Penn State New Kensington faculty Josi Kalavar and Rick Harnish share a laugh in the Blissell Library during the 12th annual Faculty Publications Party.
Annual event recognizes educators' accomplishments
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Faculty publications and awards were reasons to celebrate Dec. 2, at a special reception in the Elizabeth S. Blissell Library at Penn State New Kensington.
Jennifer Gilley, head librarian, hosted the 12th annual faculty publications party to honor the accomplishments of faculty members at the campus.
"This is a wonderful annual event that allows the entire campus community to recognize the excellence of our faculty and the various ways that their expertise is making an impact,” said Andrea Adolph, director of academic affairs at the campus. “This year, we have multiple faculty celebrating publications across disciplines. I am proud of what the campus has accomplished this year."
Honored for receiving a 2014 Excellence in Teaching award were Natacha Bolufer-Laurentie, instructor in Spanish (full-time), Frances Blanco-Yu, instructor in chemistry (part-time), and Jason Zimmerman, adjunct instructor in technical training (Continuing Education). Faculty has three areas of responsibility -- teaching, research/scholarly activity and service. The award recognizes campus faculty contributions in teaching. The principal criterion is excellent classroom performance; however, excellence in other activities such as advising, supervision of learning outside the classroom, and course development are also considered.
Jennifer Wood, associate professor of communication arts and sciences, received the Alumni/Student Award for Excellence in Teaching and was named a 2014 Penn State Teaching Fellow. The University-wide teaching fellow award honors distinguished teaching and provides encouragement and incentive for excellence in teaching. Recipients are expected to share their talents and expertise with others throughout the University system during the year following the award presentation.
Gary Heberling, program coordinator and instructor in information sciences and technology, was selected as Faculty Member of the Year by the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology. Heberling, the college’s first World campus faculty marshal, was honored for his impact on the college and the World campus.
In addition to teaching awards, Jyotsna “Josi” Kalavar, associate professor of human development and family studies, was honored with the Arlene E. Hall Service Award. The award was established in honor of the former director of academic affairs, who retired in 2012 after 36 years at the campus. It is presented annually to a faculty member who has shown outstanding service in committee work, student advising, involvement in student affairs activities, and other service to the University, campus and community.
Promotions were garnered by Amy Rustic, associate librarian, K. R. Bridges, professor of psychology, Donald Bruckner, associate professor of philosophy, Craig Hammond, associate professor of history, and Michael McGinnis, professor of business administration. Kalavar and Rujirutana “Dr. A" Mandhachitara, associate professor of business administration, earned sabbaticals.
Among the numerous articles written by the New Kensington faculty was an article co-authored by Richard Harnish, associate professor of psychology, and Kevin Snider, chancellor of the campus. “Understanding Community Engagement Motives: A ‘Functional’ Approach” was published in PRISM: A Journal of Regional Engagement. The article emphasizes how underlying personal goals explain involvement in community engagement activities.
“This effort illustrates the ways that we all work together at the New Kensington campus to encourage scholarly recognition that directly benefits our students,” said Adolph, who was honored last year for writing an article and reviewing a book for Modern Fiction Studies.
Rustic, library assistant Yesenia Figueroa-Lifschitz and staff assistant Beth Matocha assisted in planning the afternoon reception.
.jpg)
Penn State New Kensington award winners, left to right, Amy Rustic, recently promoted associate librarian,
Jennifer Wood, Teaching Fellow recipient, and Gary Heberling, Information Sciences and Technology Faculty Member of the Year winner, at Penn State New Kensington's faculty publications celebration.
Faculty Honorees 2014
PUBLICATIONS
William Hamilton, assistant professor of biology, and Deborah Sillman, senior instructor in biology, co-wrote a blog, “Ecologist’s Notebook.”
Craig Hammond, associate professor of history, wrote a chapter, “The High-Road to a Slave Empire: Conflict and the Growth and Expansion of Slavery on the North American Continent,” for the book, “The World of the Revolutionary American Republic,” and two articles, “The Most Free of the Free States: Politics, Slavery, Race, and Regional Identity in Early Ohio, 1790–1820” for Ohio History and “Slavery, Sovereignty, and Empires North American Borderlands and the American Civil War,” for the Journal of the Civil War Era.
Robert Bridges, professor of psychology, Richard Harnish, associate professor of psychology, co-authored “Compulsive Buying: The Role of Irrational Beliefs, Materialism, and Narcissism” for the Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, and “How Advisers can Promote Student Engagement Outside the Classroom” for “Academic Advising. A Handbook for Advisors and Students.”
Harnish and Kevin Snider, chancellor, co-wrote “Understanding Community Engagement Motives: A ‘Functional’ Approach” for PRISM: A Journal of Regional Engagement.
Jyotsna "Josi" Kalavar, associate professor of human development and family studies, co-edited a book, “Global Aging: Care, Concerns and Special Perspectives,” that was published by Jaypee Brothers, and co-authored four articles:
- “Tourism and Community Well-Being: The Case of the Maasai in Tanzania” and “Emic Understandings of Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage Experiences” for Annals of Tourism Research,
- “Effect of Behavioral Interventions and Functional Competence in Older Adults,” for the Indian Journal of Gerontology.
- “Intergenerational Differences in Perceptions of Heritage Tourism Among the Maasai of Tanzania” for the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology
Rujirutana “Dr. A” Mandhachitara, associate professor of business administration, wrote “Old Traps for New Players: Western Direct Retailing Investment in Emerging Asian Markets” for the International Review of Management and Marketing.
Michael McGinnis, professor of business administration, co-authored “The Empirical Cross Cultural Assessment of a Logistics/Supply Chain Management Typology” for the Journal of Transportation Management.
Yang Xu, associate professor of business administration, wrote a paper, “The Role of the Founder’s Social Ties and Knowledge Structure in SMEs’ Radical Product Innovation,” for Proceedings of the 2014 Academy of Management Annual Conference.
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD
Jennifer Wood, Natacha Bolufer-Laurentie, Frances Blanco-Yu, Jason Zimmerman
COLLEGE OF INFORMATION SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY FACULTY MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Gary Heberling
ARLENE E. HALL SERVICE AWARD
Jyotsna "Josi" Kalavar
SABBATICALS
Rujirutana "Dr. A" Mandhachitara, Jyotsna "Josi" Kalavar
PROMOTIONS
Amy Rustic, Associate Librarian
K.R. Bridges, Professor of Psychology
Donald Bruckner, Associate Professor of Philosophy
J. Craig Hammond, Associate Professor of History
Michael McGinnis, Professor of Business Administration