KU PRESIDENT’S UPDATE
F. Javier Cevallos
April 2011

Dear Kutztown University Community,

We have reached the point of my final update for the academic year.  It is hard to believe we are nearing spring commencement.  Time moves so quickly.  I have a few items I want to share with you before we break for the summer. 

THANK YOU ALL!

Over the last few months I have been focusing on and explaining to you what keeps me up at night – our financial crisis.  Today, I would like to focus on the other side of the coin – what makes me get up in the morning. 

First and foremost, it is our students.  I am proud of the way they have responded to the budget issues we face.  And I am even prouder of their many achievements in undergraduate research, athletics, community service, service learning, and the list goes on… 

Then there is our dedicated faculty, who continue to put teaching and students at the top of their list.  And our loyal staff, who work in so many ways to make the overall academic experience positive for faculty and students.  Thank you all, you make this institution the special place it is – an institution that provides local access to national academic excellence.

It is reasonable to wonder what will happen with the budget.  As a university, we have dealt with many difficult situations, and we will deal with this one as well.  Our first priority will be to ensure the academic continuity of our programs.  I have been saying we will protect the classrooms first: It is a simple way of expressing our priority, the academic success of our students.  

I want to encourage you to check your email over the summer and visit our budget website often: www.kutztown.edu/budget.  We will use these outlets to post all budget-related information as it becomes available.
  
In the meantime, we will do what is necessary to keep Kutztown University a regional center of excellence providing opportunities for advanced academic, cultural, and public service experiences.

EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE

Several KU students have recently garnered some outstanding academic honors.
  
The 10 recipients of our annual Chambliss Academic Achievement awards, presented to students who were nominated by faculty and staff for outstanding achievement in various areas, are as follows: Gold medal winners Helen Malenda and Alison Koser; Silver award winners Melissa McQuade, Christina Yesenofski and Matthias Needle; and Copper award winners Irelyn Akers, Jeffery Hartman, Luna McMahon, Christina Taylor, Josh Dannin and Jesse Horning. 
               
Alison Koser became the first KU student ever to win the Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence Scholarship.  The award, named in honor of one of the charter members of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Board of Governors, was created to inspire and honor PASSHE students who excel in the pursuit of knowledge.  Alison is a senior mathematics and physics major from Ephrata, Pa.
 
Junior Elaina Cengeri received the Clarence Schock Foundation Fellowship Award.  An elementary education major from Kutztown, Pa., Elaina will receive full tuition for her senior year.

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL PRIDE

Congratulations to Dr. Marilyn Stewart, professor of art education and crafts, for being recognized as the 2011 Art Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Association (NAEA). This is the most prestigious award offered by the NAEA, recognizing exemplary contributions, service and achievements of one outstanding NAEA member annually. 

I also want to commend our team of undergraduate students and faculty who presented at the PASSHE Board of Governors meeting about research at KU.  They made an outstanding impression, serving as perfect examples of our academic excellence.

MYKU/PEOPLESOFT UPDATE

There has been much feedback and discussion regarding the implementation of MyKU/ PeopleSoft this academic year.  Although we have faced some challenges, we feel the benefits in the months ahead will make this a worthwhile investment.  We will continue to designate the necessary resources over the summer to ensure the smooth operation of MyKU/PeopleSoft in the year ahead.  In the meantime, any questions or concerns can be directed to Lynold McGhee (mcghee@kutztown.edu) or Ann Riley (ariley@kutztown.edu).

KU COMMENCEMENT TO BE STREAMED WORLDWIDE

Our annual spring commencement ceremonies are only a few weeks away, and we are expecting our usual large and enthusiastic turnout of graduates and their families.  In recent years, we have had several inquiries about the ability to view the ceremonies online.  This has been a regular request from family members who have not able to attend in person for various reasons.  We are planning to stream the video of this year’s May 7 ceremonies via the KU website.  We will provide more information before commencement as we attempt to work out all logistical and technical issues.  It is our hope that those who cannot make it to campus will be able to tune in from any location worldwide.

BOWLING OVER THE COMPETITION

Another great year of intercollegiate athletics will be coming to a close in the weeks ahead.  I want to congratulate our women’s bowling team, which was one of eight teams in the nation to advance to the NCAA Championships in Michigan last week.  Our team advanced to the second day of competition, losing to defending champion Fairleigh Dickinson in the opener. KU then won over Central Missouri before being eliminated by Maryland Eastern Shore, which went on to win the national title.  The Golden Bears finished with 100 wins, becoming only the second NCAA team to finish with a triple-digit win total.

I also want to extend additional congratulations to Melissa McQuade of the women’s basketball team.  In addition to being the team’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Melissa was a Silver Medal Academic Achievement Award winner (see above), was named to the PSAC Academic Winter Top 10 squad, and was chosen to the Capital One Academic All-America second team and All-District II College Division first team.
               
Thank you all for your contributions to another great year at KU.  To our seniors, thank you for all your hard work and contributions to the university.  We appreciate everything you have done and wish you the best as you begin the next phase of your lives.  Remember you are always welcome here on campus.

I wish everyone a safe, happy and productive summer.

Sincerely,

F. Javier Cevallos
President