HEARD ON CAMPUS--VALERIE FERGUSON AT PSU FORUM
“In these troubled times we cannot be swayed by the deterioration of the economy. We will and we are encountering tough times, but we must be ever vigilant in our quest to first and foremost do the right thing by our associates by offering care, assistance, hope and support in time of great need.”--Valerie Ferguson, regional vice president and managing director, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, speaking today (Nov. 14) at the Penn State Forum. The topic of her presentation was “‘Hospitality’ in Our World.” With 23 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ferguson was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Travel for 1998 and 1999 by Travel Agent magazine and one of the Top 100 Women in Corporate America by Ebony. For more information on the Forum series, sponsored by the Penn State Faculty Staff Club, visit http://www.psu.edu/dept/fsc/forum.html.
LEARNING CHANNEL TO FEATURE MARKETING RESEARCH
A Penn State marketing professor’s research on households and brands will appear in an upcoming program on The Learning Channel. The documentary, “Why We Shop,” focuses on retailing around the world and features research by Jennifer E. Chang, assistant professor of marketing in the Smeal College of Business Administration. The segment will air at 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24. Chang also was involved earlier this month in a British Broadcasting Corporation documentary, “Buyology: The Science of Shopping.” For her dissertation, she studied the shopping habits of members of 20 suburban Chicago households, with an emphasis on how the shoppers created meanings for brands in the process. “The interviews document my research interactions with a household that I have previously studied,” says Chang. “The point is to illustrate the types of insights from brands and retailing that can be generated from this type of participant observation.” For the full story by Steve Infanti, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/depth/november01/learning.html.
PENN STATE HISTORY COMES ALIVE IN DIGITAL ARCHIVES
Penn State University Libraries has gathered a collection of historical source materials and placed it on the Web to enable students and others to learn about the history of Penn State’s University Park campus. Through this digital archive, users can learn about the University’s design and planning, as well as about the individual buildings that comprise the campus’s built environment. The online reference, which includes materials dating back to the University’s inception in 1855, is divided into five major categories of materials: campus history, maps, development plans, buildings and campus landmarks. To access the site, visit http://www.psubldg.libraries.psu.edu/.
STUDENT TEACHERS MAKE S.D. TRIBAL KIDS THEIR CLASS
Six student teachers from Penn State’s College of Education are learning plenty about teaching--and life--1,400 miles west of Happy Valley at the Pierre Indian Learning Center in South Dakota. The federally funded center is a school for nearly 300 Native American children grades 1-8 from 13 different Indian tribes and reservations. But it’s also providing Penn State students with valuable and unique learning opportunities by offering professional and personal enrichment. “We’re hoping they learn to respect diversity and how to teach students with diverse needs,” said Lynette Shaffer, coordinator in the office of pre-service teaching experiences. “Professionally, we hope they’ll transfer knowledge from curriculum to classroom instruction.” Carolyne MacAdam, a senior majoring in secondary education, is enthused by what she has discovered in Pierre. “These kids are amazing. They are so intense and have such extreme personalities. The biggest thing these kids need is just someone to love them.” For the full story by Allison Kessler, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/pierresd.html.
PLEASURE BOAT SPEED LIMITS CAN STIR UP TROUBLE
A “No Wake Zone” may be better than a speed limit to prevent the pollution and water quality problems that can occur when pleasure boats stir up a lake bottom, a Penn State study shows. David Hill, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, says that imposing a uniform speed limit in areas of shallow water can lead to significantly different impacts from boats of different sizes, and that at between 6 and 8 miles per hour, in waters shallower than 6 to 8 feet, there is maximum potential for prop wash to stir up lake sediments. Hill presented these results, co-authored with Michele Beachler, a master of science candidate, at the recent North American Lake Management Society Symposium in Madison, Wis. Hill and Beachler conducted their study at two lakes in northern Wisconsin used by recreational boaters, including water skiers, fishermen and personal watercraft fans, and have developed a computer program that can predict the water velocity at the lake bottom at different boat speeds and water depths. For the full story by Barbara Hale, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/propwash.html.
BILLBOARDS EXCLAIM PSU IS 'MAKING LIFE BETTER'
Pennsylvania citizens and visitors are being reminded that a degree from Penn State is a risk-free investment in the future, as 124 Penn State billboards are beginning to appear across the Commonwealth. The billboards embrace the esteemed Nittany Lion Shrine and Penn State’s slogan, “Making Life Better,” as part of an advertising campaign developed by the University’s Department of Marketing and Advertising. Positioned near the University’s 24 locations, the ads will be accompanied by radio spots that emphasize the value of investing in a Penn State education. “We want to remind people on the road that most communities have a Penn State campus nearby,” said Cindy Hall, director of University marketing and advertising.” This is the fifth phase of the billboard advertising campaign and the third year the signs prominently feature the Nittany Lion, identified in surveys as the most powerful of Penn State symbols. For the full story by Allison Kessler, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/11nov01billboard.html.