Blair came to the Indiana State Teacher’s College in 1946 to teach English in the junior-high grades of the Keith School. In 1961, after ISTC had become the Indiana State College, she was appointed director of laboratory experiences (student teaching), and finally retired ten years later from what had become Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She continued to live in Indiana and to play active roles in many local organizations. Dr. Blair touched the lives of hundreds of students at both the secondary and college levels.

When asked for her reflections on celebrating her one hundredth birthday, she replied, “I’m excited to be alive! The time passes quickly, and it doesn’t seem like that long (one hundred years). I’ve traveled a lot and been around the world, but my favorite place is home, where I live now. Home is what you make it.”

Content by Zachary Salopek

College of Education and Educational Technology

Dr. Mary Ann Rafoth, dean of the College of Education and Educational Technology, came to her with the idea of doing something productive with the space, and since then the idea of the learning center has developed into an amazing creation. There will be an aesthetic area complete with a waterfall and pond, as well as a variety of plant life all around the courtyard.

The education majors at IUP will be creating a curriculum to teach elementary school students who will be able to visit the learning center. The curriculum will also be given to the elementary school teachers so that if they want to teach their own students on their own time, they will be able. The curriculum will change every year so that students are never bored by listening to repeated information. There will be one pavilion placed in the middle of the wildlife that will be used for teaching as well as for speakers coming to talk. It will only be closed on one side, with the three remaining sides open in order to keep the outdoor feel. Inside will be enough room to comfortably fit thirty people.

The outdoor learning center will also have Wi-Fi so that students can connect to the Internet with their laptops and study. There will be informational kiosks placed at both entrances from Stouffer, and there will be a gate across the open space next to the back parking lot in order to keep everything from making its home in the learning center. However, not all wildlife will be excluded. There will be one corner of the courtyard that will remain untouched by construction to see what kind of plant and insect life accumulate there. It will be a good observation place for all who are interested.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the grand opening of Stouffer’s outdoor learning center next Fall!

Content by Zachary Salopek

The scholarship honors Frank Bolden, the legendary editor and reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper and one of the first black accredited news correspondents during WW II. The scholarship will be presented by Mrs. Nancy Bolden on October 20, 2009, at a ceremony hosted by the dean of the college. The documentary “Frank Bolden: The Man Behind the Words” will be broadcast on IUP-TV at 5:00 p.m. daily the week of October 19–23, 2009.

Pattnaik graduated from IUP in the summer of 1996 with a degree in Elementary Education and a specialization in Early Childhood Education. By 2004 she had received tenure and promotion to full professor at California State University, Long Beach.

Her scholarly interests include multicultural and global education, education of indigenous children in India, early childhood education, global child advocacy, father/male involvement, cross-cultural research, children’s relationships with animals, and integration of technology in higher education. She is also actively involved with educational organizations such as the Association for Childhood Education International, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Research Council, the American Educational Research Association, the Association of Teacher Educators, and the National Council for the Social Studies.

She has authored or coauthored more than twenty-five publications and served as the guest editor for the 2005 International focus issue Education of Indigenous/Aboriginal Children: Global Perspectives and Practices for the journal Childhood Education, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Association for Childhood Education International. She is also the guest coeditor for the 2010 international focus issue of Childhood Education.

In all of Patnaik’s various roles, she demonstrates an unwavering commitment to children, families, students, colleagues, and her profession and has been recognized as an educator and a scholar who is making a major contribution to her field in teaching, service, and research.

by Zachary Salopek

At the recent Videographer Awards, Dr. Lauber and ten students won the Award of Distinction for the 2008 season of the Teach a Man to Cook television series appearing on WIUP-TV (channel 20), and Honorable Mention for the 2008 season of Healthy Living, cosponsored by IRMC. Dr. Lauber and Brandon Roudebush also won third place in the Young Preservationists Association’s recent film competition in Pittsburgh. Their documentary about the Indiana County Courthouse was premiered to a packed house March 28 at the Carnegie Museum of Art.

Department of Education and Educational Technology

As Dr. Lowery puts it, horror films portray higher education and “Greek” life like a mirror and a prism: a “mirror, for how these movies reflect society’s views on college and Greek life—if they didn’t reflect what society expected to see, the movies would never work. And a prism, for the way it serves to shape our expectations as well.” Although people accept the fact that most of the film could be exaggerated, they will still assume that there is some truth behind the suggestion of these organizations, so the general representations of these sororities and fraternities in horror films help shape expectations.

Dr. Lowery explained that his research has found that a film usually takes place at a stereotypical undergraduate college with a fraternity or sorority house as the main focus or setting of the most pivotal part of the film, or some isolated setting to which the fraternity or sorority has sent its members. This is because these settings are “an easy place for people to be isolated together for the killer” and are often sexualized in the films. There are also several stereotypical characters he found in almost every horror film: the tough girl, the Southern debutant, and the party girl.

Dr. Lowery has been teaching at the graduate level for nine years and was a fraternity chapter advisor at Bowling Green University. He plans to seek to have his research published as a journal article later in the year. What is his favorite horror film he has seen since his research began last summer? Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama from 1988.

Marshak was joined by Mary Anne Bie from Norway, who works for the Norwegian government specifically to run workshops for married couples raising children with disabilities or illnesses. Marshak spoke of her experiences doing clinical work, and also some of the background from her most recent book, Married with Special Needs Children, A Couples Guide to Keeping Connected.

After obtaining her Ph.D. at University of Pittsburgh in Rehabilitation Counseling, she focused her psychology work towards addressing the adjustment needs of persons with disabilities as well as the needs of couples with children of special needs. “There is a need for an issue like this to be addressed because of the dramatic increase of problems with these married couples in the present day,” Marshak said. Having a child with a disability herself, she feels personally and professionally connected to this subject of study.

“It was interesting to see that many marital issues were similar across borders. There were people from many other countries needing the same kind of help. This shows that marriages with special needs children need love and support, too, something sometimes only invested in the child. This is an international problem that needs to be addressed.”

Marshak also owns a private practice with two colleagues in North Hills. A major focus of her clinical work concentrates on the needs of these married couples. She has spoken at several international, national, and local conferences, as well as numerous support groups.

Beverly Sue Clark, from Armagh, Pa., died in Iraq during the Gulf War. This scholarship is awarded to a student preparing for a career in teaching who has prior military experience, good academic standing, and determined by a vote by a board of faculty members.

Hock is the first person in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics to receive this award. He was also accepted into the Honors Science Program, where he could do research to gain a further understanding towards his degree.

Hock, who resides in Westmoreland County, attended California University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland, and CCAC North Campus before coming to IUP. He is an enlisted member of the USAF-SF, but many of his schooling and deployments were through the Army and Marine Corps units. He has conducted military service in Afghanistan, Southern Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Qatar.

A transition from coming overseas to a college setting is not easy, but IUP has helped make this switch an exceptional experience for Hock. The diversity of the faculty and curriculum was what first attracted Hock to IUP, and with a smaller student to faculty ratio than other universities, his professors were able to help him become a very well-rounded student in his field.

“I have met some of the best professors I ever had here at IUP, and I am greatly impressed by the quality of teaching I have experienced,” Hock said.

When he graduates, Hock would like to teach at Freeport School District or the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy.

He discussed how IUP is currently using Second Life for teaching and research, and highlighted IUP plans for future uses of virtual worlds such as Second Life. More than two hundred conference participants attended his session, one of four sessions at the conference about the use of Second Life in education. The PETE&C conference attracted approximately 4,000 educators from not only Pennsylvania, but several neighboring states as well.

Select for complete details about Paul Hrabovsky and the award.

The European Teacher Education Network includes fifty-five institutions, only five of which are American universities. Dr. Bieger was the only American at this board meeting.  IUP has been a member of the network for twelve years.

“IUP’s active and ongoing membership in the network sets IUP apart, gives students more chances for study abroad programs, and helps IUP increase its foreign student population,” Bieger said. Bieger has served on the board for two years.

The purpose of the January meeting was to discuss possible expansion of the network to other non-European countries (including Asia and South America) and other American institutions.

Bieger also enjoyed the opportunity to experience the history and culture of the Republic of Malta. Although Malta is a bilingual country with English as its primary language, there are many Arabic, Italian, and Greek influences, especially in its cuisine.

“I was fascinated by the city of Mdina, which is a completely enclosed city consisting of 150 families, with streets too narrow to accommodate vehicles and only two gates for access. The homes in this city could be dated back to 700 years old,” Bieger said.

Select for more information about the European Teacher Education Network Board.

College of Education and Educational Technology

Dr. Leigh Armistead, from Winthrop University, one of two honorees, will be the featured speaker.  At the event, all scholarship recipients for the 2008-2009 academic year will also be acknowledged and awarded a certificate of recognition.  A reception will follow for honorees and invited guests.

A second reception will held at a later date to honor Dr. Raechele Pope, the other recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Scholars Award. She is unable to attend the November 13 event.
 

The application deadline is March 3, 2008 by 4:00 p.m.