ASPIRE program coordinator Jennifer Marino, right, talks with students Amy Kudranski and Ryan Long. Kudranski earned the first ASIRE scholarship in 2014.
Kevin Churik cited for professionalism;
Jennifer Marino honored for developing ASPIRE program
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. – Two more Penn State New Kensington staff members were recognized recently in “We Are,” a new weekly feature of the daily email publication, Penn State Today.
Kevin Churik, information technology generalist, was featured April 22, and Jennifer Marino, assistant director for financial aid, was highlighted May 19. “We Are” is a University-wide initiative that was launched in February to provide students, faculty and staff with a platform to give kudos to fellow Penn Staters for work that goes above and beyond their job duties or responsibilities.
Churik and Marino are the third and fourth staff members from the New Kensington campus to receive the honor in the past four months. Nancy Miller, co-director of continuing education, and Corinne Coulson, enrollment services specialist, were highlighted Feb. 27 and March 9, respectively. All four were nominated by campus colleagues for personifying Penn State’s commitment of service to the community.
Kevin Snider, chancellor of the New Kensington campus, praised the recipients for shining the Penn State spotlight on New Kensington. He encouraged the campus community to recommend other colleagues for the honor.
“We need to get the word out about what a great campus and community we are,” Snider said. “It's a great way to continue to get our fantastic community recognized outside the campus.”
A “We Are” candidate could be a maintenance worker taking extra steps to make sure a project is completed, a student organizing a charitable event, an administrator doing something special for employees, or a faculty member taking additional time to advise students.
Kevin Churik, IT and Green Paws
Churik earned his bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology in 2009, and returned to the campus community in 2011 after working at PwC and Medrad. Churik is a part of the Information Technology Services department that provides the campus with the resources needed to support the academic mission of the University.
His nominator wrote: “Kevin works in IT, and he is personable and beyond helpful. He treats everyone with respect. He is professional and personifies Penn State's best of 'We Are.' "
The IT department provides a wide variety of services, including access accounts, helpdesk support, server and network infrastructure and media services. He produces the monthly publication that keeps students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public, informed on current technology issues. The newsletter contains short articles on general information technology strategies plus tips and tricks for all computing devices. To view the newsletters, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/StudentServices/IT/44961.htm
In addition to his work responsibilities, Churik is the coach of the Team IT, a campus Green Paws team. Sponsored by the Penn State Sustainability Institute, Green Paws are groups of faculty and staff volunteering to take specific actions to help their offices or departments operate in a more efficient, innovative, and healthy way. The groups work in conjunction with the institute’s Green Paws program to earn certificates of achievement. New Kensington is the only Penn State campus with 100 percent participation by its faculty and staff.
Green Paws is a four-step program for resource efficiency in the office. Each level comprises nine sustainability categories: energy, recycling, waste reduction, purchasing, outreach and production, events and meetings, transportation, kitchens and break rooms, and publications. Each category has a checklist of certain criteria to meet, and each level makes the office "greener." Certification is bestowed upon those who complete the checklist at each level. For information on joining the campus green team, contact Ruthann Herstek at 724-334-6032 or rah32@psu.edu
For more about sustainability on campus, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Information/45255.htm
Jennifer Marino, Financial Aid and ASPIRE
Marino joined the campus community in 2011 after four years as accounting assistant in the Finance Office at Penn State Greater Allegheny. She previously managed a private accounting firm in White Oak from 2001-2007 where she was responsible for Corporate and Individual tax preparation, payroll, and administration of a publicly traded mutual fund. She earned an associate degree from Penn State.
Her nominator wrote: "Jennifer has developed a financial literacy program for the New Kensington campus -- ASPIRE: A Scholarship Program Inspiring Responsible Economics. Students meet with financial professionals during on-campus sessions and may earn a $500 - $1000 scholarship upon successful completion of the program."
As assistant director for financial aid, Marino offers guidance to students and families who are navigating the path of financing a college education. Student aid is defined as any resource that supplements what parents and students are expected to contribute to meet the costs of a college education. Eligible students may receive combinations of four types of student aid: grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study.
Besides her office duties, Marino coordinates ASPIRE, a scholarship program that is the antithesis of the traditional awarding of scholarships. Instead of earning a scholarship to help pay for tuition after enrolling at the campus, recipients receive a scholarship to help pay down debt after graduation from the campus.
ASPIRE was established in 2012 as a support system to educate students on the importance of making healthy financial decisions. Students in the program have the opportunity to learn from financial professionals during on-campus workshops that are held twice during each semester and to get advice from Marino throughout the year. The workshops are designed to help students make informed decisions about their finances while they are attending school and after graduation.
“The focus of the program is to learn about finances, spending responsibly and borrowing wisely,” Marino said. “Our goal is to help students to save money while attending college and to graduate with less debt.”
Believed to be the first of its kind at any Penn State campus, ASPIRE is a collaborative effort by four campus units – Chancellor’s Office, Admissions and Financial Aid offices, and campus Advisory Board. The program was conceived by Snider and Joe Defilippi, a member of the advisory board.
Students are encouraged to adjust their personal spending habits, particularly when it comes to using student loan funding or credit cards. The initial workshop demonstrates how credit interest can greatly increase the cost of a product. The program strives to produce educated consumers who make correct spending decisions.
Other workshop topics included budgeting money while in school, the importance of saving, dangers of debt, explanation of interest rates and loan repayment strategies. In addition, the ASPIRE charter members received individualized instruction. Undergraduates who complete the program, and earn a degree from the campus, are awarded $1,000 for a bachelor’s degree or $500 for an associate degree.
“The scholarship is meant to assist students when they leave the campus as Penn State alumni,” Marino said. “We encourage them to use the funds to begin repaying educational loans.”
The inaugural ASPIRE class was formed in the fall semester of the 2012-13 academic year. Amy Kudranski, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2014, was the first ASPIRE program member to graduate.
“ASPIRE was certainly been beneficial to me,” Kudranski said. “It has taught me to be more aware of my finances as a college student.”
“The program has helped me understand how money actually works,” said Ryan Long, a junior administration of justice major. “I have changed a little bit in the ways I spend and save money.”
The program is open to students in the campus’ nine four-year programs (administration of justice, business, communications, electro-mechanical engineering technology, information sciences and technology, nursing, organizational leadership and psychology - BA and BS) and five two-year programs (biomedical engineering technology, business, information sciences and technology, letters, arts and sciences, and radiological sciences). Enrollment begins in the fall. For more information, contact Marino at 724-334-6046 or jam884@psu.edu
For more about ASPIRE, visit http://nk.psu.edu/Admissions/FinancialAid/44807.htm