Dr. Linda Norris of the English Department has been named the 2009 Teacher Educator of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators.

Students Sarah Finn, of Ebensburg, and Megan Coffey, of Erie, were selected as the winners of the 2009 Provost’s Fall Common Freshman Reader essay assignment.

Dr. Teresa Shellenbarger of the Nursing and Allied Health Professions Department was one of five nursing educators in the nation chosen to be a mentor in the Faculty Leadership Mentoring Program of the National League for Nursing and the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future.

Heather Renyck, a 1997 IUP graduate, will present a program, “Motivating Your Students and Keeping Yourself Inspired at the Same Time: Professional Development Strategies for Current and Future Science Teachers,” at 4:30 p.m. November 9, 2009, in Walsh Hall, Room 104.

Dr. Melissa Swauger, an assistant professor of Sociology, has been selected by Pittsburgh Magazine and the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project for its “40 under 40” recognition. This list recognizes forty individuals under the age of forty who are making a positive impact on the region’s development.

Freshman Shelby Kelley, a studio art major from Silver Spring, Md., was selected as the 2009 recipient of the Dr. Tony Atwater and Dr. Beverly Roberts-Atwater Presidential Scholarship. The scholarship was presented during the Homecoming Ball in October.

Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak, Pennsylvania secretary of education, will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and will present remarks during IUP’s December undergraduate Commencement ceremony. Zahorchak received a Master of Education degree from IUP in 1988.