Awarded since 1999, the Nancy Newkerk award is given to a second year SAHE graduate student who demonstrates outstanding contributions to college students, student affairs activities, the SAHE department, and the broader higher education community.
The announcement was made, and the scholarship presented, on November 4, 2009. Ms. Nancy Newkerk was in attendance to share her experiences in student affairs and to congratulate Brynn.
]]>The first session, with SAHE student Daniel Pretz, was titled “Making the Most of Your Professional Life” and was directed at graduate students entering the profession of Student Affairs. The second session, titled “Creating a Supportive Working and Learning Environment,” examined how leaders and supervisors can influence and design working environments that take into account professional demands and culture and personal considerations.
Hall is also a member of the Executive Board of the organization.
]]>The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Final Rule went into effect January 8, 2009—the biggest overhaul in twenty years. Now that major changes to the FERPA regulations have been finalized, higher education professionals are scrambling to figure out how to comply with the law—a daunting task. From on-line privacy concerns to dealing with helicopter parents, FERPAnar is the comprehensive on-line conference that delivers a complete analysis of the latest developments, so participants can understand how policies and programs may need to change.
Other FERPAnar presenters included: Paul Gammill, head of the U.S. Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office; Clifford A. Ramirez; Richard Rainsberger, Ph.D.; and Steven J. Healy, past president of IACLEA and director of Public Safety at Princeton University.
]]>Their presentation, titled “Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Atheist College Students,” described their qualitative study that employed a phenomenological approach to examine and understand how atheist college students make meaning of their views on faith and how they experience the college environment.
]]>Their paper, “The Alabama State College Sit-ins and the Death of In Loco Parentis: Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education (1961),” explores the demonstrations by Alabama State College students against legalized segregation in Montgomery and the resulting lawsuit which established the rights to due process for public school students facing suspension or expulsion.
]]>Their article, “Spirituality of College Students: An Examination of Fraternity/Sorority Member and Non-member Groups,” examines the differences in several aspects of spirituality between students who participate in greek-affiliated organizations and those who don’t. The article is based on Webb’s master’s thesis research, conducted in 2007.
]]>The presentation focused on the recently released Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing the campus safety dimensions of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 as well as the new regulations for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) addressing health and safety emergency exception.
]]>This book is a comprehensive guide to designing, establishing, and maintaining a campus based sexual assault response team. Dr. Lowery’s chapter focuses on federal laws impact campus sexual assault and institutional responses.
]]>In his talk, titled “Atheist Students in a College Setting,” Mueller and his copresenter (Kathleen Goodman, University of Iowa) discussed their recent scholarship and research on the secular movement among college students and how college adminsitrators need to recognize and address the unique needs of free-thinking students.
The Secular Student Alliance (SSA), founded in 2000, has over 150 affiliated high school and college student groups around the country. According to its website, the mission of the SSA is to organize, unite, educate, and serve students and student communities that promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism, and human-based ethics.
]]>Founded in 2000, NCHERM is a law and consulting firm dedicated to best practices for campus health and safety. NCHERM emphasizes best practices for policy, training, and educational programming as proactive risk management. NCHERM specializes in advancing culture change strategies and problem solving for the challenging wellness, compliance, and liability issues colleges and universities face today.
The NCHERM risk management model is a more elemental, holistic, and cultural framework. NCHERM’s consultants believe that the most proactive form of risk management results from efforts to reshape campus culture for greater health and safety. By making campuses safer places, institutions may avoid lawsuits, mitigate losses, protect reputations, and enhance the learning process.
Since its founding, NCHERM has consulted with more than 1,300 colleges, universities, schools, and military clients in all fifty states. NCHERM attorneys serve as legal counsel to twenty campuses, including large public universities, private liberal arts colleges, and community colleges.
]]>This year, Dr. Lowery is the coordinator for the Training Institute at the Academy, which offers an intensive four-day competency-based curriculum intended for student conduct and conflict resolution administrators new to the field as well as seasoned student affairs professionals new to the area of student conduct and conflict resolution. Participants explore critical topics each day, including model policies and due process, laws and mandates, governance, forms of adjudication, case preparation, information management, student development theory, and personal/professional ethics.
Dr. Lowery is also a faculty member for the Training Institute and for the Mid-Level Manager Seminar. In both programs, Dr. Lowery is presenting on federal mandates which directly impact student conduct administration, including FERPA and the Clery Act.
]]>The presentation was based on an inquiry with disability service providers and their perception of what student affairs practitioners need to know about students with psychiatric disabilities. The study was a collaborative effort with Dr. Sue Saunders and Ms. Donna Korbel of the University of Connecticut.
]]>This qualitative study examined the role of organizational culture on the success of recruitment and retention practices of professional staff in college and university residence life departments.
]]>Their article, “A Qualitative Examination of Heterosexual Consciousness Among College Students,” explores how heterosexual college students understand and make meaning of their life experiences and how they incorporate those into their sexual orientation identity. The research was funded by Josten’s through the Emerging Scholars program of the American College Personnel Association.
]]>Henao, who is also a graduate assistant in the School of Graduate Studies and Research, was nominated by Assistant Dean for Administration Donna Griffith. In her nomination letter, Griffith described Henao as “deeply committed to the notion of service. His involvement crosses several sectors of his personal and professional life.”
Since 2007, Henao has been an active and productive member of the Graduate Student Assembly (president) and Student Cooperative Association (Board of Directors). He has also demonstrated a commitment to a variety of volunteer opportunities. Henao has B.A. and M.A. degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is graduating this May with a Master of Arts in Student Affairs in Higher Education.
]]>Their session was part of a day-long institute on the “Intersections of Religious Privilege,” which examined religious and spiritual trends in higher education and proposed ways to address challenging questions about inclusion, privilege, and difficult dialogues on campus.
]]>This award is given annually to an outstanding student affairs professional or graduate preparation faculty member who goes above and beyond in their efforts to provide guidance and support to graduate students in higher education or student affairs graduate programs. Students from Oklahoma State University, where Lowery taught before joining IUP in Fall 2008, nominated him for this award based on his dedication and effectiveness as a teacher, advisor, and role model.
]]>Lowery’s presentations focused on the Clery Act, student conduct policies and procedures, and a public policy update. Lowery’s presentation, “Partnering for Compliance: The Clery Act and Student Affairs,” focused on the core requirements of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, recent amendments to the act, and the key opportunities for student affairs divisions to contribute to institutional compliance. Lowery presented with Dr. Mike Dannells on their study of changes in student conduct policies and practices over the past thirty years.
Lowery also presented a public policy and case law update with W. Scott Lewis. Lowery focused on key student affairs implications of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 and recent changes to the regulations for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
NASPA: Student Affairs in Higher Education is one of the leading professional associations for student affairs in higher education. More than 4,100 student affairs practitioners, graduate preparation program faculty members, and graduate students attended the national conference this year.
For more information on Dr Lowery’s presentations, please e-mail him at jlowery@iup.edu
]]>The conference, sponsored by the South Carolina Higher Education Foundation and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, brought together student affairs professionals and campus law enforcement to collaborate to help create safer campuses. Dr. Lowery’s keynote presentation was entitled, “Making Sense of Federal Campus Safety Laws.”
]]>Mueller and coauthor Kathleen Goodman of the University of Iowa provide a more accurate and favorable depiction of atheist college students, encouraging student affairs and higher education professionals to include these students in programs and activities designed to promote inner development.
]]>Dr. Lowery discussed the changes to FERPA at length with a group of senior student affairs officers from across the country on January 9, 2009. He joined Dr. Bonnie Hunter of Valparaiso University and Dr. Ron Herron of Southern Connecticut State University to discuss the changes to FERPA and public policy developments on January 23, 2009, in a webinar for the general membership.
]]>About Mueller’s contribution, author Amy Reynolds writes in the preface, “His insight and ability to traverse the fields of counseling and student affairs created an excellent integration of the most relevant counseling theories that will surely assist readers.”
The book, released in December, is published by Jossey-Bass.
]]>We are now accepting nominations for this year’s recipient. The Ronald Lunardini Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to an alumnus of the Student Affairs in Higher Education Department who has been a student affairs professional for at least five years and whose practice reflects the standards and values of the SAHE department. Nominations are due by January 30, 2009 and the announcement of the recipient will be made prior to and celebrated at the ACPA convention in Washington, D.C. Start thinking about your SAHE colleagues and mentors who are deserving of this recognition and please consider nominating one of them.
]]>SAHE graduate student Tiffany Coffen also serves on the Executive Board for PCPA as graduate student representative.
Coffen and Hall conducted a roundtable discussion session attended by thirty-nine graduate students on the topic of “Professional Development—Thinking Forward.”
]]>The SAHE Department is pleased to announce Dr. Becky L. Verzinski as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2008. Becky is a 1994 graduate of SAHE who went on to earn her doctorate at Morgan State University. She is currently working at Towson University (MD) in the Department of Housing & Residence Life as an Assistant Director. She has also worked at SUNY Stony Brook (NY). Becky’s accomplishments are not limited to her fine work at Towson University and Stony Brook where, at both institutions, she has been recognized for her excellence in promoting community and student learning as well as embracing diversity and multicultural programming. Becky’s career has also been highlighted by many service and leadership activities, most notably as a faculty member in the mid-Atlantic Regional Entry-Level Institute, conference co-chair for MACUHO, and MCPA conference co-chair.
The award selection committee (comprised of faculty, students, and alumni) reviewed nomination materials from five fine individuals, all of whom have exceptional accomplishments in and contributions to the student affairs profession. The selection committee noted Becky’s "significant professional involvement and recognition." One committee member’s comment summed up Becky’s nomination in this way: "In a very tight crop of nominees, this individual’s commitment to diversity, life long learning, and multifaceted collection of presentations at all levels, I believe, qualifies her for this award."
The SAHE Distinguished Alumni Award was created to acknowledge an alumnus of the SAHE department whose experiences and accomplishments as a student affairs professional significantly reflect the standards and values of the SPS program /SAHE department. Previous recipients include Bob Gatti (’78) of Otterbein College (OH) and Peter C. Groenendyk (’94) of the University of Memphis (TN).
The SAHE Department recognized Becky at the 2008 ACPA Convention (Atlanta, GA) during our annual "IUP Alumni & Friends Reception."
This is SAHE's annual beginning-of-the-year community builder to reconnect with one another and welcome our new students.
Here is the lineup for Team ASD (Associates for Student Development):
Dr. Linda Hall, Dr. Holley Belch, Dr. John Mueller, and Dr. John Lowery will be on hand to give you last-minute pep talks for the big game ahead!
Erin Schuetz will help you receive your first official SAHE gift!
Morgan Rizzardi wants to catch some great dishes from anyone who wants to potluck!
Stanley Horton wants you to be ready to plow through Break the Ice and have fun!
Ryan Cunningham has the game plan on where your fellow teammates are for assistantships/jobs and where SAHE alumni have touched down upon graduation.
Mallory Bower will be shooting photos of all of our team players in action.
For more information, e-mail any of your ASD Executive Committee members.
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