H&SS Ambassador Program a Win-Win
Who better to relate to prospective students than current students who are just a step or two ahead of them? That’s the idea behind the H&SS Ambassadors program, in which standout students in each of the disciplines in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences serve as representatives for the school.
“Administrators and faculty members have long recognized that our students are superb representatives for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences,” said Dr. Craig Warren, professor of English, who oversees the ambassador program along with Breanna McClain, administrative support assistant in H&SS.
Ambassadors are required to take a one-credit course in which they train to represent the school, learning about the nuances of each major. Once they complete the course, participants are eligible to take on more ambassador responsibilities and earn a stipend.
This past year, twenty H&SS Ambassadors helped at a variety of admissions and school events including Preview Day, Open House, Blue and White Days, the Career and Internship Fairs, Cultural Fairs, and the Kochel Karnival.
Musicals a Hit!
Penn State Behrend Theatre, led by Dr. Emily Cassano, assistant teaching professor of music, theatre, and visual arts, produced two sold-out musicals this past academic year – Cabaret in the fall, and Legally Blonde: The Musical this spring. Both shows received tremendous reviews from those who attended. Follow the theatre at facebook.com/PSBTheatre.
The Music Man Takes a Bow
After twenty-five years at Penn State Behrend, Dr. Gary Viebranz, professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles, retired this summer. He joined Behrend in July 1999 and made a tremendous impact on music education at the college, not just for those students who were interested in pursuing music as a career but for any student who simply enjoyed it.
“The point of music education is to spawn creative thinking and to make something abstract into something you can hear and feel,” Viebranz said. “Also, it can serve a lot of purposes in a person’s life. It can be a way to escape or grieve or relax or find joy or relieve stress.”
Viebranz said he knew early on that he wanted to be a music teacher. He got his first instrument—a paper-headed drum set—for his fourth birthday. By six years old, he was playing the trumpet. Today, he can play tuba, baritone, trombone, and bass guitar. In retirement, he will likely pick up a few more instruments.
Before he left the college, Behrend Blog sat down with Viebranz for a Q&A about music, his career, and his plans after Behrend. Read the full interview at behrendblog.com.
Faculty & Staff News
Arrivals and Departures
The school welcomed three new faculty members: Dr. Megan LaMotte, assistant research professor and associate director of research and evaluation; Tess Jones, assistant teaching professor of music; and Dr. Tiffany Petricini, associate teaching professor of communication.
Jasper Sachsenmeier, English composition, accepted a position outside the University.
In turn, six faculty members retired after decades of dedicated service: Dr. Dawn Blasko, associate professor of psychology, Anne Campbell, lecturer in speech communication, Dr. John Champagne, professor of English, Dr. Steven Hicks, professor of philosophy, Dr. Victoria Kazmerski, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Gary Viebranz, teaching professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles.
Honors, Distinctions, and Accomplishments
Dr. Wilson Brown, associate professor of clinical psychology, won the 2023-2024 Council of Fellows Research Award.
Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, associate teaching professor of political science, won the University’s 2024 Outreach and Online Education Emerging Faculty Award for Engaged Scholarship.
Several faculty members were promoted this year. Dr. Joseph Beilein, history, was promoted to the rank of professor. Dr. Chris Shelton, clinical psychology, advanced to the rank of associate professor. Both Dr. Jennifer Lane-Myler, elementary and early childhood education, and Dr. Tammie Merino, English, were promoted to the rank of associate teaching professor.
Research and Creative Activity
Faculty members published forty-five articles and book chapters, presented more than 100 conference papers and posters, and were awarded more than forty research and travel grants.
Faculty also published the following books:
Dr. Joseph Beilein, history, A Man By Any Other Name: William Clarke Quantrill and the Search for American Manhood
George Looney, English and creative writing, Birds of Sympathy: Correspondences; The Acrobatic Company of the Invisible; and The Visibility of Things Long Submerged
Dr. Lisa Parker, elementary and early childhood education, Picture Books: More Than Meets the Eye
Dr. Joshua Shaw, philosophy and bioethics, All We Could Have Been and More
Come “Home” For the Weekend!
Parents, Families & Alumni Weekend is a highlight of the fall semester at Penn State Behrend.
A celebration for young and old alike, it offers plenty of things to do for students, parents, siblings, extended family, alumni—everyone! This year’s weekend is scheduled for Oct. 18-20 and will include a Friday evening reception for School of Humanities and Social Sciences alumni. See a full list of activities and register for the weekend at behrend.psu.edu/weekend.
In Memoriam
Rev. Charles Brock, a retired faculty member and community advocate, died November 1, 2023. He was 88. Brock was born and raised in Erie and subsequently received degrees from Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, and Oxford universities. After returning to Erie from Oxford, where he served as a fellow, chaplain, and teacher of theology for thirty-five years, he taught courses in comparative religion at Behrend.
Brock was particularly proud of the course Mega Issues, which he developed and taught with colleagues from all four of Behrend’s academic schools, examining complex issues affecting the world. He founded both the Brock Institute on the American Dream and the Public Policy Initiative in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Lincoln Brock; three stepchildren; and nine step-grandchildren.
Richard “Dick” Mester, a retired assistant professor of logic and philosophy, died November 16, 2023. He was 84.
Mester was born in Chicago and attended Notre Dame Preparatory school and studied for the monastic life. After taking simple vows, he became Brother Phillip, O.P. After leaving the monastery, he began a long teaching career, first at St. Catherine’s College, then at Penn State Behrend, where he taught courses in philosophy for more than forty years. He was a beloved teacher and academic adviser.
He is survived by his wife, Cathy, a retired Penn State Behrend lecturer in speech communication; his two children, Cari Ann and Clark; and two grandchildren.
“Unissued Diplomas”
Exhibition Urges Viewers to Bear Witness
Ivanna Obodzinska, 19, was the mother of twins and a Garden Design student at Polissia National University. She planned to be a landscape designer.
Serhii Molchanov, 19, was a student at the Ukrainian Leadership Academy who volunteered to fight for his country. While serving, he collected stories and photos for a book he hoped to write.
Oleksandra Borivska, 18, was an International Relations student at Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University. She dreamed of having a diplomatic career, traveling the world, and seeing the Grand Canyon.
None of them achieved their goals. They, in addition to Obodzinska’s twins, were killed in Ukraine, victims of Russia’s invasion of that country.
Obodzinska, Molchanov, and Borivska are three of forty Ukrainian students whose stories and photos are highlighted in “Unissued Diplomas,” an exhibition in Penn State Behrend’s Lilley Library that honors the memory of Ukrainian students who will never graduate.
The exhibition is one of dozens installed at institutions worldwide to remind people about the ongoing war and the price Ukrainians are paying daily in their fight for freedom. The exhibits were erected on February 24, the second anniversary of the invasion, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 Ukrainians to date.
The “Unissued Diplomas” exhibition, located on the first floor of Lilley Library, is accessible during library hours. Learn more at unissueddiplomas.org.