Daily Brief

Alumnus Andre Young Presents to AIMS

Andre Young '99, M'05 was our alumni speaker at our Achievement Initiative for Male Success (AIMS) family dinner Sunday, Feb. 15. Young is a leadership and work/life harmony speaker, author and trainer. He is the founder of You Evolving Now with motivational speaking engagements around the country. Young spoke to 30 AIMS brothers about his journey through KU, football, first jobs and starting his own business. He shared his secrets of work/life balance, finding vision, leadership and relationships, both personal and professional. When Young was first starting his business, he worked with Jerry Schearer from 2014-17 to bring Young's M.E.N. and W.O.M.E.N. EVOLVE to campus. These were a series of workshops, forums and discussion groups about developing positive lifestyles, leadership and the precursors to KU's current AIMS and SISTERs programs. Thank you, Andre, for returning to KU to share a full evening of wisdom, vision and motivation with our AIMS brothers.

AIMS

Jerry Schearer, Diversity and Inclusion

International Leadership Association Dialogue Lab 2026

Dr. Patricia Brenner, assistant professor, Counselor Education and Student Affairs, attended the International Leadership Association's Dialogue Lab Jan. 29-31, Tulane University, New Orleans. Brenner was part of the planning team for this unique conference. She led plenary sessions and facilitated a dialogue on the following question, "As leaders shaping digital culture, how can we leverage our platforms to critically examine and educate others on the dual impact - positive and negative - of social media across personal, familial and community spheres?" Dialogue sessions explored current leadership challenges. Conference events also integrated music, food and cultural experiences into plenary sessions, with discussions highlighting how dialogue informs and enhances creative endeavors.

Patricia Ann Brenner, Counselor Education and Student Affairs

Multicultural Center Students Attended Reading NAACP Founder's Day

KU NAACP students, Pen2Paper, Diversity Council student representatives, student leaders and staff from KU's Multicultural Center were honored to attend the Reading NAACP branch's celebration of Founder's Day Thursday, Feb. 12. Students from Reading Area High School, Alvernia University and Albright College were also in attendance with local Reading NAACP branch members, including branch president and KU alumni Wynton Butler. Kutztown is currently the only PASSHE school with an active student NAACP chapter; other sister schools are now looking to follow our example. KU students networked with community leaders, spoke with high school students about college life and learned about NAACP history. We are so proud and impressed by our students, their continuous meaningful engagement with the community and excellence in student leadership.

Angelica Mishra, Multicultural Center

Student Town Hall

President Cavalier and Student Government Board hosted a Town Hall for students Tuesday night, Feb. 17. Join President Cavalier for the Town Hall for faculty and staff 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 183 MSU.

University Relations

Digital Accessibility Training

Ensuring digital accessibility is essential for creating an inclusive and digitally accessible environment. To help you streamline accessibility and improve the quality of digital assets, we're offering a training session on powerful tools within D2L Panorama: AutoPilot and Structural Remediation, 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 200 Stratton or Zoom. These AI-enabled tools are designed to make accessibility remediation easier, faster and more effective.

Troy Vingom, CIO, Information Technology

Governance Committees: Fall 2026 Willingness to Serve

Please use this online form to indicate your willingness to serve on University Governance Committees. Log in using your full KU email address and password. Please indicate your willingness to serve by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24. Engage access questions can be sent to Leah Cassellia at casselli@kutztown.edu. Information about governance committees, including mission statements, bylaws and current memberships can be found at Governance Committee Descriptions. No need to indicate willingness to serve on a committee on which you are already serving for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Gregory Shelley, University Senate Vice President

Women's History Month Keynote Speaker: Molly Jong-Fast

Join us 6 p.m. Monday, March 9, 218 MSU, to welcome our International Women's History Month keynote speaker. Molly Jong-Fast is a New York Times best-selling author, political commentator and cultural critic known for her sharp wit, fearless honesty and unwavering commitment to truth. She is the author of "How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir" and will have a book signing following her keynote address. RSVP via our Women's Center Engage page. This event is sponsored by the Dr. Constance P. Dent and Dr. Ann T. Gundry Distinguished Speaker Series in collaboration with the Kutztown University Women's Center and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program.

Molly Jong-Fast RSVP

Diane Biehl, Women's Center

2026-2027 Early Event Registration

The Events Advisory Council has established the deadline for early consideration for room reservations and activities scheduled for the 2026-2027 academic year as noon Friday, March 13. For more detailed information and guidelines on the process, please visit our webpage. Please consider the following when planning your events for the 2026-2027 academic year:
- All requests must be entered by a faculty or staff member in the EMS Room Reservation System.
- Any early reservation requests for a student organization must be submitted by that organization’s advisor.
- Any events received after noon Friday, March 13, will be handled on a first-come basis after all events submitted within deadline are scheduled.
- All events submitted outside of the 2026-2027 academic year will be handled at the appropriate time according to scheduling policies.
If you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to call ext. 3-4834 or email svoboda@kutztown.edu.

Honey Svoboda, Conference and Event Services

Help Students Get Around With BARTA

We want to make sure students know about the Route 22 - Lyon Station/East Penn-Deka line. It stops in front of the Graduate Center and runs Monday through Friday. Help us spread the word by sharing our Instagram post. Full schedules and pass pricing are on the BARTA website. Students can grab passes directly via the BARTA Go Mobile app. Thank you for your help.

Barta Bus Schedule

Erica Stratton, Student Affairs

Micro-Internship Program

Have you heard about the micro-internship program that the Career Development Center is rolling out on campus? Micro-internships are short-term, paid experiences that give our students project-based work to build their skills and resumes. We would love to chat more with you about any possible projects you might have that could be a micro-internship. Learn more by visiting KU Micro-Internship Program or email careerhelp@kutztown.edu with questions.

Jenelle Henry, Career Development Center

Painting Faculty Solo Exhibit in New York City

Mike Shultis, assistant professor of art, currently has a major solo exhibition in Chelsea, New York, at Morgan Presents Gallery, placing him among leading contemporary artists working today. The exhibition titled “Rome” features eight new paintings and assemblage works that build off Roman historical references as well as famous motifs from across centuries of art historical movements. Everyday materials are layered with paint in a process of simultaneous accumulation and destruction, generating complex, seductive, horrifying and humorous scenarios that serve as a reflection on our present moment in time and history. A solo show of this magnitude demonstrates a significant achievement in the art world and is a point of pride for the painting program and the Department of Art and Design at-large. The exhibition is on view through Wednesday, March 11.

Morgan Presents Mike Shultis: Rome

Michael Covello, Art and Design

Ziad Haddad Named to 2026 Men's Wrestling Hall of Fame Class

Two-time national champion and current Kutztown University assistant coach Ziad Haddad was recently announced as one of seven inductees into the Jim Koch Division II Men's Wrestling Hall of Fame class of 2026 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Haddad established his legacy among KU's greats with back-to-back heavyweight national championships and undefeated seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The induction ceremony is Saturday, Aug. 1, as part of the 2026 NWCA Convention at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Md.

Haddad Named to National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Sports Information