Raymond Monica Named KU Head Football Coach

Raymond Monica has been named Kutztown University’s head football coach, replacing Dave Keeny, whose contract was not renewed following the 2005 season. Monica is the 14th head football coach at Kutztown since 1927. He began his duties at Kutztown on Monday, March 20. "We feel very fortunate to be able to attract a coach of Ray’s talent and experience to Kutztown University," Bamberger said. "He brings to us a tremendous knowledge of the game, combined with a great energy and attitude."

Monica, 39, comes to Kutztown after serving as defensive coordinator at Division I-A Temple University for the past eight seasons, including the last seven as assistant head coach. During his tenure at Temple, he also guided the inside linebackers and defensive line. Prior to Temple, Monica coached for nine seasons at the University of North Alabama, during which time the Lions won three NCAA Division II national championships from 1993-95. "This is a great opportunity, at a great university in a great location," Monica said. "Kutztown is a school with a rich tradition in academics and athletics. I am looking forward to meeting the people in the community and becoming a part of a wonderful family at KU."

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The 17th Annual Decision Makers Forum, held on March 30, 2006, featured General Colin L. Powell (Ret.) USA. The afternoon Sovereign Bank Academic Session was a Q&A format with General Powell for KU students, faculty, staff, and students from regional high schools. Corporate sponsors enjoyed a sumptuous buffet dinner comprised of foods from the countries where KU has international study relationships. General Powell’s evening address, attended by over 2,500 alumni and guests of sponsors, focused on the attributes of effective leadership and on the current status of international relations.

Take a stroll across campus, view alumni artwork, explore new campus buildings, reconnect with old friends, and enjoy the Alumni Day, May 6, 2006. Receptions for class reunion years ’31, ’36, ’41, ’46, ’51, ’61, ’66, ’71,’76 will be held throughout the day. At the Awards Luncheon, we will present 2006 Alumni Awards to the following recipients: Steve E. Howell, Tom Kauffman, William "Chet" Schreiber, J.R. Aguila, Robert Gable, Susan Daigle-Leach, Robert Eckert Jr., and Frederick D. Hafer. Visit our webpage for more details and check out the registration form in the Tower! We hope to see you there!

Honor a special mentor this year with a Wiesenberger Faculty Teaching Award nomination. Any current, full-time faculty member, who demonstrates outstanding teaching qualities, is eligible for this prestigious award. Deadline for submission is May 1, 2006. Please find a nomination form at www.kutztown.edu/alumni/wiesenberger/awards (scroll to the bottom of the page).

You may have glimpsed the farm from Rt. 222 or noticed signs on Main Street announcing upcoming events, but if you have never visited the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, you are missing one of Kutztown University’s best kept secrets. Located on 30 acres, adjacent to the northwest side of campus, the Heritage Center is composed of several restored buildings, typical of the Pennsylvania German culture, including a 19th century stone farmhouse, a barn, outbuildings, a log cabin, and a one-room schoolhouse.

Visitors to the Heritage Center can explore the structures; view the museum collection of over 10,000 Pennsylvania German artifacts; or research family genealogy in the Center’s library. The library houses 18th and 19th century immigration records and the entire series of Germans to America, 1840-1897. There are also church and cemetery records, family and county histories, will abstracts, land records, war records and hundreds of books about the PA German dialect, history, and folklore. Researchers are welcome during regularly scheduled hours or by appointment. Please call (610) 683-1589 for the genealogist’s availability.

Families and individuals interested in the PA German way of life are also welcome to the Heritage Center for year-round events and workshops, including children’s programs, dialect classes, home-craft demonstrations, Plow Boys shows, and the Harvest Fescht in October. Visit the Center’s website today for more information about the many services, programs, and events this Kutztown jewel has to offer. The next time you visit campus to stroll memory lane, step back in time a little further and discover your ancestors at the Pennsylvania German Culture Heritage Center.

In March, alumnus Joe Novak ’77 hosted a dinner event for KU alumni in his area. The location – downtown Kansas City! Believe it or not, there are over 40 alumni, who reside in the Kansas City area. Novak, pictured at left with Maria (Castro) Anderson ‘76, Paul Anderson, Susan (Eaton) Kupfer ’66, and Rick Kupfer, contacted the Alumni Office in December about hosting a KU reunion for his area. "I was surprised to find out that so many KU graduates live around Kansas City," says Novak, "so, maybe next time we’ll get a bigger turnout." The group of KU graduates who met in March had a wonderful time sharing stories and yearbooks. They are planning to meet again in the fall.

If you would like to host a KU alumni event in your area, please email our office at alumni@kutztown.edu or call (610) 683-4110. We will be happy to design and mail invitations, collect responses, arrange reservations and menus, and send KU apparel. All you need to do is suggest a date, a restaurant, and then welcome alumni to the dinner.

KU will host the Boy Scout Jamboree May 19-21. Over 6000 scouts of all ages will transform the campus into an exciting base camp of scouting activities. This joint production of Minsi Trails and Hawk Mountain Scout Councils represents a first for KU and the scout councils.

Volunteers are desperately needed to help with the events to ensure a positive experience for all the scouts. Alumni are asked to help for a four hour block of time. Event setup is needed May 16-19. We also need help during the event, as well as for cleanup on May 21. Any interested alums are encouraged to contact the Community Outreach Center at 610-683-4022 or email volunteer@kutztown.edu for more information.

Women’s Indoor Track & Field Highlights Winter Sports Season
Kutztown University’s Women’s Indoor Track & Field team won its third-straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Championship to highlight the Golden Bears’ winter sports season. The title is the 17th conference crown in the career of head coach Brian Mondschein, who was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association East Region Coach of the Year. The Golden Bears won just four individual events, but the balanced squad had place winners in 16 of the championships’ 18 events. Renee Marchand set a school record in placing first in the pentathlon, scoring 3,396 points. Laura Kline won the 400. Alison Maurer finished first in the 20-lb. weight throw. The 4x800 relay team of Chelsea Thomas, Desiree Bower, Talia McKinney and Cheryl Dingman took the PSAC title.

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College of Education - The 8th annual Kutztown University Children’s Literature Conference will be Friday, April 28th and Saturday, April 29th on campus. Registration begins at 4 pm on Friday and the conference ends by 5 pm on Saturday. This year’s conference features keynote addresses by featured authors plus breakout sessions on new books, classroom strategies and much, much more! The conference does qualify for Act 48 credits. Cost is $60 for the full conference, $20 for Friday night and $50 for Saturday only. For registration and more information on the conference please click on this link: www.kutztown.edu/acad/coe/eled/child-lit-conference06.html

The College of Education and the Alumni Association also welcome registrants to the Alumni Reception, which is being held in the Graduate Center on Friday, April 28 from 4-5:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 29 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Please stop by for some food, fun and networking!

History Department Rocks at History Day 2006!
On Thursday, April 6, the history department hosted the 3rd annual History Day, an event which celebrates student and faculty achievements within the department. With over 300 student majors, the history program is one of the fastest growing at Kutztown. The department recognized 27 of those outstanding students on Thursday when they were inducted into the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Following the Phi Alpha Theta ceremony, students, faculty, parents, alumni and guests gathered in the SUB Multipurpose Room where the History Day activities continued. The faculty band, Class Act, which includes history professors Phil Rutherford (lead singer) and Maria Sanelli (bass), performed while the audience munched on snacks and perused student organization displays. Department Chair Michael Gabriel and History Club advisor Dr. Andrew Arnold started the program with memorials to Judy Groff and former department chair Dr. Sanelli. Student history awards and scholarship were announced, and this year’s History Club Teaching Award was presented to Professor Phil Rutherford. The history department’s thoughts and prayers were also extended to Dr. Michael Gambone, who is serving in Iraq this semester.

The results are in! Even in retirement, Professor Patrick Duddy continues to be honored for his excellence in teaching. For those who remember Duddy from class or as the first Wiesenberger Faculty Award recipient (1994), such encomium from alumni comes as no surprise. We recently caught up with professor Duddy to find out what he has been up to since retiring in 2001 after 33 years of teaching biology at KU.

"I’ve been reading and biking. We go camping up at the Poconos often. And, I like to spend time with my two grandchildren [daughter Maureen’s children]." Professor Duddy has also attended several car shows recently with son, Robert, a specialty car enthusiast. Although he has had the opportunity to travel throughout the East Coast, Professor Duddy still hopes to visit the Grand Canyon and other points west of the Mississippi. His roots, however, remain close to Kutztown, where he made such a remarkable impression on his students and colleagues. "It feels really great to be remembered by former students." Duddy says. "When you’re teaching, you never realize the lasting impact you might be having."

If you have special memories about Professor Duddy, please send them via email to alumni@kutztown.edu and we will forward them to his home.

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Win a Kutztown Alumni Assn. T-shirt!
Trivia Answers: Nobody answered correctly in January, so we’ll try these questions again.

This Issues Trivia - Remember you must be the first to answer all three questions correctly!!

	How many full and part-time students are currently enrolled at Kutztown University (Fall 2005)?
	Who was the first president of Kutztown University/Kutztown State Normal School?
	What famous rock band canceled their performance at KU in the 1974-5 school year due to the lead singer developing polyps in his throat?

Email your answers to alumni@kutztown.edu.