Daily Brief

Klotz Named 2025 Employee of the Year

Congratulations to Heather Klotz, budget manager, Business Office, on being named the 2025 Kutztown University Employee of the Year. Klotz was named the Employee of the Year during KU's Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration Friday, Aug. 22. Klotz, Employee of the Month for May 2025, was 1-of-12 finalists for the annual award. Klotz has been with the university since 2022.

Klotz named Employee of the Year

University Relations

Test of KU Alert System

There will be a test of the Kutztown University emergency alert systems at 10:50 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 4. You will receive test messages through the Omnilert text message, email and Simplex mass notification systems, including campus loudspeakers. Messages will also be seen on the university website, social media and on select campus televisions. Thank you for your patience as we complete this required test. Faculty and staff must opt-in to receive messages. If you already have an account, now is the time to review it to make sure your account is up-to-date and validated. Please take note of the expiration date that is seen after you log in. To create or review your account, use your KU single sign-on credentials online.

University Relations

KU Art Faculty Exhibition

The Marlin and Regina Miller Gallery's first exhibition of the fall semester is the 2025 Faculty Biennial, featuring artwork by faculty teaching in KU's College of Visual and Performing Arts. All gallery events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday; 12-4 p.m. Saturday; and 2-4 p.m. Sunday. The Miller Gallery is located off the lobby of the fountain side entrance of Sharadin.

The Marlin and Regina Miller Gallery

Karen Stanford, Visual and Performing Arts

Faculty and Staff Pickleball League

Recreational Services is offering a faculty and staff pickleball league. Eleven teams participated in the spring and we look forward to even more teams joining this semester. For more information about the league or to register a team, please email Matt Barrett at barrett@kutztown.edu. Registration ends Friday, Sept. 5.

Matt Barrett, Recreational Services

Pride Night at the Reading Fightin' Phils Baseball Game

Kutztown University and KU's LGBTQ+ Resource Center is a sponsor for the 12th Annual LGBTQ+ Night, 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, FirstEnergy Stadium, Reading. The Reading Fightin' Phils play the Somerset Patriots. Pick up free tickets at Boxwood House or at the MSU Info Desk. You may get tickets for yourself, family and any friends. Show your KU spirit by wearing KU gear. Need a ride to FirstEnergy Stadium? You must RSVP to “event” on our Engage page for the free bus. We will have one bus with a maximum capacity of 48 students. Bus returns to MSU parking lot approximately 10:30 p.m., after the game.

LGBTQ+ Resource Center

Diane Biehl, LGBTQ+ Resource Center

Form on the Wheel: Eight-Week Pottery Throwing Workshop

Wheel throwing is an ancient art form with a diverse history utilized to make functional and sculptural ceramics. In this workshop, you will learn the fundamentals of wheel throwing to create objects such as mugs, jars, bowls, plates and more. Shape vessels that let your personality and identity shine with instruction from KU alumna and artist in residence Kathryn Powell, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 24 to Nov. 12, 108 Sharadin. To reserve your spot or find out more, contact kuclayclub@gmail.com. Space is limited.

gwendolyn yoppolo, Art and Design

Employee of the Month

Do you have a co-worker in your department or in any other department on campus that has gone above and beyond to support KU’s mission? Acknowledge them by submitting an Employee of the Month nomination. Let us know about the amazing work everyone is doing at KU.

Nomination Form

Elisabeth Manwiller, Human Resources

Handshake Video for KU Faculty/Staff

If you're curious how Kutztown University students are finding internships, full-time jobs and networking opportunities, check out our Handshake overview video created specifically for KU. Handshake is KU's primary online resource for connecting students and alumni with employers. With more than 750,000 employers on the platform, including Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and local organizations, Handshake is the No. 1 place where college talent begins their careers. Please encourage your students to take advantage of this valuable resource, which is available to all KU students. As always, the Career Development Center team is here to answer any questions. Don't hesitate to email or call us.

Handshake YouTube Video

Chad Ganley, Career Development Center

Addressing Mail and Packages Correctly

Please do not put "Kutztown University" or a P.O. Box Number in the mailing address. If you address mail or packages incorrectly, they could be returned to the sender. You will receive everything faster if you include your Full Name, Department Name and Room Number. If you oversee ordering for a person in a different department, please make sure to put the person’s Full Name, Department Name and Room Number who is receiving the package. If you are looking for a package, please send the tracking number to mailservices@kutztown.edu.
(EXAMPLE)
Full Name – Room Number
Department Name
425 Baldy Road
Kutztown, PA 19530

Louis Richuitti, Storeroom

Faculty Awarded Tenure, Promotions for Fall 2025

The Office of the President is pleased to announce the following faculty were awarded tenure and/or promotion effective fall semester 2025:
Faculty Awarded Tenure
- Heather LaBarre, Social Work
Faculty Awarded Promotion
Instructor to Assistant Professor
- Donna DeMarco, Computer Science and Information Technology
- Shelby Hoppis, Sports Medicine
Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
- Heather LaBarre, Social Work
- Mary Weller, Social Work
Associate Professor to Professor
- Diana Elliott, Counselor Education and Student Affairs
- Kaoutar El Mounadi, Biological Sciences
- Joseph Harasta, Communication Studies
- Ko-Hsin Hsu, Criminal Justice
- Feisal Murshed, Business Administration
- Khori Newlander, Anthropology and Sociology
- Gregory Shelley, Psychology
- Myung Soon Song, Mathematics
- Holly Tienken, Art and Design

Anne Imschweiler, Provost Office

Updates to Student Support Initiatives

Beginning Fall 2025, Kutztown University will launch two restructured student support initiatives to better align names with purpose and improve clarity across campus. The team formally known as the KU Behavioral Intervention Team (KUBIT) will transition to the Kutztown University KARE Team, an acronym reflecting a Kindhearted and knowledgeable, Action-oriented approach to Review and respond to Elevated student concerns. This change represents a shift toward a more comprehensive, proactive and personalized intervention, centered on early response, cross-campus collaboration and holistic support. The KARE Team now addresses a broader scope of student needs, including behavioral, academic, emotional and personal concerns. Referrals will continue to be made through the Student of Concern Referral Form. Additionally, the team formally known as the KU Care Team has evolved to the Student Financial Emergency Support and Resource Team, clearly reflecting its role in assisting students experiencing unexpected financial hardship. Students can submit requests using the Emergency Funding Request Form.

Kelly Hojnacki, Office of Student Assistance/Dean of Students Office

Fall 2025 Attendance Verification

Attendance Verification, required federally for awarding financial aid Policy ACA-090, is available until 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10. Faculty should indicate whether students have attended or never attended by utilizing one of two flags. Please be sure to verify attendance status for every student. Students who have just added a course, but a meeting has not yet occurred since that change, should be marked as attending. For additional assistance, please visit Starfish in D2L, email starfish@kutztown.edu, call 610-683-4106 or attend a Starfish Express Workshop. Workshops will be held in September, 3-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, and 11-11:30 a.m. Thursdays, via Zoom.

Nancy Brynildsen, Student Success and Academic Excellence

Free Walk-in Math Tutoring

The Department of Mathematics offers free walk-in peer tutoring for students in mathematics classes from MATH 17 through and including the Calculus sequence. Please encourage your students to take advantage of this valuable resource. Tutors are available 2-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 207 Lytle.

Mathematics Tutoring Resources

Brian Kronenthal, Mathematics

Tutoring Services

Tutoring Services offers a comprehensive program to support students in their academic careers while assisting them in developing the skills to become successful lifelong learners. Tutors are available for most 100 and 200-level courses and some upper-level courses. Academic Peer Mentors (APM) are available to all students. Students can sign up for tutoring in Starfish using the tutor link next to their course, or by using the "I Need Help" button if tutoring is not listed for the class. APM appointments can be scheduled in Starfish under the APM box in "My Services." Tutoring Services is located at 26 Rohrbach Library. For additional information or questions, contact Tutoring Services at 610-683-4207, tutor@kutztown.edu or visit the Tutoring Services website.

Tutoring Services

Adam Troxel, Tutoring Services

New CEL Journal Post

Welcome back! For our first journal article of the 2025-26 academic year, CEL Faculty Director Erin Kraal shares selections from her summer reading list. First up: A Pedagogy of Kindness by Catherine Denial. This book is a good pick for faculty who:

- are feeling burned out;
- are new or early in their careers;
- enjoy personal stories;
- are finding students unmotivated, disengaged or disinterested;
- want practical tips across a wide range of topics and approaches;
- dislike dense pedagogy “research” books;
- prefer shorter reads.

The book strikes a balance between practical advice and Denial's personal narrative as she takes us through her journey toward a pedagogy of kindness, sharing powerful moments of her own “unkindness” that illuminate her growth.

Summer Reading: A Pedagogy of Kindness

Center for Engaged Learning

Free Tickets for KU Football vs. Assumption

Faculty and staff get four free tickets to the KU football home opener vs. Assumption, 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, Andre Reed Stadium. Free tickets are only available online, so make sure you have your ticketing account set up. Check out our FAQ page for more information.

Tickets

KU Box Office