Daily Brief

Monthly Spanish Language Entrepreneurship Workshop Hosted by Kutztown SBDC

The Kutztown University Small Business Development Center (KUSBDC) will host a virtual Spanish language workshop “Primeros Pasos para Planificar y Financiar su Negocio,” noon to 1 p.m. Monday, March 9, via Zoom. The workshop will be facilitated entirely in Spanish by Lorena Bravo, bilingual business consultant at the Kutztown SBDC, and is part of an ongoing monthly series held on the second Monday of each month. This free workshop is designed for Spanish-speaking individuals who may have a business idea but are unsure where to begin or want to better understand how financing works in the United States. During the session, participants will learn what a business plan is and how to begin developing one, how to better understand English terms commonly used in business and finance, what lenders look for when evaluating financing requests and what regional resources are available to support entrepreneurs. Participants do not need to have an established business to attend. The workshop provides a welcoming environment where attendees can ask questions, share experiences and gain practical tools to help move their business ideas forward. The Kutztown Small Business Development Center provides no-cost, confidential consulting and educational programming to entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout the region. Registration and additional information about upcoming workshops can be found at KUSBDC Events.

Register for Zoom

Rachael Wolfe, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center

Dissertation Defense for Kaitlyn Herling

Please join the College of Education 1 p.m. Monday, March 23, 245 Beekey, for a public dissertation defense by Kaitlyn Herling, "No hablo español, But My Students Do: A Self-Study to Understanding How Teacher Positionality and Experiences Manifest in Pedagogy and Praxis." The dissertation chair is Dr. Amber Pabon and the committee members are Dr. Christopher Weiler and Dr. George Sirrakos.

Catherine McGeehan, College of Education, EDD Program

Chambliss Faculty Research Lecture Featuring Dr. Gregory Kaufinger

Dr. Gregory Kaufinger, professor of accounting, will present Kutztown University’s Spring 2026 Chambliss Research Lecture titled, “Sparks that Start Fires: How Everyday Curiosity Ignites Academic Breakthroughs,” 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, 183 MSU, Alumni Auditorium, and via Zoom. The presentation will explore Kaufinger's scholarly journey, focusing on how a simple question about an unused gift card uncovers earnings management practices and evolves into research offering practical lessons for transparency, governance and better business decisions. All are welcome to attend.

Office of the Provost

Mark Ford Solo Marimba

Mark Ford is a marimba artist and the coordinator of Percussion at The University of North Texas (UNT) College of Music in Denton, Texas, and will perform 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at KU's Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research. As a past president of the Percussive Arts Society and the coordinator of one of the largest percussion programs in the world at UNT, Ford is an active performer and composer. He has been featured as a marimba soloist throughout the United States at universities, festivals and music conferences. He has performed internationally throughout Europe as well as in Japan, China, Taiwan, Australia and South America. In addition to his duties at UNT, Ford is also the artistic director for the bi-annual Drum Fest Marimba/Vibraphone Competition in Opole, Poland.

Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research

Andrew Veit, Music

Guest Artist Performs "Simply Sonatas"

Join the Department of Music for a concert featuring saxophonist, Jason T. Laczkoski, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, Schaeffer Auditorium. An experienced performer, conductor and educator, Laczkoski performed across the U.S. at prestigious events like the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference and the International Navy Saxophone Symposium. The event is free and open to all.

Music Instagram

Maya Strava Kokkinou, Music

Miller-Keystone Blood Drive

Miller-Keystone Blood Center will be at the Student Recreation Center Wednesday, March 11. Register online and make a life-saving contribution. Every donation matters.

Amanda Garcia, Community Outreach Center

Department of Social Work Presents 22nd Annual Community Forum

The Department of Social Work will hold its annual Community Forum 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 27, Schaffer Auditorium. This year’s theme is “Bridging Knowledge and Practice: Social Work Strategies for Housing Stability” and will include speakers from New Bethany, Reading High School, Lebanon VA Medical Center, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and others. This event intends to bring knowledge about housing problems and potential solutions within Berks, Lehigh and surrounding counties. It is a great opportunity for professional networking. Admission is free with a total of six continuing education credits available, including three in ethics. Interested individuals can fill out the Community Forum registration. Additional information, including the agenda, will be added to the Kutztown Department of Social Work Events Page as it becomes available. We hope to see you there.

Christopher Harris, Social Work

Speculative Fiction Examples of Neurodiversity Talk

Drawing on pop culture, critical autism studies and personal experience, Tara McMullin, autistic writer and critic, makes the case that speculative fiction offers a window into not-so-alien minds, inviting audiences not only to connect with neurodivergent-coded characters but also to navigate the world through their perspective. During her presentation on “Expanding Empathic Bandwidth: Speculative Fiction and the Double Empathy Problem,” at 11:30 a.m. Monday, March 30, 218A MSU, McMullin asks how can we imagine minds that work differently from our own? Contrary to popular belief, neurodivergent people do this every day by navigating a social world that is constructed on neurotypical scripts and assumptions and taking on the burden of bridging the gap between themselves and others. Neurotypical people, by contrast, often simply lack the access to neurodivergent interiority that would make doing more of that work possible. Speculative fiction, and any authentic representation of neurodivergence on the page or screen, becomes essential to expanding our empathic bandwidth. Bring your lunch, enjoy a talk and expand your bandwidth. Sponsored by the Title III Grant.

Title III Grant Upcoming Events

Becki Fogerty, Academic Affairs

ACUE's Fostering a Culture of Belonging Course

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) have partnered to bring faculty and staff high-quality and research-backed professional learning courses. Through an engaging learning design and guided by expert facilitation, course takers will learn practices that can be implemented with students right away. These evidence-based practices have been shown to increase student retention, strengthen belonging and achievement and close equity gaps. ACUE's summer course "Fostering a Culture of Belonging," will examine the following modules: Managing the Impact of Biases; Reducing Microaggressions; Addressing Imposter Phenomenon and Stereotype Threat; Cultivating an Inclusive Environment. Summer 2026 registration is open until Friday, May 29. The course runs Monday, June 15 to Sunday, Aug. 16. All ACUE courses are asynchronous.

Jerry Schearer, Chief Diversity Officer, Diversity and Inclusion

Announcing BIOL140 8-Week Late Start for Spring 2026

Faculty: please share with your students and advisees that the Department of Biology is offering an online asynchronous 8-week section of BIOL140: Biology and Society that starts Monday, March 23. Please note this course is for Spring 2026 and registration is open. There are no prerequisites for the course, but it is recommended that students have some familiarity with basic biology. BIOL 140 meets the C1 and C3 Scientific Inquiry general education requirements. If you have questions, please contact Dr. R. Conrow at conrow@kutztown.edu.

Gregory Setliff, Biology

FYSM 100 Professional Development (Spring-Summer 2026)

First-Year Seminar 100 faculty can apply for a paid professional development opportunity designed to get students more engaged in FYSM 100 classes. Applications will be accepted until Friday, March 27. Apply online.

Tony Bleach, English, First-Year Seminar Faculty Fellow

Funded Professional Learning Opportunity

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) offer a powerful teaching approach that can make students' educational experiences more meaningful, engaging and effective. Applicable at any course level and across all fields, CUREs integrate faculty scholarship and creative work into the classroom while aligning with program goals and workforce outcomes. Developing a CURE requires an investment in time and presents unique challenges, but at Kutztown University, faculty who use CUREs report that the format is highly rewarding, as it motivates and deeply engages students. To help faculty develop new CUREs, the Center for Engaged Learning (CEL), supported by the Title III Grant, is offering a special Faculty Development Course Design Institute. The program supports faculty interested in learning about and designing a CURE for one of their courses. Apply for the CURE Course Design Institute 2026 by Friday, March 27. Contact the cel@kutztown.edu for more information.

Center for Engaged Learning

CEL Tarot of Teaching, Part 7: Concept Mapping

The latest Tarot of Teaching post explores concept mapping as a powerful, low-tech strategy for helping students connect ideas, organize knowledge and deepen understanding. Grounded in cognitive science, concept mapping supports elaboration, integration with prior knowledge and long-term retention. Whether used for a single class session or across an entire semester, this adaptable technique promotes individual meaning-making while strengthening classroom community. Explore how a blank sheet of paper can transform how students see, structure and grow their learning. Be sure to catch up on all our previous articles in the CEL Online Journal.

Center for Engaged Learning

Women's Basketball's Smelas, Ellzy Garner Recognition on All-PSAC East Teams

Kutztown University women's basketball senior center Olivia Smelas was voted to the All-PSAC East First Team, while classmate and senior guard Danae Ellzy earned All-PSAC East Second Team honors. It is the second All-PSAC recognition for Smelas, who was tabbed to the Second Team her sophomore campaign, and it's the first postseason accolade for Ellzy.

Women's Basketball All-PSAC Team

Sports Information