Daily Brief

KU Graduate Assistants Lead No-Cost Canva Branding Workshop for Small Businesses

The Kutztown University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will host "Canva for Business: Build Your Brand System," a free virtual workshop, 5-6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22. Led by KU graduate assistants Mau Haines, Charlie Haskins and Cade Herndon, the workshop highlights how SBDC students apply their skills through experiential learning while creating valuable educational resources for entrepreneurs and the broader community. Participants will learn practical Canva skills for building a consistent brand, including brand kits, colors, typography, reusable templates, social media graphics and marketing materials. The session will also explore Canva Design School and tools that can make content creation more efficient and professional. While designed with entrepreneurs and small-business owners in mind, the workshop is open to the university community. KU students, faculty and staff interested in strengthening their Canva, branding, marketing or digital communication skills are encouraged to attend. The workshop is virtual and available at no cost.

KU Small Business Development Center

Rachael Wolfe, KU Small Business Development Center

Ignite Kutztown 2026

Join us for a fun evening of engaging presentations at Ignite Kutztown. See faculty, students, alumni and community members speak about a variety of topics 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, 135 Rickenbach.

Emily Cripe, Communication Studies

Greenwood, McGeehan Win Chambliss Research Awards

Dr. Joleen Greenwood, professor, Society, History, and Culture, and Dr. Catherine McGeehan, professor, Elementary, Middle Level, Library and Technologies Education, have been awarded Kutztown University's 2026 Chambliss Faculty Research Awards for their extraordinary research and scholarship endeavors. The awards were presented during the university's Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration Friday, Aug. 21. The Chambliss Faculty Research Award, inaugurated in 2004 through a gift from Dr. Carlson R. Chambliss, professor emeriti of physical science, is meant to recognize the very highest achievement in research and scholarship and can be awarded only once within a person's career.

Greenwood and McGeehan Chambliss Faculty Research Award Winners

University Relations

Doc Jones Steps Away as KU Rugby Head Coach, Jeff Duke Steps Into Role

Kutztown University announced leadership changes for men's rugby as longtime head coach Dr. Gregg A. Jones, also known as “Doc,” will step away from the role and associate coach Jeff Duke will take over the reins of the program. Jones has presided over the Golden Bears for the last four decades, transforming the program into a blue blood of college rugby, particularly in 7s. Following a third-place finish at last weekend's national tournament, Kutztown has reached nine quarterfinals, eight final fours and four finals in 12 all-time CRC National 7s appearances, all under Jones' leadership. “My 40-year coaching tenure at KU has been the most rewarding and enjoyable chapter of my life,” Jones said. "I can’t begin to thank all of the people who I have met along the way and those who have made this journey possible. To all the young men that I had the privilege to coach, always remember, the secret to success is to go to work every day.”

Men's Rugby Coaching Change

C.J. Hemerly, Athletic Communications

EAB Workshop: Reengaging Adult Learners

The Adult Degree Completion Task Force invites you to join them 2-3:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, 250 MSU, 317 Stratton or Zoom, for an important conversation about today’s adult learners, what motivates them to return to college and how KU can better support them through degree completion. All EAB Task Force members should plan to attend at 250 MSU.

Melissa Lincoln, Vice Provost Office

AFSCME Membership Meeting

AFSCME 2234 members: our next meeting is 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, 203 AF. Please plan to join us and bring along any concerns that you may have. Light refreshments will be provided.

Denise Bucks, Financial Aid Services, AFSCME Secretary

University Curriculum Committee

The University Curriculum Committee will meet 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, on Zoom. The meeting agenda and link is on the UCC Document Submissions SharePoint page.

Brian Meares, University Curriculum Committee

Early Alert Progress Survey Available

The Fall 2026 Early Alert Progress Survey is available for faculty in Starfish until Thursday, Sept. 24. Faculty are encouraged to use the survey to send kudos to students as words of encouragement, to acknowledge good work and to reinforce student success early in the semester. Faculty can also raise flags of concern for attendance issues, missing/late or low-scoring assignments or submit a fully customized academic concern flag. Every kudos and flag template has the option to add custom content; two options are completely customizable. All message templates can be viewed in Starfish D2L. For additional assistance, please visit Starfish in D2L, email starfish@kutztown.edu, call 610-683-4106 or attend a Starfish Express Workshop, 3-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22 and Tuesday, Sept. 29, and 11-11:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, via Zoom.

Center for Student Success and Academic Excellence

CEL Workshop: Free Pizza and Peer (Feedback)

Please join us 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, 6 Rohrbach Library, for "Increasing the Quality of Peer Feedback," presented by Dr. Leslie Gates, Director of the Center for Academic Excellence and Professor of Art Education at Millersville University. Feedback is essential to student learning, but getting students to give and receive high-quality peer feedback can be challenging. How can we create classroom cultures that encourage honest, specific and helpful feedback? This session provides practical strategies for improving the quality of peer feedback in your courses and helping students develop skills they can use in the classroom and beyond. The workshop starts at 11 a.m., when Gates will share practical approaches and strategies for strengthening peer feedback in your courses. Stay for the discussion group from noon to 12:50 p.m. with Gates and colleagues about challenges, ideas and questions related to peer feedback. To help us get an accurate headcount, please complete the online registration form and indicate whether you plan to attend the workshop, discussion group or both sessions. Pizza will be provided for everyone who attends.

Center for Engaged Learning