Penn State Abington, formerly the Ogontz School for Young Ladies, was home to world famous aviator Amelia Earhart during the 1916/1917 school year. At 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, in room 112 of the Woodland Building on the Abington campus, Moylan Mills, professor emeritus of integrative arts, and Lillian Hansberry, library staff assistant, will enlighten the audience with the ties that bind Abington to Earhart and her worldwide fame.
Penn State Abington's Cultural Arts Series will present the 1927 silent horror film classic, "The Cat and the Canary," at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15, in Sutherland Auditorium. The movie will be accompanied by eerie organ music played by renowned organist, Wayne C. Zimmerman.
Penn State Abington is celebrating the 10th annual International Education Week (IEW) on campus, Monday, Nov. 9 through Friday, Nov. 13. IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education highlighting the benefits of international education and exchange. The theme for IEW 2009 is "Creating a Vision for a Better Tomorrow."
In north Philadelphia, Penn State Abington students are participating in a program in which they work one-on-one with high school dropouts who have basic literacy issues.
"It isn't easy," said Lisa Morris, Penn State Abington senior instructor in administration of justice, who coordinates the program. "The Abington students are dealing with a challenging population--mostly from poor neighborhoods, broken families and weak school systems. They have responsibility and maturity issues, too."
Is it true that naps and turkey go together? It is commonly said that eating too much turkey causes drowsiness due to the high levels of tryptophan found in the meat. However, according to Leah Devlin, division head of science and engineering and interim assistant dean of Academic Affairs at Penn State Abington, the "I-can't-do-the-dishes-because-I'm-too-tired" excuse is more myth than truth.
In the first year as a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the first year as a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC), Penn State Abington men's soccer team has made it known not to mess with the newcomer. The Nittany Lions started their season off 2-3 with their three losses coming against Swarthmore College, Penn College and Neumann University. After their loss against Neumann University on Sept. 23, the Nittany Lions found themselves on a nine-game winning streak.
On Friday, Dec. 18, in the Athletic Building on the wooded campus of Penn State Abington, 173 graduates will receive their college degrees. Whether receiving an associate or bachelor's degree, hard work, perseverance and an "I-can-do-it" attitude were certainly involved in the quest. In no group is this more evident than with adult learners, as many have overcome mountainous obstacles to walk in that coveted cap and gown. Of the 173 Abington graduates, over 30 are adult learners. Georgia Christogianni and Lester Johnson are two such Abington graduates with inspiring stories to tell.
Jim McCloskey, lecturer of finance at Penn State Abington, has been bringing holiday joy to terminally ill children on Christmas Eve for the past 25 years. Having spent a lonely Christmas Eve in a hospital after being wounded during the Vietnam War, McCloskey was determined to help others avoid such a fate. Working with the Committee to Benefit the Children organization from St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia, Secret Santa McCloskey, Penn State Abington student volunteers and others deliver presents to kids with life-threatening diseases -- home from the hospital just for the magical night -- in the Philadelphia area. Not only do they bring presents to the delight of the sick children and their siblings, but they also deliver food and Christmas trees, much to the delight of the whole family.
The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence will present the first of its spring semester colloquy series on Monday, Jan. 18. As part of the Commonwealth Campus Program Initiative, this full day of professional development, hosted by Penn State Abington, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in room 112 of the Woodland Building on the Penn State Abington campus. The event is open to all Penn State faculty and staff at no charge.
Join us as Penn State Abington's spring Cultural Arts series gets started at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, in 112 Woodland Building. Allan K. Grim, Jr., local (Bucks County) professional handwriting analyst and author (Martin J.H. Povser, pen name) of "Strokes"-- a comprehensive work of handwriting analysis - will present "Inside the Fascinating, Mysterious World of Handwriting Analysis." Learn the fundamentals of this scientific technique that reveals the writer's personality and character. According to Grim, over 100 personality traits can be determined from a sizable (one-to-two page) writing sample.