Stephanie Knight Named New Associate Dean

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-Stephanie Knight, professor of education (educational psychology), has been named the College of Education's new associate dean for undergraduate and graduate studies.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to work with the outstanding faculty, students, staff and administrators in the College of Education in my new role as associate dean," said Knight. "The quantity and quality of college and departmental innovative activities and accomplishments are very impressive. I am looking forward to being a part of such a stimulating environment."

In her new role, Knight said she is eager to provide leadership in an era of unprecedented challenges in education, such as rapid technology changes, shrinking resources and standards-based assessment and accountability.

"If we view these challenges as opportunities for improvement, we can make an impact on K-16 education," said Knight. "I see the College of Education meeting current challenges through leadership in three areas: educational innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and diversity, and research and assessment. I hope that I can help provide a framework in the college to set and accomplish ambitious goals in these areas."

Throughout her career, Knight offered leadership to numerous higher education groups, including as director of the Center for Collaborative Learning Communities at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and as the executive director of the Houston School-University Research Collaborative, a consortium of eight urban school districts and regional service centers and the University of Houston. She also served as associate director of research into practice for the National Science Foundation Information Technology in Science Center for Teaching and Learning.

Knight has received several recognitions for her performance and scholarship, including the University Distinguished Teaching Award, an endowed chair in urban education, and an appointment as a university faculty fellow, all at TAMU.

In 2009, Knight came to Penn State where she joined the educational psychology, counseling, and special education department in the College of Education where she teaches courses in educational psychology and effective teaching.

Her research interests include classroom processes and learning environment, professional development and teacher education particularly in adverse settings. She has numerous books, book chapters, journal articles and conference presentations in these areas.

Knight currently serves as the lead editor for the "Journal of Teacher Education" and was previously co-editor of the "American Educational Research Journal."

She received her doctorate from the University of Houston and her master's degree from Lehigh University.

Knight replaced outgoing associate dean, Jacqueline Edmondson, who became the new associate vice president and associate dean for undergraduate education at Penn State.

--by Kevin Sliman (September 2013)

Source: Psu

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Missed tackles, opportunities to blame for Penn State's first loss of the season

"When you have that first test and you see something like it again on the final, you know the answer," Lucas said. "I think it's good that we saw this early."

For Penn State's defense, the test Saturday was a potent Central Florida offense that handed the Lions its first loss of the season. UCF (3-0) defeated Penn State (2-1), 34-31, and recorded more than 500 offensive yards in the process.

Perhaps the biggest test question Lucas faced was a near devastating pass interference call that came early in the fourth quarter when Penn State was down 31-24. The crowd, previously rowdy, was rattled.

On third-and-9, it appeared the defense was going to make a stop following a 1-yard rush and an incomplete pass from UCF quarterback Blake Bortles. Lucas was playing man coverage on his assignment downfield, and the receiver made a late break. Lucas put his hands on the receiver, turned around and saw the ball in the air.

Flag.

The setback ripped the momentum away from an already gassed defense and set up UCF to later score a field goal on the drive. The mistake that UCF grasped ahold of and capitalized on became a recurring anthem for the evening.

Much of the Knights' success can be attributed to its pro prospect signal caller who spent the night making explosive plays and exploiting a Penn State defense that got burned by receivers over and over again.

"Anytime you have a quarterback like that with a strong arm, who's big and can stand in the pocket, and he can run, it's a very difficult challenge," coach Bill O'Brien said after the game. "He played a great game tonight. Credit to him. I think he's a heck of a player."

Bortles. who went 20-for-27 on 288 yards, was efficient, but what was most remarkable about his performance was the junior's ability to make the big plays. The Knights drove downfield more than 85 yards for scored on three separate occasions, meanwhile logging more than 15 plays that picked up 10 yards or more.

Much of that can be credited to the Lions defensive line that showed little sign of a pass rush and had trouble responding to Bortles' quick release. On the day, Penn State posted a total of zero sacks and just two tackles for loss.

Penn State fans had some semblance of hope at the end of the fourth quarter. The Lions had rallied on an Allen Robinson touchdown with 2:51 remaining in the game.

Still up by a field goal, Bortles and the offense ran out the clock on several rushes from running back Storm Johnson and a pass completion resulting in a first down. With two seconds left on the clock, Bortles ran backwards and fell to the ground. Game over.

"They hadn't stopped us all night," Bortles said after the game. "The only way they stopped us, was us stopping ourselves. We knew we were fine."

Defensive coordinator John Butler chalked up the poor performance defensively to missed tackles, poor pass rushing and a lack of execution.

"Our lack of pass rush was a combination of we didn't fool them enough coverage-wise, we didn't cover long enough," Butler said, "and obviously we didn't get to the quarterback."

In the secondary, young cornerbacks Lucas and Trevor Williams showed their inexperience after missing several tackles apiece. They were joined by a number of defensive players who showed poor tackling abilities all night while UCF carved out the unit.

It's easy to attribute poor tackling to a lack of live tackling practice. Penn State is operating on a limited amount of scholarship players and don't take each other to the ground during practice in what's called "thud" tackling.

Butler said he understands the assumption that defensemen aren't tackling well in open space because of the lack of live tackling in practice, but said it's just "a decision we have to make."

"Because when you only have 62 scholarship players, you have to do your best to get what you have to the field," Butler said. "You don't want to take it to 57 because you're tackling in practice."

On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State's usual suspects in Robinson and Zach Zwinak provided some hope for the 92,000-plus fans in Beaver Stadium.

Robinson was arguably Penn State's only receiver to create separation between himself and a defender, showing it on a 46-yard reception from quarterback Christian Hackenberg in the third quarter.

The receiver gave Central Florida a taste of its own medicine when he burned one of the team's most talented defenseman Jacoby Glenn, setting up the Nittany Lions for two rushing plays to secure its second touchdown of the day. Robinson would go on to post 143 yards on nine receptions.

Zwinak had an up and down day, posting 128 yards on 21 carries, but a fourth quarter fumble on UCF's 28-yard line sealed the deal for the Knights.

Source: Psu

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Extending Warm Welcome to the AAC Leadership Project scholars of Fall 2013

Fall 2013 brings another wonderful opportunity: we are honored and excited to share how the AAC community at Penn State is continuing to grow with the AAC Leadership Project.

Congratulations to Julia Birmingham, Beth Breakstone, and Jessica Caron. We are so thrilled to have them here and look forward to their contributions as members of the next generation of leaders in AAC.

The Leadership Project is a federally funded training grant in AAC (U.S. Department of Education grant #H325D110008) designed to prepare and support faculty researchers specifically interested in the unique needs of persons with complex communication needs.

Source: Psu

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Scholarship Deadline Approaching: Spring/Summer 2014 Jane Ireland Student Fund

Scholarship Deadline Approaching: Spring/Summer 2014 Jane Ireland Student Fund

Published by Nick Dikas on Thursday, September 5th, 2013 at 1:30 pm
Filed under Financial Aid and Scholarships. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

The deadline for the Jane Ireland Student Fund scholarship is fast approaching! This scholarship is awarded exclusively to undergraduate degree students attending Penn State World Campus for the spring or summer semesters. The deadline to apply is Sunday, September 15, 2013.

The Jane Ireland Student Fund was started by the eponymous Jane Ireland, who was an academic adviser at the World Campus for over 10 years. It is supported by World Campus staff members and students who want to help adult learners meet tuition costs and pursue a Penn State education from a distance.

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

• currently enrolled in a World Campus undergraduate degree program


• have completed a minimum of 9 credits in their World Campus program


• have earned a cumulative 3.0 GPA (or higher)


• have a FAFSA on file with the Office of Student Aid and show financial need

The application requires a form, a personal statement (limited to 500 words), an essay question response (limited to 500 words), and one letter of recommendation from a professional reference such as a supervisor, pastor, or education counselor. With the deadline just over a week away, we encourage you to apply and recommend that you start to put these items together now if you have not done so already.

Please visit the World Campus Scholarships page for details and to apply!

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One Year Later, Students Feel Impact of Nevins Scholarship

Last year, as Penn State was still dealing with some difficult challenges, David Nevins '69 was thinking about what he could do to help move the University forward. He had been weighing a philanthropic gift to the Smeal College of Business, and he knew the time to act had arrived.

"Part of my thought process at the time was 'now more than ever,'" Nevins said. "This was not the time to abandon the University but to step up to the plate."

"It feels good to get a scholarship, to know that someone recognizes all your hard work. ... I've always worked, but with a scholarship I don't have to work as much." -- Jasmine Phelps

And he did. His commitment of $1.1 million is the largest private gift to support scholarships for minority students in the history of the Smeal College. The Nevins Diversity Scholarship Fund will promote the diversity of the Smeal College student body in the future, while the Nevins Trustee Scholarship is already supporting today's students.

Jasmine Phelps of North Brunswick, NJ, a senior majoring in Marketing at Smeal, is one of four Nevins Trustee Scholarship recipients this year, and this will be her second year receiving the award. An active member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and the women's club basketball team, Phelps completed a retail management internship with Nordstrom, Inc., this summer. Phelps is a twin whose brother also attends Penn State, and she appreciates the financial assistance that helps her with the cost of tuition.

"It feels good to get a scholarship, to know that someone recognizes all your hard work," Phelps said. "It helps with so many things academically. I was super honored to get it."

Phelps found ways to get involved from the day she arrived on campus. Because of the scholarship she has felt less pressure to hold down a job during the semester and finds she can devote more time to the activities that have meaning for her. "I've always worked," Phelps said, "but with a scholarship I don't have to work as much."

The opportunity to hone her leadership skills in a student organization meant a lot to Phelps. Last spring she coordinated a fashion show for NABA. It was a time-consuming job, but she felt it was worth it, and the experience helped her secure the internship with Nordstrom.

"Our students should embrace every opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities and gain the experiences that hopefully will mold them into great citizens for our country." -- David Nevins

"The internship was a great experience because of the value on leadership and life skills," Phelps said. "I can use what I learned for the rest of my life."

This pleases Nevins, who wants to encourage smart, motivated students to take advantage of the incredible opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom, that come from being in the Penn State environment.

"These are special years that will become part of who you are," Nevins said. "Our students should embrace every opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities and gain the experiences that hopefully will mold them into great citizens for our country."

Source: Psu

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