Special SRU Humanics Program Offers Job Application Advantages
Those involved in SRU’s new certificate program offered through American Humanics, which gives graduates a distinct advantage when applying for jobs in the fast-growing, non-profit sector, will launch a weeklong recruitment campaign next week in the University Union. SRU joined American Humanics, a national alliance of more than 75 college, universities and nonprofit organizations, a year ago as a way of helping undergraduates prepare for careers in working with youth and human service agencies. Students completing the program receive the American Humanics Certification in Youth and Human Service Nonprofit Management and Leadership. An information booth will be staffed throughout next week in the union and information is available from SRU’s Institute for Community, Service-Learning and Nonprofit Leadership. Students working for the certificate participate in a 300-hour capstone internship at a nonprofit organization as well as 180 hours of specified coursework, co-curricular activities and their selected major at SRU. “The non-profit employment sector — service agencies, churches, and community groups ranging from the American Red Cross to Catholic Charities, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Special Olympics, the United Way, Habitat for Humaity, Junior Achievement, and YM and YWCA to name a few — is among the fastest growing areas of employment in the nation and our program will help them fill their need with entry-level professionals who understand their needs and can immediately begin helping their success,” says Alice Kaiser-Drobney, assistant professor of government and public affairs and leader of the humanics initiative. The certification requires students to develop written and public communication skills and to work on such areas as resume and job search development, interview skills, and basic computer literacy skills. The program also encourages students to work on positive attitudes, demonstrate initiative and commitment, display good citizenship, honesty and integrity as well as teamwork and leadership skills.
Join the All-U Through the 1% Club
Those considering contributions to the “Campaign for Slippery Rock University” are being urged to consider becoming members of the “1% Club” by pledging at least 1 percent of their annual salary during the next five years to the All-University Campaign. All gifts to all areas of the university cumulatively apply. Payroll deduction is the most frequent way current members choose to participate. One-third of employees giving to Slippery Rock University though the AllUniversity Campaign are members of the 1% Club. Those needing more information about the club or the AllUniversity Campaign should contact George McDowell at Ext. 4400.
Calendar
Listings taken from the SRU master Calendar of Events and other sources. www.SRU.edu/depts/stuaff/calendar/ Today, March 23 SRU Council of Trustees, 1:30 p.m., Room 304, Old Main PRISM Concert, 8 p.m., Miller Auditorium Saturday, March 24 Spring Orientation; 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Academic Services Tuesday, March 27 Dr. Sandra Mitchell, “Genetic Technology and Uncertainty,” 11:30 a.m., Spotts World Culture Auditorium “Dressing the Part: Appearance and Behavior in Women’s History,” by Dr. Nina de Angeli Walls, 4 p.m., Spotts World Culture Building Auditorium. Wednesday, March 28 Holocaust Remembrance, 4:30 p.m., Swope Music Hall HIV lecture, 7:30 p.m., University Union Thursday, March 29 “Who Moved My Cheese” seminar: 11:30 a.m., Room 304 Old Main. Reservations: Ext. 2070. University Program Board: The Evasons; Explore ESP and Mind Reading; 7 p.m. University Union, $3 Saturday, March 31 SRU Athletic Hall of Fame induction, 5:45 p.m., Warrendale Sheraton Inn. Ext. 2021.
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READYING FOR THE BIG GAME: President Smith, center, prepares to “toss a coin” to see if SRU football coach Dr. George Mihalik or Florida Atlantic University coach Howard Schnellenberger (right) will speak first at a recent SRU alumni football pep rally held in Delray Beach, Fla. The event, hosted by 1923 SRU alumnus and supporter Dr. Russell Wright (seated in inset) at his Wright-by-the-Sea resort, was held to help build enthusiasm for SRU’s 2001 opening game against FAU set for 4 p.m. Sept. 1 in Miami’s Pro Player Stadium. More than 150 SRU alumni attended.
Volume 1 • Issue 15 • March 23, 2001
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. A publication from the Office of the President for faculty, staff, and friends of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Education Lecture on HIV, Relationships Set
How some people live with HIV, how it affects their lives and how to better understand the issues they face are the concepts behind Slippery Rock University’s presentation of “A Boy, A Girl, A Virus: And the Relationship that Happened Anyway” lecture set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday [March 28]. The visiting guest lecturers will be Shawn Decker, who found he was HIV positive as he finished sixth grade in Virginia, and Gwenn Barringer, a former Miss Virginia contestant, who met Decker as a teen. The couple now share their lives together, dealing daily with the HIV virus. The free presentation in the Multi-Purpose Room of the University Union is sponsored by SRU’s Leadership Education And Development Seminars (L.E.A.D.S.) and the university’s McLachlan Student Health Center as a way to help break down stereotypes about HIV and AIDS while encouraging infection prevention.
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SRU Computer Science Researchers Working to Blend E-commerce, Auctioning
SRU computer science majors working with Dr. Sam R. Thangiah have devised a system that could help businesses that send packages and ship products by blending the use of modern, high-tech e-commerce with the old-fashioned — and very popular — auction bidding system. The students, Olena Shmygelska from the Ukraine and William Mennell from Slippery Rock, presented their paper titled “An Agent Architecture for Vehicle Routing Problems” at the 16th Association of Computing Machine Conference held recently in Las Vegas. The undergraduates made use of SRU’s Artificial Intelligent and Robotics Laboratory to create their system. Thangiah, a professor of computer science, says the student research examined how a business that ships its product to varied customers can work through a so-called “E-Commerce Architecture” network of connected computers in solving a series of complex problems, including efficient pick up and delivery. He says such systems are capable of solving extremely complex vehicle routing problems in real-time by making use of the latest technology and age-old auctioning theories. In the students’ plan, a shipper (business) using a computer hooked to the network announces all the company’s shipments available for pickup to all of the signed-on delivery agents, including package carriers and over-the-road trucking companies. The delivery agents then bid on the work, supplying pickup and delivery prices allowing the bid seeker to select the lowest cost and most efficient shipper.
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‘Holocaust Remembrance’ to Feature Survivor’s Unique Story
Dr. Robert Melson, Holocaust survivor and author of “False Papers: Deception and Survival in the Holocaust,” the story of one family’s hiding in the open, will be featured when Slippery Rock University’s holds its annual “Holocaust Remembrance Program,” at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday [March 28]. The free lecture will be presented in Swope Music Hall. Melson will be a morning guest on Wednesday’s “WFMJ Today” seen on WFMJ Channel 21, Youngstown, from 5 to 7 a.m. The event is being organized by SRU’s Dr. Richard Martin, professor of government and public affairs.
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Rock Pride is produced by the Office of University Public Relations, 201 Old Main, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057 (724) 738-2091
announcements
The fiber work of Akiko Kotani, and other artists, continues on display at the Sandford Gallery at Clarion University through April 18 under the “Atavistic Threads” banner. Kotani is a retired SRU professor of art and was recently featured in articles in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and In Pittsburgh Weekly. The gallery is open Mondays through Fridays, call (814) 393-2412 for exact hours. She was a guest lecturer last night offering an overview of her work in textile studies as part of a Martha Gault Art Club and the University Program Board lecture. Her talk included details of her two years in Guatemala where she was trained by a traditional Mayan Indian weaver. A dozen SRU music student ensembles will present the third annual PRISM Concert at 8 p.m. today in Miller Auditorium to raise funds for music majors through the Kate Brennan Music Education Scholarship and the Sue Shuttleworth Music Therapy Scholarship. Admission is $2 for students, $5 for adults. The Office of Academic Records and Summer School, 107 Old Main, will be open until 6 p.m. on April 11 and April 19 to help students with registration and dropping or adding classes for summer sessions and fall semester. “Dressing the Part: Appearance and Behavior in Women’s History” will be offered by speaker Dr. Nina de Angeli Walls at 4 p.m. Tuesday [March 27] in Spotts World Culture Building Auditorium. The slide-illustrated presentation will survey themes in American women’s history over two centuries through modern day involving the changing fashions, life and work. Dr. Sandra Mitchell, professor of history and philosophy of science at the University of Pittsburgh, will discuss “Genetic Technology and Uncertainty” when she lectures in Spotts World Culture Auditorium at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday [March 27]. SRU will hold “Basketball Fest 2001,” a three-point shoot out contest and a half-court shooting contest, at 6 p.m. April 4 to benefit SRU women’s athletics. Teams representing the SRU faculty, SRU students, Slippery Rock High School and celebrity teams from WAMO, 106.7 FM, and KDKA, Channel 2, Pittsburgh, will participate. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and children. Carol Harlow has been appointed a temporary library assistant 1 in the Instructional Materials Center of Bailey Library. Yvonne McAvoy and Ken Tedrow have been appointed information technology technicians in telecommunications and networking, and Mark O’Connor has been appointed classification and compensation manager in the Office of Human Resources. Kim T. Coon, a deputy secretary with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has been selected to serve as president of the State System of Higher Education’s Educational Resources group, which is responsible for coordinating the system’s statewide programming and for managing the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. He replaces Charles A. Clevenger who retires as ERG president in June.
10 Managers Honored for Service
President Smith this week honored 10 university management employees for their years of service and updated managers on current campus programs as part of a manager’s recognition meeting. The president commended each of the service category groups saying, “Your daily efforts help make the university a place that serves students and helps them tremendously in their educational pursuits. Your exemplary work is to be commended, and we thank you for your continuing service to the entire university community.” The breakfast meeting saw awards presented as follows: 30 YEARS: Jim North, systems analyst in computing services; 25 YEARS: Sharon Isacco, manager of communication services; and Ron Steele, instructional fire and safety specialist, environmental health and safety; 20 YEARS: Jim Anderson, utility plant manager, heating plant; Eliott Baker, director of the Office of Academic Records and Summer School; and Charles Zuzak, dean, College of Arts and Sciences; 30 YEARS OF SERVICE: President Smith presents a special plaque honoring Jim North’s 30 years of service to SRU. North 15 YEARS: Tim Carney, assistant director of facilities and planning; is a systems analyst in computing services. Carrie Birckbichler, systems analyst in computing services; and John Bonando, assistant vice president for student affairs and director of the Office of Student Life; and 10 YEARS: Herb Carlson, director of facilities and planning. Dr. Smith reported that the “Campaign for Slippery Rock University,” SRU’s second capital campaign, had surpassed the halfway point, raising more than $5 million of its $11 million goal, and detailed plans for renovations of the newly named Paul and Carolyn Carruth Rizza Hall. He also updated managers on plans for a new baseball field and the recent visit of the Middle States Accreditation evaluation team visit.
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SRU’s Psychic Awareness Club will host a free author lecture and book signing featuring Butler authors Sallie Christensen and Gina Hillier detailing their latest work “The Highest and The Best: A Gifted Healer’s Vision of Third-Millennium Medicine and Humanity’s Intuitive Evolution” at 7 p.m. Thursday [March 29] in Room 203, Strain Behavioral Science Building. Students are collecting toiletries, blankets and socks for the homeless! Collection boxes will be placed in campus residence halls and in Spotts World Culture Building. The drive, sponsored by the Institute for Community, Service-Learning and Nonprofit Leadership, continues through April 9. Call Ext. 3869 for details. SRU’s philosophy department and its master of science degree program in sustainable systems will sponsor a free, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seminar on April 7 presented by the Krishnamurti Foundation of America titled “A world in crisis: What is our response?” Paul Jennings, Rick Kemp, Rebecca Morrice and David Skeele, theater, took 20 theater students to Carnegie Mellon University for the American College Theatre Festival in January where they presented their production of “Shrew.” Kemp directed the play, Jennings and Morrice designed the show. Kemp also presented a workshop on clowning and Morrice presented a workshop on paper maskmaking. Skeele offered an acting workshop on Pinter, served as regional chair of the National Critics Institute and coordinated that competition. Skeele also recently taught workshops at Knoch High School on “ensemble playing” and “monologue development” and served as the outside evaluator at Bloomsburg University for its five-year, theater program review.
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‘State of University’ Address Set for April 10
President Smith will deliver his annual “State of the University” address at 11:30 a.m. April 10 in Swope Music Hall. The event also will honor 49 faculty for their distinguished years of service. The address will include an update on the “Campaign for Slippery Rock University,” building construction and renovation and the latest reports from the State System of Higher Education. The event also will be broadcast at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 11-13 on SRU’s campus cable system Channel 6. A reception will precede the address.
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Computer Science (Continued from page 1)
Thangiah says, “The architecture being built will allow each agent to obtain information on how the auctioning game is to be played over a period of time. The architecture will incorporate artificial intelligence methods such as neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic and swam intelligence to reach its conclusions.” The SRU professor says the system could be applied to small local or regional delivery firms — such as florists or bakeries — as well as national and global trucking and package delivery companies.
red bradley, communication, has recently conducted an on-line survey regarding the globalization practices of designers and webmasters in support of his dissertation topic “Design and Cultural influences on Electronic Commerce.” Bradley is a doctoral candidate at Loughborough University, England.
Jim Hathaway, geography and environmental studies, co-authored with Richard Le Heron of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, an article titled “An International Perspective on Developing Skills Through Geography Programmes for Employability and Life: Narratives from New Zealand and the United States” in the Journal of Geography in Higher Education. He co-authored with Nancy Barta-Smith, English, an article titled “Making Cyberspaces into Cyberplaces” in the Journal of Geography. Dr. John A. Bavaro, allied health, has his article “Integration and Support of Quality Improvement and Risk Management Programs: An American Perspective” published in the Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration, sponsored by the Chinese Medical Association. The article was invited and the result of a weeklong management training conference he was asked to develop and conduct by the People’s Republic of China. The program in Beijing was attended by 150 selected key administrators from 35 hospitals across China.
Joseph J. Normand, communication, has been named a fellow in the eight-week Institute for Journalism Excellence summer program and will spend six weeks with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The institute is run by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.