Complex named after Kozloff

BU's new upper campus student housing complex was named after BU president emeritus Jessica S. Kozloff, as a result of the Council of Trustees' approval on June 3. The $31 million Jessica S. Kozloff Apartments are projected to open for the fall semester. In addition to the apartments, there is a commons building with a fitness center, meeting space, and mail room.

In the meantime, Nelson Field House's $12 million face-lift will be the lone construction project on the upper campus. It will continue in phases into next summer, as it will be completely renovated with added space for locker rooms, storage and new labs for our exercise science program. The project also includes a completely renovated swimming pool, refurbished building entrance and new seating in the gymnasium. We can look forward to seeing the renovated pool in September and the gym’s new look and feel in October.

Class of 2013 explores campus

Roughly 1,600 incoming freshmen visited BU from June 15 to 25 as part of the fall freshman orientation program, where they met with faculty, toured the campus and mingled with other first-year students. The program is designed to prepare freshmen for their transition onto campus in the fall.

Mike Wilston, of Mansfield, and Sara Donson, of Dingmans Ferry, were among those touring campus. Wilston said he chose BU for being a progressive business school, while Donson said she picked BU for its hands-on early childhood education program. More...

BU graduate presents story on brain injury recovery

Lethan Candlish, a 2007 graduate, presented "Who Am I Again?" on June 28, featuring accounts from traumatic brain injury patients of their recoveries and details of his own recovery from an automobile accident while in high school.

"Who Am I Again?" was originally presented at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tenn. It's perhaps the most personal of Candlish's presentations to date, as it includes details of his own recovery as a high school student from an automobile accident here in Columbia County. In preparing the work, Candlish interviewed traumatic brain injury patients, as well as their loved ones and health care workers.

BU students study in Africa

Ekema Agbaw, a BU professor of English, led 11 students from Bloomsburg, Indiana, Mansfield, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities in a summer study abroad program in Cameroon, Africa.

The students studied at the University of Buea and traveled extensively through Cameroon, including a visit to Korup, one of the oldest rainforests in the world, and to palaces in Kumba, Bali, Bafut, and Foumban.

Among the highlights included visits to Yaounde, the capital city and the University of Yaounde I, where students were entertained with a performance by the university's theater group. In Kribi, students travelled by canoe up Lobe River to visit a pigmy village. Here is the group at Lake Barombi, a crater lake in Kumba, which was part of the field study for the Concepts of the Environment class.

BU pilots migrant leadership program

Pennsylvania's first migrant leadership institute for middle school students has brought 25 youths to BU this week to participate in leadership workshops, field trips and a variety of discussions. The pilot program, which runs from Sunday to today, is a collaboration of BU and the Pennsylvania Department of Migrant Education. BU faculty and 16 student education majors will lead the institute as part of a three-credit practicum.

BLOOMSBURG — Pennsylvania's first migrant leadership institute for middle school students will bring 25 youths to Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania from June 21 to 26.

The pilot program, a collaboration of BU and the Pennsylvania Department of Migrant Education, builds on BU's migrant community project, which has served mostly younger students for the past 13 years, said Jean Downing, director of BU's SOLVE volunteer office. Both programs provide supplemental educational and support services to migrant children.

According to Caryn Terwilliger, BU's interim associate dean of the College of Education, the migrant middle school students will participate in workshops, field trips and discussions to promote leadership, civic responsibility, communication skills, critical thinking and personal development. They will live in the residence halls and eat in Scranton Commons.

While the youths are learning about leadership, 16 BU education majors will gain experience working with individuals whose backgrounds are different from their own. The students, along with BU faculty, will lead the institute as part of a 3-credit practicum.

Terwilliger said this diversity initiative provides BU's teacher candidates the opportunity to work with diverse populations and to develop multicultural perspectives for better understanding the role of diversity in the teaching and learning process. The BU students planned the institute’s activities and completed academic readings and focused reflections as course requirements. They also will receive training from BU's Quest program so they may lead outdoor adventure activities for the middle school students.

"This is a great learning opportunity for our students and for the migrant families. They will learn with and from each other," said Terwilliger. "These children would probably not be thinking about going to college. The mentoring from our college students in this environment will allow them to learn about a college campus while developing skills and building confidence through leadership and communication."

Downing said BU was invited to pilot the leadership institute for middle school students by Sue Stetler, project manager of the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit's migrant education program. The program is supported financially by a BU Foundation Margin of Excellence award. It is also made possible through student scholarships provided by the BU Student Pennsylvania State Education Association and funding from the state migrant education program.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.

Roundtable makes $2,500 in donations

BU's Supervisory Roundtable donated $1,100 to the BU Foundation on June 17 for an endowed scholarship, $1,000 to Camp HERO at Camp Victory, Millville, and $400 to the Children's Museum, Bloomsburg.

(L-R) Judy Ohl, Roundtable member, Eileen Evert, University Foundation, and Jeanne Scrimgeour on behalf of the Children's Museum. In back row, (L-R) Dr. Sam Slike, accepting the donation on behalf of Camp HERO, Roundtable members Len Tomashefski and Bob Wislock.

Sabbaticals, tenure and promotions

Tenure, promotion and sabbatical decisions were announced in June for the coming academic year. Tenure and promotions are effective the beginning of the fall 2009 semester. Sabbaticals will be in effect during the 2010-11 academic year.

BU program director works NFL minicamp

In his three-day stint working with the Minnesota Vikings at their offseason minicamp last month, Joe Hazzard noticed a lot of similarities between the athletic training staffs of a NFL team and BU's clinical athletic training program, including the equipment used and the treatment that was given.

Hazzard, program director of BU's graduate athletic training program, was invited to help at the Vikings' minicamp from May 28 to 30 by the team's head athletic trainer, Eric Sugarman, who Hazzard has known for more than 16 years. Sugarman previously worked with the Philadelphia Eagles and at West Chester University, when BU football coach Danny Hale coached there 20 years ago.

Hazzard said his minicamp experience will enable him to explain to students how similar athletic training is on all levels of athletics. Hazzard's main responsibility at the camp was to make sure the running backs stayed hydrated and had enough towels to cool down. Among the star players Hazzard assisted were Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor.

Hazzard said BU students learn the same treatments and train on the same equipment as professional athletic trainers work with on NFL teams. Other similarities Hazzard saw were athletic trainers using the Game Ready treatment machines, running ultrasounds, applying electrical stimulation and performing laser therapy. The athletic trainers also kept busy with taping ankles, massaging sore muscles and applying cold treatment to knees, Hazzard said.

Name changes in effect

A college, four departments and a bachelor's program were given new names to streamline and clarify the information system programs and reinforce BU's strong commitment to teacher education.
Name changes include:

• College of Education (formerly College of Professional Studies)
• Department of Management Information Systems and Computer Information Systems (formerly the Department of Computer Information Systems)
• Department of Business Education and Information and Technology Management (previously Department of Business Information Systems and Business Education)
• Department of Communication Studies (formerly Department of Communication Studies and Theatre Arts)
• Department of Music, Theatre and Dance (previously Department of Music)
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Information and Technology Management (formerly BSBA in Business Information Systems)

BU students study in Europe

A group of 18 BU students took an educational trek through Northwest Europe in late May into June, visiting historic buildings and churches, as well as took a trip down the Rhine River.

The students, who traveled with Mark Usry, associate professor of legal studies, started their three-week study abroad program in Germany where they visited the first German Parliament building dating to the mid-1800s and toured the church where coronations took place for the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The group left Frankfurt on an overnight trip down the Rhine River before visiting Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Foundation establishes scholarship

The John E. Morgan Foundation established an endowed scholarship fund with an initial $500,000 installment in June to benefit BU students graduating from Tamaqua High School, beginning in the 2010-11 school year.

The foundation has also provided annual scholarships to support students in the Lehigh-Carbon/Bloomsburg completion program in education, students transferring from Lehigh-Carbon Community College to Bloomsburg and Schuylkill County students. The foundation gave $100,000 in each of the past two years.

BU President David Soltz met with foundation board members (L-R) Jim Zigmunt, John Eddy, Jay Wagner and Harry Loder during their recent visit to campus.

Continuing education closer to home

BU will offer its first-ever Principals Academy in September, enabling local principals and school administrators a chance to earn continuing education credits closer to home. The academy is a three-year program targeting first-year principals, although veteran principals and school administrators can also participate.

Thomas J. Starmack, assistant professor of educational studies and secondary education at BU, will be the academy's lead instructor. Tracy L. Krum, a BU graduate and principal of Donald H. Eichhorn Middle School in Lewisburg, will assist Starmack with instruction.

State legislation requires newly hired principals to complete an induction course and administrators to get special continuing education credits. Starmack said the closest PDE program previously was in Lycoming County. The academy is a three-year program, beginning with instruction on leadership and improving student achievement. The second year focuses on understanding the Standards Aligned Systems and the final year covers implementing systematic changes. Academy participants will earn between 25 and 36 PDE Act 45 PIL hours per year.

Student earns scholarship

Debon Berger, a junior clinical lab science major, became the first recipient of BU's Dr. James E. Parsons Scholarship in Clinical Lab Science/Microbiology. Berger, of Quakertown, credited her internship last summer at St. Luke's Hospital clinical lab for confirming her love for research and microbiology. She was busy again this summer, studying in France and Belgium with the PASSHE Summer Honors Study Abroad Program. Berger will work with Karl Henry, assistant professor of biological and allied health sciences, this fall to investigate the prevalence of Staph aureus strains on and near campus for her honors thesis research.

Postcard exhibit comes to BU

A traveling exhibit, "PostSecret: Confessions of Life, Death and God," was on display in BU's Haas Gallery of Art from June 4 through July 15. The exhibit presented 160 postcards that share private thoughts concerning spirituality and religion.

Curator Frank Warren began the project in November 2004 by handing out self-addressed postcards to strangers and inviting them to anonymously share a secret. The total now exceeds 350,000 postcards. He continues to receive almost 1,000 handmade postcards every week.
BU president David Soltz, Cathy and Larry Wagner

Wagners honored as heroes

BU President David Soltz (left) presented an award for Animal Rescue on June 6 to Cathy and Larry Wagner at the American Red Cross's Lower Northeast Region Heroes Breakfast.

Cathy Wagner, a BU custodian, and her husband, Larry, knew their neighbor's home was vacant and there were several cats living in the residence. Together, they rescued two cats from a vacant house near their home in Orangeville, Columbia County.

BU Quest offers adventure camps

BU Quest's summer adventure camp series kicked off in June with an adventure camp for children to conquer a 50-foot climbing tower and raft down the Susquehanna River. In addition to the adventure camps, BU Quest offers hands-on science camps and an adult summer weekend camp over the summer.

The adventure camps are designed for active children, which includes a week-long camp for youths ages 10 to 14 to try a variety of Quest activities. Events include conquering a 50-foot climbing tower and 20-foot zip lines and rafting on the Susquehanna River. A session from June 29 to July 3 was geared toward youths ages 14 to 17 and designed to enhance leadership skills, activities include whitewater rafting on the Lehigh River.

The hands-on science camps are designed for students interested in hands-on, themed activities. "Earth Matters" from July 6 to 10 focuses on the environment and the role humans play. Time will be spent exploring and learning about the natural world and the ecosystem. "Momentum" from July 20 to 24 uses the outdoors for activities that explore machines, physics and engineering. "Core" from Aug. 10 to 14 refers to the core of the body. This camp focuses on bodies in motion, fitness and the science behind sport. Students will also learn about healthy lifestyles and staying physically active.

The adult summer camp weekend is for participants ages 18 and older. The 32-hour camp features rafting, kayaking, campfires and sleeping under the stars at a local state park while improving climbing and development skills.

Retirees honored with emeritus status

Eight retired members of the BU campus community received emeritus status on June 3 by BU President David Soltz and the Council of Trustees. Four were honored as faculty emeriti.

They were Dianne Angelo, of speech pathology and audiology; Karl Beamer, of art; Shelley Randall, of educational studies and secondary education; and Dale Sultzbaugh, of sociology, social work and criminal justice. Two received manager emeriti: Kathy Mulka, of admissions, and Roy Smith, of BU Quest. Honored as non-instructional emeriti were William Sponseller, of financial aid, and John Stockalis, of admissions.