697. It was not funded.

KarenAnnV.Cameron,Ph.D.,OTD,M.Ed.,OTR/LAssociate Professor of Occupational Therapy and MSOT Graduate Coordinator“Roster of Accreditation Evaluators for the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education”Reappointed to a second three-year term to the Roster of Accreditation Evaluators (RAE) for the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) (2012-2015).

KarenAnnV.Cameron,Ph.D.,OTD,M.Ed.,OTR/LAssociate Professor of Occupational Therapy and MSOT Graduate CoordinatorSelected to serve as a Pennsylvania Department of Education On-site Visit Team Chair and Content Expert Reviewer for a developing occupational therapy program onsite team.

Anne M. Fink, Ph.D., RNAssistant Professor of Nursing“National League for Nursing Ambassador”Anne M. Fink, PhD, RN was selected to serve as an Ambassador between the National League for Nursing and Alvernia University.

Deborah A. Greenawald, Ph.D., RNAssociate Professor of Nursing“Certified Nurse Educator (CNE)”In December 2011, Dr. Greenawald was awarded the CNE credential following successful completion of a national certification exam. The mission of the Academic Nurse Education Certification Program is to recognize excellence in the advanced specialty role of the nurse educator.

Kathleen Muzevich, Ed.D.Assistant Professor of Education“Exeter School District Board of School Directors”Dr. Kathleen Muzevich was elected to serve a four-year term on the Exeter School District Board of School Directors in the Nov. 8, 2011 election. She was officially sworn into office by Judge Arthur Grim on Dec. 6, 2011.

Karen S. Thacker, Ph.D., RN, CNEAssociate Professor of Nursing, Dean of College of Professional Programs

John LuvisiGrant Director“SUCCESS - Federally CompetitGrant Award for $333,929”The SUCCESS Project increases baccalaureate-level nursing education opportunities for economically and educationally disadvantaged individuals, including racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented among the regional nursing workforce. The SUCCESS Project is designed to address three major components of the Nursing Workforce Diversity funding initiatives: retention, pre-entry preparation, and student scholarships.

Kathleen Z. Wisser, Ph.D., RN, CPHQAssistant Professor of NursingInducted as a Honorary Member of Alpha Sigma Lambda.Alpha Sigma Lambda is the premier national honor society for nontraditional adult students. Its aim is to recognize the special achievements of adults who accomplish academic excellence.

Featured in Media

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“The Impact of the Death of Osama bin Laden”WFMZ Channel 69 Television Station, Reading, Pa, aired May 2 and May 3, 2011.

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“The Psychological and Sociological Reasons People Join Gangs.” Interview by Mega Vision Channel 21, San Salvador, El Salvador for a four-hour documentary: “A Safer Society.” Part of a four-hour presentation to be aired on PBS channels in the U.S. and in El Salvador. March 29 and 30, 2011.

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“Gangs”Television interview on the topic of gangs for WFMZ Channel 69 Television Station, Reading, Pa, aired March 29-30, 2011.

Bryan Dreibelbis, CMA, CFMAssociate Professor of Business“New Year’s Financial Resolutions”Quoted in the article “New Year’s Financial Resolutions” which appeared in the Reading Eagle, Dec. 31, 2011.

Anne M. Fink, Ph.D., RNAssistant Professor of Nursing“American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Master’s Education Conference” Dr. Fink was quoted during a Keynote presentation at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Masters Education Conference by renowned speaker Dula F. Pacquiao, EdD, RN, CTN, Director for the Center for Multicultural Education, Research and Practice at the Univ. of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ School of Nursing.

Deborah A. Greenawald, Ph.D., RNAssociate Professor of Nursing“Research “A TEAM”: What Reading Area Nurses Accomplished with a Passion for Research, Eager Participants and No Budget”Feature article (ADVANCE for Nurses, May 23, 2011, Gail O. Guterl, author) on the Berks Regional Nursing Research Alliance for which she was interviewed along with other members of the Steering Committee. She also reviewed and edited the article draft in collaboration with the author.

Edgar J. Hartung, M.A., JDAssociate Professor and Chair of Criminal Justice“The Psychological and Sociological Reasons People Join Gangs.”Interview by Mega Vision Channel 21, San Salvador, El Salvador for a four-hour documentary: “A Safer Society.” Part of a four-hour presentation to be aired on PBS channels in the U.S. and in El Salvador. March 29 and 30, 2011.

Edgar J. Hartung, M.A., JDAssociate Professor and Chair of Criminal Justice“Gangs”Television interview on the topic of gangs for WFMZ Channel 69 Television Station, Reading, Pa, aired on March 29-30, 2011.

Edgar J. Hartung, M.A., JDAssociate Professor and Chair of Criminal Justice“Characteristics of Sexual Predators: Penn State University Football Coach”Newspaper interview for the Reading Eagle, Reading, Pa, Nov. 14, 2011.

Presentations & Panels

Travis A. Berger, M.Ed.Instructor of Sport Management“Laying the Foundations: Three Experiential Learning Opportunities that Engage Students, Develop Leaders and Build Relationships with Alumni and Business Professionals.” This paper presentation focused on the delivery and benefits of a capstone course that incorporates a business social, formal business dinner, and mock interviews. While these events typically fall within the purview of career services, the difference in results by having them embedded in a capstone course have been exceptional.

Travis A. Berger, M.Ed.Instructor of Sport Management“Purposefully Controlling Organizational Culture Through the Art of Leadership: Exploring the Problems Associated with a Modernist Interpretation of Organizational Culture.”This paper presentation focused on problems associated with a modernist interpretation of organizational culture. Hatch’s cultural dynamics model was introduced to highlight the complexities involved in the processes of organizational culture. The problems associated with a modernist interpretation of organizational culture were explored through the social institution of sport.

Travis A. Berger, M.Ed.Instructor of Sport Management“Serving Our Youth: Leadership for Non-profit Youth Sport Organizations.”Based on a comprehensive analysis of youth sport, leadership, and culture, servant leadership emerged as an effective leadership model for youth sport leaders. The attrition and burnout rates in youth sports can be minimized by embracing servant leadership. The servant leadership model and its benefits were explained.

Beth A. Berret, Ed.D., SPHRAssociate Professor of BusinessPlanning In Reverse — An Exercise Initiated from HRPresented for strategic credit at the 2011 PA SHRM State Confernce held in State College Sept. 8 & 9, 2011.

Beth A. Berret, Ed.D., SPHRAssociate Professor of BusinessPIR (Planning in Reverse) Presentations Co-presented PIR lectures to: Leadership Berks Annual Retreat Oct. 1, 2011; 2011 PBL State Fall Organization Orientation Oct. 22, 2011; Alvernia Lecture Series Faculty Panel Nov. 8, 2011.

Dolores B. Bertoti, MSPTAssociate Professor of Occupational Therapy“Learning through Discovery: Student-driven Participatory Learning: Approaches to Capstone Work” This presentation described integrating varying instructional strategies in teaching capstone coursework. Socratic pedagogy in combination with evidence based inquiry, engaged informed teaching, and the fluid, integrated use of tools from several methodologies creates an atmosphere of teaching by discovery, focusing the learner’s attention on concrete application and critical reasoning.

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“The Institutional Review Board: Friend or Foe for Criminal Justice and Criminology Research.” Presented at the 48th Annual Conference of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 2-5, 2011. This paper discussed the impact of mandated federal and state regulations as implemented by Institutional Review Boards on research in the fields of criminal justice and criminology.

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“Utilizing Qualitative Methods to Provide Insight into Guarded Lives.”Chaired panel at the 48th Annual Conference of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 2-5, 2011.

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“Veterans: Criminals or Heroes?”Presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 49th Annual Conference, New York, N.Y., March 14-17, 2012. This paper discussed the development of veteran’s courts and their impact on the criminal justice system. The issue of whether veterans should be treated as “regular” criminals or are they using their status to escape punishment for their crimes was debated.

Vera C. Brancato, Ed.D., MSN, RNProfessor of Nursing“Developing an Educational Clinical Practicum to Assist in Translating Evidence-Based Research into Practice to Improve Patient Care in a Tertiary-Care Magnet Hospital”Presented a poster at The Pennsylvania State Nurses’ Association Summit, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Pa., Oct. 28. 2011.

KarenAnnV.Cameron,Ph.D.,OTD,M.Ed.,OTR/LAssociate Professor of Occupational Therapy and MSOT Graduate Coordinator“Grants: Fulfilling Needs and Dreams for Occupational Therapy”Co-presented with John Luvisi, at the 2011 American Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Convention in Philadelphia. This dynamic interactive institute presented participants with the knowledge to understand the grant writing process and the skills to initiate it. Examinations of funding needs, analysis of funding sources and organization of the proposal emphasized.

KarenAnnV.Cameron,Ph.D.,OTD,M.Ed.,OTR/LAssociate Professor of Occupational Therapy and MSOT Graduate Coordinator“Expanding the Classroom Experience via SKYPE”Co-presented with Capt. Erik Johnson, US Army, MS, OTR/L (Walter Reed National Military Medical Center) at the 2012 American Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Convention, in Indianapolis, Ind. Presentation chronicled the virtual ‘SKYPED’, collaborative learning experience between Alvernia occupational therapy students, Capt Johnson, (a then deployed OT) and injured soldiers in Afghanistan.

Liang Ding, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Business“Market Linkage and Information Spillover: Evidence from Pre-crisis, Crisis, and Recovery Periods”Co-presented with Xiaoling Pu at Financial Management Association 2011 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

Catherine Emery, MSOTAssistant Professor of Occupational Therapy“Scholarship in Real Time: Use of Assignments to Achieve Scholarship of Teaching”Presented at 2012 Orlando International Education Conference. Acted as Session Chair and invited to submit paper for publication review. Proceedings published online.

Catherine Emery, MSOTAssistant Professor of Occupational Therapy“IRB: What It Is and Why It Matters”Presented Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Oct. 2011.

Ellen M. Engler, M.S.Ed.Associate Professor of Education“Academic Leadership Strategies to Foster Personal Responsibility in Students”Co-presented at the 2011 Conference for Department Chairs. Utilized practical examples to implement strategies that assist department members in working with personal responsibility in students.

Anne M. Fink, Ph.D., RNAssistant Professor of Nursing“Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): Nursing The Wolf ” Anne M. Fink, Ph.D., RN presented the topic “Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): Nursing The Wolf ” to nurses and community members at an event sponsored by the Alumni Association of The Reading Hospital School of Nursing, Reading, Pa., May 2011.

Deborah A. Greenawald, Ph.D., RNAssociate Professor of Nursing“Infusing Evidence into Practice: The Practice of Mindfulness to Improve Patient Safety”Presenter and Panel Moderator for this presentation at the Second Annual Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Best Practice Symposium sponsored by the Berks Regional Nursing Research Alliance.

Edgar J. Hartung, M.A., JDAssociate Professor and Criminal Justice Department ChairProfessor Hartung was the keynote speaker for the Reading Police Academy Graduating Class of 2011-2012. The graduation ceremony was held on Dec. 8, 2011 at the Inn at Reading, Reading, Pa.

Edgar J. Hartung, M.A., JDAssociate Professor and Criminal Justice Department Chair“Patriot Act: Concerns about Infringement on Constitutional Rights.”Presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 49th Annual Conference, New York, N.Y., March 14-17, 2012. Presentation focused on Amendment IV of the U.S. Constitution guarantees in part, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.”

Barry J. Harvey, MSAssistant Professor of Criminal Justice“The Dismantling of Traditional Organized Crime from Within: A New breed of ‘Wise Guy’”Presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in Toronto, Canada. This paper examined the reasons for the decline in power and prestige among what is known as traditional organized crime, La Cosa Nostra, in the United States.

Barry J. Harvey, MSAssistant Professor of Criminal Justice“Organized Retail Crime: Fuel for the Illegal Drug Trade”Presented at the 2011 PA/NJ/DE Organized Retail Crime Conference held at St. Josephs University, Philadelphia, this paper looked at the “new” phenomenon of Organized Retail Crime and various ways for law enforcement to combat this growing problem.

Rosemary C. McFee, M.Ed.Instructor of Criminal Justice“Federal Incentives, Myths and Facts.” Attended the Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Conference and moderated this session in Atlantic City, N.J., May 22-26, 2011. This workshop focused the federal regulations and incentives related to Child Support programs.

Rosemary C. McFee, M.Ed.Instructor of Criminal Justice“Impact of Community Collaboration with Kiwanis International, Juvenile Probation and the Courts.” Presented at the 48th Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference, Canada, March 2-5, 2011, this presentation discussed the impact of partnerships with community agencies, organizations and volunteers as a way to provide services to Juvenile Probation clients.

Rosemary C. McFee, M.Ed.Instructor of Criminal Justice“Impact of Community Collaborations.” Presented at the PA District Kiwanis Mid-Winter Conference in State College, March 3, 2012. Similar to the presentation in Toronto, this forum further examined the impact of collaborations in providing services and implementing new programs in an economy where many programs have been cut because of a lack of funding.

Rosemary C. McFee, M.Ed.Instructor of Criminal Justice“Schools and Clubs – Who Benefits?” Presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 49th Annual Conference, New York, N.Y., March 14-17, 2012. Students’ involvement in activities is an integral part of the school experience. This presentation focused on the beneficiaries of community agencies and school clubs, including the students, the schools and their communities.

Steven A. Melnick, Ph.D.Professor and Chair of Education“Parenting: The real key to school reform”Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Northeastern Educational Research Association, Rocky Hill, Conn.. Oct. 21, 2011.

Kathleen Muzevich, Ed.D.Assistant Professor of Education“Phonics is NOT Hot: Implications for Teacher Preparation Programs and Pre-service Teachers”Dr. Muzevich presented this paper at the Association for Literacy Educators and Researchers (ALER) 55th Annual Conference in Richmond, Va., on Nov. 4, 2011. She also sumbitted this paper for publication in the ALER Yearbook.

Kathleen Muzevich, Ed.D.Assistant Professor of Education“Evaluating the Writing of Kindergarten and First Grade Children: An Assessment Tool for Early Childhood Teachers”Dr. Kathleen Muzevich delivered a presentation entitled, “Evaluating the Writing of Kindergarten and First Grade Children: An Assessment Tool for Early Childhood Teachers” at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference and Expo in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 5, 2011.

Mary B. Schreiner, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Education“Effectiveness of Faculty, Peer and Technology-based ADA Accommodations in Higher Education”For learners with disabilities, college survival relies on accommodations provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act. At this spring 2011 Council for Exceptional Children conference presentation, Dr. Schreiner, along with student co-presenters Samantha Wolfe and Sharon Alessi, discussed how pre-service teachers served as partners with faculty in delivering ADA accommodations.

Mary B. Schreiner, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Education“Influencing Higher Education Pedagogy through Focused Study and Peer Review”A collaborative faculty learning community concerned with research about effective teaching methodology useful at the college level was discussed by Dr. Schreiner at the Northeastern Educational Research Association in Oct. 2011. Universal Design, as it could be applied within a diverse college classroom, was the presentation focus.

Mary Ellen Wells, JD, LLMAssociate Professor of Business “Planning in Reverse”Co-presented with Scott Ballantyne and Beth Berret at the McGlinn Conference Center and again at Red Lion Controls, York, Pa.

Kathleen Z. Wisser, Ph.D., RN, CPHQAssistant Professor of Nursing“Applying Quality Improvement Principles to Evaluate Program Effectiveness”Nurse educators often are skilled at measuring individual student learning and achievement, but may be stumped when it comes to evaluating the educational program as a whole. This presentation focused on using valuable quality improvement concepts and models to the assessment of graduate programs in nursing.

Publications & Recordings

Beth A. Berret, Ed.D., SPHRAssociate Professor of Business“A generation lost: the reality of age discrimination in today’s hiring practices”Co-authored with Tom Butler, Alvernia adjunct professor. Articles investigates the hiring practices of the long term unemployed in the United States. Article published in the Journal of Management and Marketing Research.

Beth A. Berret, Ed.D., SPHRAssociate Professor of Business“Comparing the intensity of student attitude and perception changes from short-term travel courses”Co-authored with Scott Ballantyne, MaryEllen Wells, and Bob Gannon. Article published in the Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies.

Dolores B. Bertoti, MSPTAssociate Professor of Occupational Therapy“Brunnstrom’s Clinical Kinesiology”Brunnstrom’s Clinical Kinesiology is the Gold edition of this classic text. The text teaches a clinical, functional approach to learning the application of Kinesiology in clinical rehabilitation practice. The focus in on function and emphasizes assessment, intervention and prevention in the management of individual in need of clinical rehabilitation. (Ed. 6. Gold Edition, FA Davis Publishers 2012.)

Dolores B. Bertoti, MSPTAssociate Professor of Occupational TherapyDolores Bertoti reviewed two chapters for Elsevier Science: Chapter 12 on Stretching Techniques; Chapter 18 on Common categories of injury.

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“Mixed Methods: for Crime and Deviance Studies.”Review completed on Oct. 18, 2011 for Oxford University Press, Lanier, M.M. & Briggs, L.T. (2011).

Peggy Bowen-Hartung, Ph.D., CTSAssociate Professor of Criminal JusticeChair, IRBChair, Department of Psychology and Counseling“A Multidisciplinary Approach to Assessing Abuse in Children and Adolescents.” Review completed Feb. 3, 2012 for Jones and Bartlett, Shaprio, L.R., & Maras, M. (2011).

Vera C. Brancato, Ed.D., MSN, RNProfessor of Nursing“Your Voice, Your Association: Benefits of District Participation in a Professional Association”Published a journal article in the official peer-reviewed publication for the PA State Nurses Association, The Pennsylvania Nurse (December 2011), 66(4), pp. 22-24.

KarenAnnV.Cameron,Ph.D.,OTD,M.Ed.,OTR/LAssociate Professor of Occupational Therapy and MSOT Graduate Coordinator“Grants: Fulfilling Dreams & Needs for Occupational Therapy”Co-authored article with John Luvisi (Director of Grants and Prospect Research) published in Administration and Management Special Interest Section Quarterly by the American Occupational Therapy Association. It examined the role grants have in funding occupational therapy projects, as well as the process for writing and submitting grant proposals.

Liang Ding, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Business“Market Linkage and Information Spillover: Evidence from Pre-crisis, Crisis, and Recovery Periods”Co-authored with Xiaoling Pu. The paper was accepted for publication by Journal of Economics and Business. In this paper, we analyze the cross-market linkage from 2004 to 2009, and find that the correlation structure changes dramatically in the periods before and after the crisis.

Liang Ding, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Business“Rural-Urban Migration: Seeds of Strife in the People’s Republic of China”Co-authored with Meidong Ding. The paper was accepted for publication in “Anthology of Contending Perspectives in International Security,” edited by David Walton and Michael Frazier, Nova Science Publishers.

Catherine Emery, MSOTAssistant Professor of Occupational Therapy“Occupational Therapy Process Workbook”Published booklet for use in lab sections integrating case vignettes from clinical practice to facilitate student learning.

Ellen M. Engler, M.S.Ed.Associate Professor of Education“Academic Leadership Strategies to Foster Personal Responsibility in Students”Co-authored with Karen Thacker, Dolores Bertoti, Edgar Hartung, and Mary Ellen Symanski, this article presents strategic tools to assist students in accepting responsibility for their actions.

Anne M. Fink, Ph.D., RNAssistant Professor of Nursing“Early Hospital Discharge in Maternal and Newborn CarePublished article entitled “Early Hospital Discharge in Maternal and Newborn Care” in the March/April 2011 edition of the peer-reviewed Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing.

Anne M. Fink, Ph.D., RNAssistant Professor of Nursing“Primiparous Puerto Rican Women’s Self-Reports of Infant and Self-Care Knowledge Acquisition”Anne M. Fink, Ph.D., RN published her doctoral dissertation entitled “Primiparous Puerto Rican Women’s Self-Reports of Infant and Self-Care Knowledge Acquisition” to ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

Deborah A. Greenawald, Ph.D., RNAssociate Professor of Nursing“Read a Good Book Lately? Using Literature to Expand your Nursing Knowledge: A Book Review of Knowing Jesse”Dr. Greenawald is a regular contributor to this featured section in the national peer-reviewed publication for school nurses.

Deborah A. Greenawald, Ph.D., RNAssociate Professor of Nursing“Read a Good Book Lately? Using Literature to Expand your Nursing Knowledge: A Book Review of Our Iceberg is Melting”The book review section of this publication has become a regular feature of NASN School Nurse since Dr. Greenawald first began submitting articles in 2009.

Deborah A. Greenawald, Ph.D., RNAssociate Professor of Nursing“Read a Good Book Lately? Using Literature to Expand your Nursing Knowledge: A Book Review of The Story of Beautiful Girl”Book reviews are an extension of Greenawald’s work using literature for lifelong learning in nursing. This particular book was shared with her by the author, Rachel Simon, in a pre-publication copy so that it could be reviewed. Simon’s earlier book, “Riding the Bus with my Sister,” has been used by Greenawald in teaching with undergraduate students.

Kathleen Muzevich, Ed.D.Assistant Professor of Education“Evaluating Children’s Emergent Writing”Dr. Kathleen Muzevich signed a book contract with Universal Publishing for her book manuscript entitled, “Evaluating Children’s Emergent Writing.” The expected publication/distribution date is May/June 2012. The focus of the book is an emergent writing rubric Dr. Muzevich developed and researched for use by K-1 teachers.

Neil.H.Penny,Ed.D.,OTR/LAssistant Professor of Occupational Therapy“Occupational Therapy in Health Care”Co-authored with Dr. Di You. With an increased awareness of the strains that moral distress causes health practitioners this exploratory study investigated how moral reasoning changes during occupational therapy education. Subsequent implications for moral distress and for occupational therapy education were examined.

Karen S. Thacker, Ph.D., RN, CNEAssociate Professor of Nursing, Dean of College of Professional Programs

Dolores Bertoti, MS, PT Allied Health and Human Services Department Chair

Ellen Engler, MAFormer Education Department Chair

Edgar J. Hartung, M.A., JDCriminal Justice Department Chair

Mary Ellen Symanski, Ph.D., RNNursing Department Chair“Academic Leadership Strategies to Foster Personal Responsibility in Students” This article untangles the myriad of issues faced by department chairs related to maladaptive student behaviors and to offer tested strategies that support consistent processes among faculty, students, and administration. Through a collaborative mission-driven approach, chairs can assist faculty to foster personal accountability among their students.

Mary Ellen Wells, JD, LLMAssociate Professor of Business “The Supreme Court as Prometheus: Breathing Life into the Corporate Supercitizen”Co-authored with Robert Sprague, this article examines the legal status of corporations after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations have political free speech rights equivalent to natural persons, concluding that, given such rights, corporations are perhaps ready to dominate politics and commerce.

NOTES

C H A I RJoanne M. Judge, Esq.

Stevens & Lee, LLP Attorney/Shareholder

V I C E C H A I RKevin F. St.Cyr

Commscope SVP, Enterprise SolutionsPar

P R E S I D E N TThomas F. Flynn, Ph.D.

Alvernia University

U N I V E R S I T Y C O U N S E LHeidi Masano, Esq.

Masano Bradley Managing Partner PartnerHe

idi

S E C R E TA RYSr. Danielle Marie Kubelsky, OSF

Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Coordinator of Health Benefits & Government Programs

Alvernia University Board of Trustees

Frances A. Aitken, CPA Berks County Community Foundation Senior Vice President for Finance & Operations

Carl G. Anderson, Jr. Cannondale Partners, LLC General Partner

Charles Barbera, MD Reading Hospital and Medical Center Dept. of Emergency Medicine Chair

Most Rev. John O. Barres, S.T.D, J.C.L., D.D. Bishop of Allentown

Cynthia Boscov Community Volunteer

Sister Margaret Carney, OSF, S.T.D. St. Bonaventure University President

William H. Combs, III Draka USA Vice President, Business Development

Sr. Marilisa Helena DaSilva, OSF Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Congregational Minister

Michelle M. Davis Community Volunteer

Timothy Dietrich Barley Snyder, LLC Attorney, Managing Partner

Steve Elmarzouky Islamic Center of Reading President

Michael Fromm Fromm Electric Supply Corp. President & Chief Executive Officer

Kevin Georgetti, Esq. ’85 Broadway National Bank Vice President & General Counsel

Kathleen D. Herbein ’95 Community Volunteer

Carol L. Hinds, Ph.D. Mount St. Mary’s University Professor

Sister Mary Margaret Jackson, OSF Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Local Minister, St. Joseph’s Villa

Sister Antoinette Keiser, OSF, ’71 Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Congregational Councilor

Steven S. Keiser ’80 Real Estate Entrepreneur

Kathleen W. Kleppinger ’83 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Vice President, Wealth Management

Thomas W. Martell Hub Fabricating Company Owner and CEO (retired)

Robert J. McCormack ’82, M’09 Murphy McCormack Business Group, LLC President

Michael A. Mullen SFS Intec, Inc. President, North American Operations

Steve Najarian Dewey Companies President, Dewey Land

Richard A. Purcell, CPA ParenteBeard, LLC Partner

Deanna Reuben ’79 Studio for the Musical Arts Owner

George Rice APCO, Intl. Executive Director

Don Schalk C.H. Briggs Company President/Chief Operating Officer

James C. Sweeney Distributed Systems Services President

John D. Wanner, CAE ’82 Wanner Associates, Inc. President

Alfred J. Weber Tweed-Weber, Inc. President

Sunil Y. Widge, Ph.D. Carpenter Technology Corporation CTO Emeritus

Sister Shaun Kathleen Wilson, OSF ’69 Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Director, Office of Vocations

Director, McGlinn Conference Center

Catherine D. Wright Community Volunteer

Benjamin Zintak Zecco, Inc. President

The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters James Boscov The Hon. Mary Ann Campbell Salvatore M. Cutrona, Sr. Jess F. Cwiklinski P. Michael Ehlerman

Frank A. Franco, M.D. Bernard Fromm

John W. Gruber, M.D.Carolyn R. and T. Jerome HolleranLeroy Kline (deceased)

Rev. Msgr. Felix A. Losito (deceased)The Hon. Linda K.M. Ludgate ’77

The Hon. Thomas McMahonJanice MillerCarole NeagDick Tschiderer (deceased)Chester M. WintersRobert T. Wright

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