EARLY STRUGGLES IN VOCABULARY CAN HAMPER POOR CHILDREN
When socio-economically deprived children fall behind in spoken vocabulary development during their first three years of life, they are very likely to have lifelong struggles in all their studies in school. Even current early intervention programs such as Head Start may not be enough to close this learning gap, says a Penn State researcher. Children in our society who grow up in poverty or near poverty are adversely affected by their mother's own vocabulary deficit when they are learning to speak at home, says Dr. George Farkas, professor of sociology. "Social class differences in vocabulary growth emerge at the very earliest ages among both Black and White Americans, and they attain a substantial magnitude by 36 months of age," Farkas notes. These social class differences widen during the fourth and fifth years of life. For more on this story by Paul Blaum, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/childrenvocabulary.html
TEAMING WITH THE ENEMY – Dean Judy Olian
In today's markets, businesses can't go it alone. Competitors, business units and functions, which never connected before, are finding that it makes sense to get together. Unprecedented alliances and partnerships are bringing new ideas to the marketplace, spawning new forms of competition and offering the winners bigger market shares or profits margins. Why? These alliances make money, or save money. Businesses that are not building alliances are certainly competing against them, perhaps at a disadvantage. Olian is Dean of the Smeal College of Business Administration. For examples and more, go to http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/depth/april01/convergence.html
PHILANTHROPY IS A FAMILY AFFAIR WITH MINCEMOYERS
For the family of retired Penn State Professor Donald Mincemoyer and his wife, Betty Jane, of State College, supporting the University is a family affair. They recently contributed $40,000 to a scholarship that they endowed in 1990 for students in agriculture, and in doing so inspired additional giving by other members of their family. Altogether the Mincemoyer family has made gifts totaling about $80,000 to support Penn State programs that are close to their own hearts. A gift of $20,000 in the name of Donald and Betty Jane Mincemoyer’s daughter Beth, along with additional money contributed by Beth and her husband Rod Egan, of Boalsburg, has endowed a scholarship for students studying school food service management through Penn State’s World Campus. Beth Mincemoyer Egan is an instructor in Penn State’s Dietetic Program through Distance Education in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management. She holds two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree from Penn State and has focused her career on child nutrition programs. For more, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/mincemoyersgift.html.
REMINDER: QUALITY EXPO AT UNIVERSITY PARK TOMORROW
Penn State Quality Expo 2001, An Innovative Odyssey of Discovery, will be held Thursday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the ballroom of the Nittany Lion Inn at University Park. This year marks the ninth anniversary of the event, held in celebration of the University's commitment to improvement, innovation and teamwork. For a listing of exhibitors or more information, go to http://www.psu.edu/president/cqi/expo2001/index.htm.
FAMILY DAY AT THE PALMER MUSEUM OF ART APRIL 14
Parents and children (ages 5-12) are welcome to visit the three special exhibitions History Past, History Present: The Daguerreotype Portrait in America, Power in My Hand: Works on Paper by Women Artists from the Permanent Collection, and An Artistic Friendship: Beauford Delaney and Lawrence Calcagno, on Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Activities in the lobby will include drawing and writing. Each young participant will receive a complimentary snapshot portrait of him orherself standing in front of the museum's paws-flanked entrance. For information on the Palmer Museum, go to http://www.psu.edu/dept/palmermuseum/
CLASS HELPS STUDENTS SHARPEN BARGAINING SKILLS
Students in Penn State's Smeal College of Business will come to the negotiating table this week in a simulation exercise designed to sharpen their multi-party bargaining skills. In Barbara Gray's graduate-level class on Power and Negotiation Strategies, the students hope to hammer out an agreement for manufacturing a micro analyzer, a high tech electronic component, in an emerging country. In the process, they'll learn something about the role multi-national companies, foreign governments, and host country companies play in real-world business alliances. For more on this story by Bill Campbell, go to http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/depth/march01/class.html.
ERIE INSURANCE GIVES 4300,000 SCHOLARSHIP TO BEHREND
Erie Insurance Group has pledged $300,000 to endow the Erie Insurance Group Leadership Scholarship at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Outstanding undergraduates who are enrolled or planning to enroll in the mathematics program or the management information systems program at Behrend will be eligible to apply for the scholarship, which will be given for the first time this spring. Provost and Dean Dr. John M. Lilley said, “This scholarship will lead to many talented Penn State Behrend graduates remaining in Erie and securing good jobs in actuarial science, communications, computer science, management information systems, mathematics, and related areas at Erie Insurance Group and throughout northwestern Pennsylvania.” For more, go to http://www.pserie.psu.edu/newspubl/ErieInsurance.htm.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
The Special Olympics Pennsylvania 2001 Summer Games will take place June 7 to 10 on the University Park campus. The games offer 2,050 Special Olympic athletes from throughout Pennsylvania the experience of a lifetime. The success of the games is dependent on 2,500 volunteers in many different areas. The 2001 Summer Games kick off with opening ceremonies on Thursday evening, June 7. During the competition, athletes have the opportunity to participate in nine sports venues: athletics, aquatics, basketball, gymnastics, softball, golf, tennis, equestrian and bowling. Athletes also spend the evening at Sports Fest trying out new challenges. Closing ceremonies and the Victory Dance top off the Summer Games on Saturday night. Special Olympics Pennsylvania organizers ask that faculty and staff get involved as support or sports volunteers. To register, request a registration form by calling (800) 865-2600 or send an e-mail to Bob and Maureen Dunham at red1@psu.edu. For more information about Special Olympics Pennsylvania, call 1-800-865-3600 and go to http://www.paso.org/.