What's News?

On Friday, November 6, 2009, Roselyn Costantino, associate professor of Spanish and women's studies at Penn State Altoona, and a group of Guatemala Human Rights Commission delegates met with Lynn Rosenthal, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. Rosenthal advises the Obama administration on domestic violence and sexual assault issues and offers recommendations for policy and funding priorities. At the White House briefing, Costantino spoke to her findings on the roots of femicide and on Guatemalan women's groups' organizational strategic responses. She cited testimony gathered from women's rights organizations, victims and their families, human rights workers, midwives, indigenous women in highland communities.

The White House briefing was part of the GHRC delegates' commitment to increase awareness about violence against women in Guatemala.

Posted Thursday, November 12, 2009

Mandy Reinig, education abroad adviser at Penn State Altoona, recently had an article published in International Educator Magazine, the flagship bimonthly magazine of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Reinig’s article, "Instant Connections," appears in the Education Abroad section of the magazine and can be viewed at www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/novdec09_edabroad.pdf online.

Posted Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Several poems by Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, assistant professor of English at Penn State Altoona, were recently published in two anthologies. Poems from her book "The River is Rising" appeared in "The Working Poet: 75 Writing Exercises and a Poetry Anthology" (Autumn House Press) and several poems from "Before the Palms Could Bloom: Poems of Africa" appeared in "Bending the Bow: An Anthology of African Love Poetry" (Southern Illinois University Press).

Posted Saturday, November 7, 2009

Bob Trumpbour, associate professor of communications at Penn State Altoona, and Mark Dyreson, associate professor of kinesiology at University Park, have edited a book on North American stadium history titled "The Rise of Stadiums in the Modern United States, Cathedrals of Sport." Trumpbour and Dyreson each authored two chapters within the text which also features contributions from a variety of leading historians. The book explores the role of stadiums in shaping urban identities, determining the economics of intercollegiate athletics, and influencing local and national politics. It includes chapters on a broad range of topics related to the evolution of stadium construction in North America. The book is published by Routledge. For more information, visit www.routledgesport.com/books/The-Rise-of-Stadiums-in-the-Modern-United-States-isbn9780415499989 online.

Posted Monday, October 19, 2009

A play written and directed by Robin Reese, assistant professor of theatre arts, will appear in New York City's Shortened Attention Span Horror Fest October 22-25, 2009. Reese's play, "Mama was an Andalusian Jet Skier or How to Breed Heterosexuals," will run with other short horror theatre pieces and will feature a performance by Senior Integrative Arts and Communications major Clay Anthony. The performances will take place at the Players Theatre Loft, 115 MacDougal Street, New York, NY 10012. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by calling 212-352-3101 or 866-811-4111 or through Ticketmania.com online. For more information, visit www.shortenedattentionspan.com online.

Posted Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Peg Tromm is celebrating 25 years as an employee at Penn State Altoona. She graduated from Penn Cambria High School in 1974 and the next year attended Penn State Altoona as a history major. In 1984 was hired as a library assistant for the Robert E. Eiche Library and started taking night courses at the college. She graduated in 1994. By 2008, Tromm was promoted to library supervisor IV. Tromm currently supervises a full-time staff of four, three wage employees and 15 work/study students.

During her 25 years at Penn State Altoona, Tromm worked on many college committees including Relay for Life, Health and Wellness and Just Do It. She continues to sit on several University Libraries committees.

Posted Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tulay Girard, assistant professor of marketing at Penn State Altoona, and co-authors Ismet Anitsal and Meral Anitsal of Tennessee Tech University, won the Distinguished Research Award in the Academy for Studies in International Business Track for their research paper titled "On-Line Features of Global Retailer Web sites" at the recent Allied Academies Fall 2009 International Conference held in Las Vegas, Nev.

Posted Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Lee Ann De Reus, associate professor and this year's Genocide Intervention Network Carl Wilkens Fellow, was featured in a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum "Voices on Genocide Prevention" podcast aired October 8, 2009.

De Reus spoke about the crisis for women in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the preliminary results of her interviews with 30 rape survivors.

This bi-weekly audio series and podcast service, hosted by the Committee on Conscience Project Director Bridget Conley-Zilkic, highlights the voices of human rights defenders, experts, advocates and government officials.

De Reus' podcast is available at http://blogs.ushmm.org/COC2/C9 online.

Posted Tuesday, October 13, 2009

This past summer, Barbara Hong, associate professor of education at Penn State Altoona, completed a three-part series of workshops which emphasized the need for parents to advocate for their children in order to help them succeed.

The workshops offered an overview of what to ask for including special instructions for parents of children with learning disabilities, materials and Web sites parents can use to supplement their child’s education at home, and more.

To read an article about Hong's workshops, visit http://voicesweb.org/archive/09sep/09sep-community-lifestyles.pdf online (the article about Hong, "Training offers parents lessons in advocacy," begins on page 3 of the 7 page pdf document).

Posted Monday, October 5, 2009

Jonathan O'Harrow, webmaster, was an invited guest artist with Vox Nova, the premier student choral group of Mount Aloysius College on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. As part of a Broadway-themed concert, O'Harrow performed solos from such musicals as "Chicago," "Merrily We Roll Along," and "Beauty and the Beast." Jonathan also performed duets from "The Pajama Game," "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Songs from a New World" with local theatre performer Racherl Volpe. O'Harrow then joined the group in performing such numbers as "Once Upon a Time" from "All American", and "All That Jazz" from "Chicago."

Posted Monday, October 5, 2009

Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber, assistant professor of music, participated in a world-premiere performance with the Susquehanna Valley Chorale under the direction of William Payn on Friday, October 9, 2009 at 8 p.m. in the Weis Center at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA.

The piece, commissioned by New York composers Robert Cohen and Herschel Garfein and titled "Alzheimer Stories," sets the personal testimonies of families impacted by Alzheimer's to music. The piece featured mezzo soloist (Cutsforth-Huber), baritone soloist (Ted Keegan, Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera"), chorus, and orchestra.

Posted Monday, October 5, 2009

Roselyn Costantino, associate professor of Spanish and women’s studies, spent nine days in Guatemala this August as a member of the fact-finding delegation, Women’s Right to Live, of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA. During her time there, Costantino investigated the surge of femicide, the murder of women because of their gender. Since the year 2000, more than 4,500 females in Guatemala, ranging in age from 7 – 75, have been kidnapped, tortured, raped, and killed. Less than 2 percent of the murders are investigated, and even less go to trial or result in a conviction.

As part of the GHRC/USA Delegation, Costantino traveled to urban centers, remote rural towns, and highland villages to meet with women’s civic organizations and leaders at women’s health and domestic violence centers as well as with parents of murder victims and those who survived kidnapping, torture, and rape. The Delegation also met with governmental officials, the head of the Gender Section of the Guatemala Human Rights Ombudsman Office, and officers of the U.S. Embassy and USAID. Each visit included discussion on the failure of the Guatemala State to adequately respond to the murders and what United States government and citizens can do to pressure Guatemalan officials to act.

This was Costantino’s second trip to Guatemala to investigate femicide. You can find out more on the topic by reading her article, “Femicide, Impunity, and Citizenship: The Old and the New in the Struggle for Justice in Guatemala” at www.personal.psu.edu/rxc19/guatemala.html online.

Posted Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, assistant professor of English, will join Penn State Professor Gabeba Baderoon in a reading of their poetry at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington D.C. on September 19, 2009. Wesley and Baderoon are among 130 invited authors and poets to read for the “Fall For the Book Festival,” the oldest and largest poetry festival of Northern Virginia. For the festival's full calendar of events, visit http://www.fallforthebook.org/events.php on-line.

Posted Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Robin Reese, assistant professor of theatre arts, directing a production of “Steel Magnolias” at Cresson Lake Playhouse. Performance dates are September 3 through September 12, 2009. Cresson Lake Playhouse is located at 279 Shapiro Road in Loretto, PA. Show Times are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with a Sunday Matinee 2p.m. on September 6. Assisting as stage manager for this production is 2009 Integrative Arts graduate Olivia Parry. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Playhouse at 814-472-4333.

Posted Monday, August 17, 2009

The United States Government has labeled the conflict in Darfur, Sudan as genocide. The conflict has created hundreds of thousands of refugees and torn apart the social fabric of communities across the region. Lee Ann De Reus, a professor at Penn State Altoona, traveled to a refugee camp in Chad to record the experiences of women impacted by this trauma. She will share her experiences in central Africa on the next "Conversations from Penn State."

"If you destroy the women, even if it's emotionally and psychologically, then you have a much better opportunity and chance…of taking over a country," said De Reus. "It’s a way to demoralize an entire village and then gain access and take over…so by attacking women you have positioned yourself better to be able to take the spoils of war."

"Conversations from Penn State" is a new series, hosted by veteran interviewer Patty Satalia. The program offers thoughtful, in-depth exchanges with a broad range of remarkable people. In many cases, their trailblazing work has advanced their field and drawn national and worldwide attention.

De Reus gathered stories from 25 women at the Gaga Refugee Camp in Chad. She says the women were eager to discuss their lives with an American researcher, who also happened to be a complete stranger. "I have a capacity for being able to handle difficult situations, humanitarian crises and I also feel a moral and ethical responsibility on some level to give back as a privileged person from the West," said De Reus.

The show will air on the Big Ten Network at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The show will re-air on the Big Ten Network at 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The show also will air on WPSU-TV at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6. The show also can be viewed at http://conversations.psu.edu/episodes/leeann_dereus.

Lee Ann De Reus is an associate professor of human development and family studies and women's studies at Penn State Altoona. She lectures about genocide and is the co-founder of Save Darfur: Central PA. In 2008, De Reus was the recipient of the first-ever Penn State University Spirit of Internationalization Award, given in honor of her commitment to global service and outreach.

For more than 20 years, Patty Satalia has engaged dynamic individuals from all walks of life and areas of expertise. No matter the guest, Satalia approaches each conversation with the same dedication to research and with a passion for helping people share their stories and insights with the world.

WPSU serves central Pennsylvania with programming, educational services and community outreach. Its public media services produce, acquire and distribute programs that address local interests and reflect the diverse cultural, political, geographic and demographic characteristics of an audience within central Pennsylvania.

Posted Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Joy Himmel, director of health and wellness at Penn State Altoona, will present a research paper at the National Symposium on Student Retention this fall. Himmel worked with a colleague at Penn State's University Park campus to write the paper on OASIS, a mentoring program for second-semester freshmen at Penn State Altoona who receive a GPA lower than 2.0 at the end of their first semester.

Himmel submitted the paper to the symposium, which then was subjected to an extensive peer group review before acceptance. The paper will be presented during a panel discussion on mentoring and will be published.

The symposium is a consortium of two-year and four-year institutions dedicated to achieving the highest levels of student success through collaboratively sharing data, knowledge, and innovation.

Posted Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Marc Orlitzky, associate professor of management, received the best paper award during the Reputation Institute’s annual conference. The Conference on Corporate Reputation, Brand, Identity, and Competitiveness was held in Amsterdam in May.

Ortlitzky’s paper, "The Measurement of Corporate Social Performance: Stakeholder Satisfaction and Generalizability Theory” won the Erasmus Institute of Management Best Paper Award. It is an updated version of a chapter in his 2008 book, "Toward Integrative Corporate Citizenship: Research Advances in Corporate Social Performance."

The conference presented best practices and leading academic research on the newest developments in reputation risk assessment, methods of handling internal conflicts from a reputation management point of view, and the newest developments in identity research.

Posted Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, assistant professor of English, was a featured guest on Jamaican Radio station 93FM’s "Evening Edition- News Talk Radio" in Kingston, Jamaica on July 14, 2009. Wesley, who was contacted to participate in a live discussion/interview with producers, Prudence Deans, Garnet Roper, and Tara Thompson, spoke via telephone during a fifteen minute recording about the resumption of the UN International Court case against former Liberian leader and warlord, Charles Taylor. Wesley answered questions on her perspectives as a professor and poet about the merits the court charges of War Crimes against Humanity committed against the people of Sierra Leone. For more information, visit the station's Web site at http://www.newstalk.com.jm/module-Pagesetter-viewpub-tid-9-pid-5.html on-line.

Posted Friday, July 17, 2009

Patricia Jabbeh Wesley's "Stories" was selected as the featured poem of the summer edition of "Winning Writers Newsletter." The autobiographical poem was originally printed in her third collection "The River is Rising." "Winning Writers" is a national literary organization with nearly 20,000 subscribers that finds and creates quality resources for writers. To read the poem, visit www.winningwriters.com/newsletter/public/2009/nl_public_0906sup.htm. Jabbeh Wesley is an assistant professor of English at Penn State Altoona.

Posted Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, assistant professor of English at Penn State Altoona, presented a paper entitled, "When Women Write Africa: An Examination of Gender Roles in Buchi Emecheta's 'The Joys of Motherhood' and Ama Ata Aidoo's 'The Dilemma of a Ghost'" at the 35th International Annual Conference of the African Literature Association (ALA). The conference, which brought together hundreds of scholars and academics from around the world, was held at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, from April 15 - 19, 2009. Wesley's poetry was also the feature of a paper presented by another conference attendee under the title "Maternal Loss in the Poetry of Patricia Jabbeh Wesley."

Posted Wednesday, April 22, 2009