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The University Park campus will be transformed into an international village June 2-6 when more than 1,000 educators and professionals from around the world gather for the 18th World Conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE).
The University joins the ranks of Oslo, Norway; Caracas, Venezuela; Bangkok, Thailand; and Birmingham, England, as a host site for an ICDE world conference. These conferences are held every other year.
The theme of the 18th ICDE World Conference is "The New Learning Environment: A Global Perspective." Five renowned speakers and more than 700 educators and professionals from 68 nations will present their research and participate in discussions during the five-day conference.
Gary Miller, assistant vice president for distance education at Penn State and conference program chairman, said the weeklong event will be an intensive discussion and interaction examining the implications of technology on the new learning model that is emerging worldwide.
The International Council for Open and Distance Education is the world association of open and distance learning institutions and professionals and of national and regional open and distance education associations. Representatives from more than 100 nations are members of ICDE, which has headquarters in Oslo, Norway. ICDE is affiliated with the United Nations through the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Each day of the conference will feature plenary presentations and discussions, poster and orientation sessions on one of four key themes:
-- "The Changing Technological Environment;"
-- "The New Educational Paradigm;"
-- "Technology, Education and Sustainable Development;" and
-- "Opportunities for International Cooperation."
These themes will be examined within the context of 10 interest areas, some of which are: primary through secondary school applications; technology applications and emerging technologies; and partnerships and alliances.
Conference papers will be made available to participants in electronic format (computer disk and CD-ROM). In addition, selected papers will be published in an anthology on the theme of the conference. Conference sessions will be held at The Bryce Jordan Center. A Technology Exhibition, showcasing the latest in video, computer and communications technologies, also will be presented in conjunction with the conference. A number of preconferences also are planned in association with the 18th ICDE World Conference.
Accommodations for participants include the 18th World Conference International Village, which is being created for the conference, and the Penn State Conference Center and Nittany Lion Inn. The International Village will offer a 24-hour guest services desk and multilingual staff to assist conference participants and their traveling companions and families. There also will be free bus transportation during the conference.
For more information about the conference, visit the Web at http://www.cde.psu.edu/ICDE/brochure; or contact Anne Stevens about program content at (814) 865-2143; fax: (814) 865-3290; e-mail: abs4@cde.psu.edu; or Janet Patterson (about registration) at (814) 863-5127; fax: (814) 863-5190; e-mail: ICDE97@cde.psu.edu.
Ralph S. Wolfe, professor of microbiology at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will 
present the 1997 Stone Memorial
Lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, April 7, in 110 Wartik Laboratory on the University
Park campus.
The lecture, sponsored by the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is titled "My Kind of Biology -- Challenges of the Hunt."
Wolfe, known for his broad interest in microbial diversity, heads a laboratory best known for its role in the discovery of seven new coenzymes important in the biological formation of methane. His laboratory also is known for its research on the biochemistry of methanogenesis and for its collaboration with Carl Woese of the University of Illinois on the discovery of the Archaea, the third branch of life.
He received the Carski Distinguished Teaching Award in 1971, the Abbott Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 from the American Society for Microbiology and the Waksman Award in Microbiology from the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been a faculty member at the University of Illinois since 1953.
The lecture honors Robert W. Stone, head of the former Department of Microbiology for 23 years.
James Thomson, a senior legal adviser to the attorney general of Western Australia, will present a seminar on "Civil Rights and Constitutionalism: Contrasting Australian and American Experiences" at 3:45 p.m. Monday, April 7, in 102 Weaver Building on the University Park campus.
In addition to his position in the Crown Solicitor's Office in Western Australia, Thomson holds appointments at the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University law schools. He has represented Australia at overseas negotiations that have ranged from human rights to the law of the sea, and he holds a master's and doctoral degrees from Harvard and also visiting researchships at Harvard and Columbia.
The lecture, which is open to the public, is being co-sponsored by the Australia-New Zealand Studies Center and the Department of Political Science. For more information, contact Pat Corbett by e-mail at pac9@psu.edu or by phone at (814) 863-1603.
Howard Grotch, professor and head of the Department of Physics, has been named interm dean of the Eberly College of Science. Gregory L. Geoffroy, current dean of the college, recently announced he will become vice president for academic affairs and provost of the University of Maryland at College Park effective June 1.
"I have asked Dean Geoffroy and Dr. Grotch to use the remaining time before Greg's departure to help bring Howard up to speed so that the college can continue moving forward during this interim period," John A. Brighton, executive vice president and provost, said. "We have many important projects taking place in the college and we will begin to gear up for the coming academic year, even as this one ends. Howard's work will be invaluable in keeping us on track."
Grotch is a specialist in quantum electrodynamics and elementary particle physics research. He conducts theoretical research on the structure of positronium, the Lamb shift and quarkonium. He joined Penn State in 1967 as a research associate and was named assistant professor in 1969, associate professor in 1973 and full professor in 1976. He was appointed department head in 1988.
He is a Fellow of American Physical Society and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and American Association of Physics Teachers. In 1995, he received the Distinguished Service Award of the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society.
A search committee, chaired by John A. Dutton, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, has been appointed to identify candidates for the dean's position.
Engineering students Ashley Barnes and Jim Clark use a lathe in The Learning Factory, one of the College of Engineering's many facilities on the University Park campus which will be accessible to spectators during the April 5 open house.
Approximately 2,500 high school students and their families are expected to attend the 1997 College of Engineering Open House on Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at University Park. The event is open to the public and provides visitors with the opportunity to see demonstrations and working displays throughout the college -- including a sailplane design and fabrication project, laser and holographic displays, and tours of the Artificial Heart Lab, the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor and the Aerodynamics Laboratories. All engineering departments will be open to visitors with faculty and students on hand to answer questions and discuss various majors.
One new student-run activity scheduled during the event is "The Nittany Newtonian," a soap-box derby race. Hosted by the Envisioneers, student members of the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at Penn State, the race begins at 11:30 a.m. and features cars from six engineering societies. The event will be held on the walkway from Old Main to College Avenue.
Engineering Open House registration and general information will be on the first floor of Kunkle Activities Center, the glassed-in area at the east end of Hammond Building. For additional information, contact Geri Stonebraker at (814) 863-3750.
The College of Agricultural Sciences is inviting applications from individuals with outstanding leadership qualities for the position of professor and head, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education. The vision of the department is to be a leader nationally and internationally in preparing formal and nonformal educators in agricultural education, extension education, international agriculture, and youth and family development.
The previous department head, Katherine Fennelly, left the University to assume the position of dean and director of the Minnesota Extension Serivce at the University of Minnesota.
Reporting to the dean of the college, the professor and department head will provide visionary leadership and effective administration of this multi-disciplinary unit.
Specifically, the professor and department head will:
-- Encourage diversity of ideas, people and programs;
-- Develop faculty and programmatic excellence in resident education, research and extension;
-- Take an active role in college and University affairs and professional organizations;
-- Establish and enhance collaborative relationships with universities, state and national organizations and agencies, and business and industry;
-- Secure and manage resources on behalf of the department; and
-- Continue personal involvement in scholarly activities.
Qualified candidates must have a doctoral degree in any of the following areas: agricultural education, vocational education, extension education, family and consumer science, family studies, or a closely related interdisciplinary field. Demonstrated visionary leadership and team-building philosophy are essential, along with evidence of effective teaching, research and service. Prior administrative experience is desirable.
Candidates should send a letter of application that addresses administrative and leadership philosophy and relevant experience, and a curriculum vitae. The candidate also should have three individuals submit letters of reference to: Dennis C. Scanlon, chair, advisory search committee, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, 337 Agricultural Administration Building, Box INT, University Park, Pa. 16802.
Inquiries/nominations may be sent to Scanlon; telephone: (814) 863-7852;
fax: (814) 863-4753; e-mail:
dennis_scanlon@agcs.cas.psu.edu
or dscanlon@psu.edu.
Deadline for application is May 15, or until the position is filled. Penn State is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
A major gift from two Penn State alumni will be used to support entrepreneurism among MBA students in The Smeal College of Business Administration.
The late John M. Ruffner and his wife, Marilyn J. Whitaker Ruffner, owners and developers of several companies in electronics and manufacturing, created the MBA fellowship fund through a donation of $164,000 to the University.
Smeal College Dean J. D. Hammond said the gift will provide a significant boost to recruitment efforts that are becoming increasingly competitive.
John and Marilyn Ruffner were originally from western Pennsylvania, he from Jeanette, she from Pittsburgh. John Ruffner, who died in 1995, was a World War II veteran when he arrived at the University. The two met here in 1950 and were married in 1952. Marilyn earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1952, John in mineral preparation engineering in 1953.
"John and I decided to make this gift to Penn State in support of entrepreneurism due to our long-term experience in our own private business," said Marilyn Ruffner.
For the first 20 years of his professional career, John Ruffner held positions in sales and marketing, and in acquisitions for major, Boston- and New York-based firms. During this time, he continued his education and earned an MBA degree from the University of New Haven, Vonn. A little more than a decade after his graduation, John Ruffner acted on his entrepreneurial impulses and launched his plan to become an independent businessperson. It wasn't long before his wife joined him on the management team.
Beginning with Delbridge Computing Systems in St. Louis in 1969, the Ruffners leveraged a series of corporate acquisitions that included Mediprint Inc., St. Louis; Plasmed Inc., Wallingford, Conn.; Ronor Systems, Wallingford; Berkshire Transformer Co., Kent, Conn.; and Florida Electronics and Transformer Co., Sanford, Fla.
Delbridge, a printer of booklets for payroll tax computation and amortization schedules, later evolved into the holding company for all of the Ruffners' other business interests. Mediprint was a printer of medical records systems. Plasmed manufactured hearing protection equipment for use by industry and the Department of Defense. Ronor Systems was a maker of underwater cable systems which were purchased by the Defense Department. Berkshire Transformer produced custom-made transformers, and Florida Electronics built electronic assemblies for industrial and aircraft use, as well as custom-made transformers. The staffs of these companies ranged from 35 employees to as many as 120.
John Ruffner served on the National Campaign Committee of the Campaign for Penn State, the University's first major capital campaign (1984-90). Marilyn Ruffner is active with the chapter of Penn State Alumni Association near her home in Florida. Two of the Ruffners' three children, John and Cynthia, earned their bachelor's degree from The Smeal College. Daughter Sandra completed her studies at the University of Washington.
The total market value of Penn State's pooled endowment fund nearly doubled over the past five years, growing from $217.7 million in 1991 to $423 million as of Dec. 31, 1996. A report presented to the Board of Trustees March 21 by the treasurer's office credits the growth to new gifts and reinvested earnings.
Endowments provide a source of income that Penn State can depend on to meet some of its most critical academic needs. The annualized investment return of 11.1 percent for the fund over the past five years exceeded the long-term average of about 10 percent and represented a real return, after inflation, of 7.8 percent.
"To further of Penn State's strategic asset allocation goals, we are continuing to broaden diversification by increasing the proportion of the fund deployed internationally," said Gary C. Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer. "We also are increasing our investments in 'alternative equities,' such as real estate, venture and private investments, and energy programs -- which have increased to 12.5 percent of the endowment from 9.7 percent a year ago."
The University's endowment fund is a pooled investment of gifts. The University holds endowed gifts in perpetuity, investing them and spending only a portion of the total return for each endowment's designated purpose. The remaining return is added to the principal to protect it from inflation.
As clocks move forward one hour Sunday, April 6, to mark Daylight-Saving Time, visitors to Pennsylvania College of Technology's Annual Open House will move forward and catch a glimpse of the future world of work. The event runs from noon to 4:30 p.m. and offers an array of opportunities to see the latest in technology and education. Free to the public, the Open House regularly attracts about 15,000 visitors to the college's main campus in Williamsport, the Kathryn Wentzel Lumley Aviation Center at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville, and the Herman T. Schneebeli Earth Science Center near Allenwood. Penn College's North Campus in Wellsboro will be open as well, hosting its annual Hobby Day and Career Expo. For more information, call Penn College at (717) 326-3761, or the Office of Admissions at (800) 367-9222.
The Third Annual Minerals and Materials Junior Education Day will be held on Saturday, May 10, in Steidle Building on the University Park campus. Registration for the event is $2 per student and the day's activities are open to all grade-school children.
Minerals and Materials Junior Education Day introduces children to both the wonders of the mineral kingdom and the miracles of modern man-made materials. Grade-schoolers attending the education day will travel from station to station within the Penn State Mineral Museum. At each station, they'll be taught facts about minerals, rocks, fossils or man-made materials. Free samples of minerals and fossils will be given out and students will be shown how to begin a rock collection.
To register, contact one of the following: in Centre County, Frank Kowalczyk (814) 238-8874; in Blair County and points south, Craig and Karen Brandt (814) 695-6552; in Lock Haven and points north, Bob Carnein (717) 893-2068 (day) or 726-7071 (evening).
Applications are currently being accepted for the Summer Intensive Language Institute which runs from June 9 to Aug. 1. These credit courses include the study of French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish and are conducted by the departments of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies, comparative literature, French, German, Italian, Slavic and Spanish in the College of the Liberal Arts. With the exception of Latin, these programs are designed for individuals who want to develop oral proficiency in a foreign or second language.
For more information, call (800) PSU-TODAY or visit their Web site at http://www.cde.psu.edu/C&I/IntensiveLanguage/.
A new Bone Marrow Transplant Support Group is being formed at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to meet the needs of patients, donors, their families and friends.
The medical center launched its new bone marrow transplantation program in October 1996, offering an alternative to patients who previously had to travel to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia or Baltimore for bone marrow transplantation.
Meetings will be held on the first Thursday of each month.
For more information contact Marion Markowicz at (717) 531-5433.
The Office of the Senior Associate Vice President for Finance and Business has relocated to 208 Old Main from its former location of 304 Old Main. The staff relocating are William H. McKinnon, Arleen Bilger, Connie Bjalme, Vincent Carter, Peg Conrad, Robert Finley, Eugene Flynn, Janeen Grasser, Susan Otto and Cathy Shannon. Telephone numbers remain the same.
The videoconference facility in room 120 University Support Building 2 at University Park has been upgraded with the latest group-system videoconferencing technology.
The upgrade includes a PictureTel Concorde 4500 system which delivers a high-performance videoconferencing service for conducting meetings and for use in applications such as telemedicine, distance learning, interviews and motion-intensive applications. In addition to many advanced features, the system also was upgraded to operate at dial-up speeds up to 384Kb, which provide even better video transmission.
Videoconferencing equipment also has been installed in room 105 University Support Building 2. The PictureTel system 4000 unit in this room also features the same dial-up speeds.
Both videoconference rooms are managed by the Office of Telecommunications and are available to faculty and staff. The rooms may be scheduled by calling (814) 863-8906. For more information, visit the Office of Telecommunications' Web site at http://www.otc.psu.edu/services/conference.html, or contact an analyst at (814) 865-1940.
J. David Jones has been appointed Emergency Medical Services manager
for University Health 
Services. Jones is responsible for the
oversight of development of policies and procedures for EMS operations to
include University Ambulance Service and Penn State special events.
Before joining University Health Services, Jones was station manager at Wilkins-Churchill Rescue One, where he managed the overall operation of ambulance and advanced life-support service to the municipalities of Wilkins Township and Churchill Borough.
Jones graduated with high distinction from Penn State in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. He also is a certified instructor in basic trauma, advanced cardiac and pediatric advanced life support and an Emergency Medical Technician instructor.
Denise Miller Rader of Allentown was recently appointed as community
relations coordinator at Penn 
State Lehigh Valley. Her responsibilities
include media relations, development and alumni affairs.
Rader, a six-year veteran of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's public relations office in Allentown, had coordinated the department's highway safety program in a six-county region and acted as a liaison for local and state police, the media and the community.
A 1989 cum laude graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in communications media, Rader also completed a summer communications internship at Lehigh Valley Hospital in 1989.
Shari Robbins Routch has been named director of University Relations
at Penn State Altoona. In this 
position she will be responsible
for organizing and conducting a program of public information through the
news media and providing effective public relations regarding the achievements,
plans and prospects of Penn State Altoona. In this capacity, she will support
the development and fund-raising efforts of the campus with appropriate
publications and special events.
Before joining the Penn State Altoona staff, Routch worked as an attorney at the law firm of Evey, Routch, Black, Dorezas & Magee. She is graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where she received a juris doctor degree, and Lehigh University, where she received a bachelor of arts degree in government and was honored as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Routch has devoted much of her time to the community, serving as a board member of the Rotary Club of Altoona-Sunrise, and as the solicitor for the Altoona Symphony Orchestra.
It has been nearly 30 years since a comprehensive book examining the complex field of turbomachinery has been released. To fill this void, Budugur Lakshminarayana, Evan Pugh professor of aerospace engineering, authored the book Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer of Turbomachinery. This 832-page volume is the first of its kind to shed light on modern advances in the field.
Published by John Wiley Publishers, Lakshminarayana's book gives a unified treatment of the basic principles and aspects of fluid dynamics, providing a "detailed, step-by-step presentation of the analytical and computational models involved." A systematic approach, undertaken with more than 300 illustrations, is used in developing the knowledge base, drawn from more than 900 references. The author drew on his more than 30 years of teaching experience and his experience in research and consulting in the field.
Jack Selzer, associate professor of English, is the author of Kenneth Burke in Greenwich Village: Conversing with the Moderns, 1915-1931, published by the University of Wisconsin Press.
In the book, Selzer shows how Kenneth Burke, who has been hailed as the most significant theorist of rhetoric since Cicero, contributed to the modernist conversation in Greenwich Village. Selzer draws on an array of letters between Burke and his modernist friends and on the memoirs of his associates to create a portrait of Burke, who as an associate editor of Others magazine saw T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" into print for the first time. Burke also provided editorial services for Thomas Mann, e.e. cummings, Ezra Pound, and many other writers of note.
Selzer also is editor of Understanding Scientific Prose and Conversations: Reading for Writing.
Adam J. Sorkin, professor of English, Delaware County campus, published The Sky Behind the Forest, a selection of 60 poems by the contemporary Romanian poet Liliana Ursu. The book was translated in a triple collaboration with both Ursu and American poet Tess Gallagher. Ursu served as Fulbright lecturer in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages at the University Park campus during the 1992-93 academic year. The 96-page volume has an introduction by poet Brenda Hillman, as well as translator's notes by Gallagher and Sorkin. The Sky Behind the Forest, Sorkin's fifth book of Romanian translations since 1992, was published in Newcastle upon Tyne by Bloodaxe Books, the U.K.'s most active publisher of contemporary poetry.
Humanities Librarian Lynne M. Stuart and former documents Librarian Dena Holiman Hutto, now a documents/social science librarian at Reed College in Portland, Ore., have co-edited The Changing Face of Reference (Jai Press Inc., 1996). This book seeks to identify and describe the causes and effects of changes that have forced librarians to re-examine reference service. Its contributors see these changes as opportunities to create new ways of providing assistance and instruction, to reach out to new groups of library users and to embrace new technologies. Contributors to this monograph recognize that because libraries are moving from a collection-based to a service-based orientation, they are in a unique position to redefine the role and function of libraries in the larger information environment.
Penn State librarians contributing chapters to this book include Sally Kalin, acting assistant dean of Collections and Reference Services and Information and Access Services; Catherine Lee, head librarian at Penn State DuBois campus; and Carol Ann Wright, general reference librarian.
Blend globalization, change and opportunity with leadership and learning and you get competitive advantage. That's the conclusion of Albert A. Vicere, Smeal College associate dean for executive education, and Robert M. Fulmer, College of William & Mary, in their new book, Crafting Competitiveness: Developing Leaders in the Shadow Pyramid.
The authors describe how benchmark companies are addressing the challenge of crafting competitive advantage through investment in strategic leadership development. Through models, frameworks, assessments and examples, Vicere and Fulmer provide an outline for designing leadership development processes that the co-authors believe can make a significant difference for executive and organizational performance. The co-authors attempt to answer a wide range of questions by profiling the strategic context for leadership development, showing organizations how to design world-class leadership development initiatives, assess development methodologies, select effective providers and assess the impact of leadership development programs.
Crafting Competitiveness: Developing Leaders in the Shadow Pyramid was first released in the United Kingdom by Capstone Publishers and will be published in North America this fall by Harvard Business School Press. Scriptum Publishing, the Netherlands, will issue a Dutch version.
Stanley Weintraub, Evan Pugh professor of arts and humanities, is the author of a new biography published in London by John Murray titled Albert: Uncrowned King.
Weintraub's biography of Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, reveals the extent to which Albert actively interfered in the affairs of government of his adopted country. As an unwelcomed foreigner, Albert succeeded in achieving dominance over his willful wife, refusing to play an ornamental role, and in the process transformed the British monarchy. The book will be published in the United States in early June by Free Press. Weintraub published Queen Victoria's biography in 1987.
