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Ariel Chang, left, Nile Robinson and Joe Mount listen to
Laura Dreibelbis, a student tutor in the America Reads program, as she reads
"The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to them at the Penn State Child Care Center
in Cedar Building on the University Park campus.
Photo: Greg Grieco
By Bill Campbell
Public Information
When Sarah Ebeling wanted information on Penn State's role in the new "America Reads" campaign against illiteracy, she went right to the top.
Ebeling, a senior majoring in early childhood and elementary education, e-mailed President Graham B. Spanier and that put her on the way to participation in a pilot program conducted this summer at the University Park, Altoona, Berks, Delaware County, DuBois and Fayette campuses.
Spanier and 19 other college and university presidents are members of the steering committee for the anti-illiteracy program in which new federally funded work-study positions have been established for students to work as reading tutors for young children. More than 650 colleges and universities nationwide are now involved in the program. At Penn State, $413,000 in new work-study funds has been earmarked for America Reads.
"We had 70 students involved in our summer pilot program and targeted 200 student tutors for the fall," Priscilla Carman, America Reads coordinator at the University, said. "But, in a recruiting effort to University students who had received a work-study grant, more than 600 students indicated an interest in being part of the initiative."
Carman, literacy specialist in the College of Education's Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, attributed the response, in part, to a growing national concern about literacy skills.
"With a major public awareness campaign in the last 10 years, there is a great deal of concern and college students want to be involved. And, more importantly, reading with children is fun. When you see a child learn to connect the spoken and written word, it really is exciting. Students see it as being worthwhile and having far-reaching implications and impact."
The program is being funded by entirely new funds from the federal government. It differs from other work-study programs in that the required local matching requirement has been waived. Funding is administered through the Office of Student Aid, with Bronwen Wagner, Melissa Kunes and Jane Cone providing the necessary connections for students.
"In essence, community sites are receiving tutoring help at virtually no cost," Carman said. "As a result, there has been tremendous response and support from the community."
In the summer pilot program, Penn State's America Reads tutors provided more than 8,000 tutoring hours for preschool and elementary school children in a wide variety of sites across the state, including child care facilities, libraries, YMCAs, Easter Seals, summer reading programs in school districts, Temporary Housing, parks and recreation departments and the federally-funded Even Start Program, a family literacy program.
Ebeling, who is from Howard in Centre County, read to children at two local bookstores, at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and Schlow Memorial Library in State College. She is continuing in the program this fall and hopes to work in an elementary school reading program.
"I had a great experience," she said. "On my last weekend at Schlow, one of the children brought me a bag of gifts related to the stories I had been reading and a touching card. It was very rewarding."
At Penn State Fayette, 10 students eligible for the federal work-study program were assigned to six different sites, including two on campus.
JoAnn Harris, America Reads coordinator at the campus, said the student tutors used books from the campus library and the Uniontown Public Library in the summer program.
"In addition to providing reading and writing assistance," she said, "our tutors incorporated various activities to make the experience more fun for the children.
"The pilot program was very well received. There has been nothing but positive response. Everyone involved, from the tutors, the children, parents and on-site coordinators, felt it was worthwhile. It is one of the best programs we have undertaken."
She said 18 students are participating in the fall program, which includes two new sites, the Uniontown School District's Community of Partners after-school reading program, and ECHO, an academic preschool program operating in four area communities.
An important byproduct of the program, according to Norma Notzold, American Reads coordinator at Penn State Delaware County, where eight students were involved in a summer camp on the campus, is that it will encourage the student tutors to read to their own children when they become parents.
"I'm very excited about it, because in addition to helping children learn to read, our students are seeing the joy of reading to children and are learning to appreciate their own enjoyment of reading. We are demonstrating the pleasure and enjoyment of reading -- to both the children and our students -- and that's one of the best things we can do."
Carman said plans call for the America Reads program to be in place at all Penn State campuses this semester.
"We are using the community sites identified in the summer pilot program and also have established new sites. Many site coordinators who had tutors during the summer have requested the same tutors in the fall, if their schedule permits."
Carman stressed that the program is not limited to education majors and that those students expressing interest in it represent all University colleges and most departments. Participants must undergo two state clearances to screen out those with inappropriate backgrounds.
"We provide training in basic reading techniques and supplement that with training by the on-site supervisors," she said. "One of the concerns, or problems, with tutor-based training is that, after initial training, the tutors often are left on their own. Yet, follow-up training is vital.
"To accomplish this, we have established a listserv available University-wide. Tutors can sign on and then share their experiences and ideas. If we see trends developing and need a workshop on a particular topic, we can schedule one to meet specific needs as they arise," Carman said.
"Feedback from our summer pilot program indicates it was a highly successful effort in which the University and the community worked together for achieving literacy in children and helping them develop strong reading habits. We are continuing and expanding that effort this fall."
For the second consecutive year Penn State McKeesport received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to train students as adult literacy tutors.
The one-year, $32,000 grant from the Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education supports the administrative and training requirements for the program.
In cooperation with the Pennsylvania Literacy Corps, Penn State McKeesport has developed a one-credit course, curriculum and instruction, open to all students regardless of major.
JoAnne E. Burley, McKeesport CEO, will serve as project director and lead instructor for the course. Burley holds a Ph.D. in language communication from the University of Pittsburgh, has done postdoctoral work in adult education at Harvard University and holds Pennsylvania certification as a reading specialist and reading supervisor.
She directed a federally funded Literacy Corps program from 1990-92 while at Chatham College and directed the Penn State McKeesport Literacy Program in 1996-97.
Students will receive training as adult literacy tutors early in the semester and will serve as volunteer tutors three to four hours a week during the remainder of the semester. The tutors will prepare learners for GED tests, reading and comprehension skills, math skills and other life skills.
University employees are being asked to roll up their sleeves and take
part in work projects for United Way agencies and other non-profit groups
throughout Centre County during the fourth 
annual PNC Bank-United
Way Day of Caring on Thursday, Sept. 25.
The community event, which continues to grow, last year attracted some 4,000 volunteers, including several hundred members of the University community, who took a vacation day off work or school to assist the agencies.
Sue Rinehart, administrative assistant in The Smeal College of Business Administration's marketing department, worked at Easter Seals in State College with a group that included William W. Asbury, vice president for student affairs, and employees from the Office of Physical Plant.
"It was my first involvement in the program and I requested Easter Seals because my son had helped there the previous year," she said. "Two carpenters from Physical Plant rebuilt the front entrance and the rest of our group was involved in painting and refinishing playground equipment and reorganizing a storage shed.
"We worked all day, but it was fun. It makes you feel good. I plan to do it again this year with my son."
Another group from The Smeal College, headed by Trudy and Cecil Smith, was involved in a wide variety of painting projects at the Second Mile facility.
At the Seven Mountains Boy Scout Camp, more than 30 Penn Staters from the Division of Development and Alumni Relations built picnic tables, sanded and repainted wood stoves, and provided general maintenance and cleanup of cabins.
"The Day of Caring provided a unique opportunity for us to do something in memory of a colleague's son, an active Boy Scout who died of cancer," Sue Powell, assistant director of Annual Giving, said. "A memorial contribution was directed to the camp for improvements and we were able to provide the labor. We worked all day and accomplished a great deal. There was a good feeling among the group."
Individuals or groups of employees are encouraged to sign up for a work project.
Projects scheduled this year include:
Painting and landscaping at the Friendship Community Library in Beech Creek; painting at Counseling Service, Centre County Library, Skills Inc. and the YMCA in Bellefonte; painting and cleanup at the Port Matilda Recreation Area; expanding and renovating existing trails, Mount Nittany Conservancy, Lemont; a wide range of painting, construction and repair projects at the American Red Cross, Association for Retarded Citizens, Easter Seals, Women's Resource Center, YMCA, Temporary Housing, Strawberry Fields, Youth Service Bureau and Stormbreak, all in State College.
Work also is scheduled at Walnut Spring Park in State College and at the State College Area High School Community Fields.
Day of Caring volunteers will meet in the morning at Beaver Stadium for registration, distribution of Day of Caring T-shirts and a pancake breakfast provided by Penn State Catering. They'll work throughout the day, with lunch included, and meet at the Penn State Hotel and Conference Center in late afternoon for an event celebration.
Members of the University community who are willing to take a vacation day to participate in the Sept. 25 event can contact the Centre County United Way at 238-8283 for volunteer information and a complete listing of projects. Team leaders also have Day of Caring application forms which can be faxed to the United Way office.
By Gary W. Cramer
Public Information
David B. Lee, chairman and chief executive officer of Omega Financial
Corp., will be honored as the Renaissance Man of the Year at the 21st annual
Renaissance Scholarship Fund dinner. The event will be held Nov. 6 at The
Nittany Lion Inn 
on the University Park campus, beginning with
a 6 p.m. reception and continuing with a 7 p.m. dinner.
The dinner, held each year since 1977, raises funds for Penn State's Renaissance Scholarships, which are awarded to academically talented students who have financial need. Each dinner honors a University or community leader and funds are used to endow scholarships in the honoree's name.
A native of State College, Lee's association with Omega Bank started in his teen years, when he worked odd jobs at Omega's local predecessor, Peoples National Bank of Central Pennsylvania. Three years after earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Lycoming College in 1961, he officially joined Peoples as an assistant cashier and branch manager. He was named a vice president for Peoples in 1969, and president in 1977. He joined Peoples' parent organization, Omega Financial Corp., in 1989.
Among his many local civic activities, Lee is a board member with Centre Foods Enterprises, Scientific Systems Inc., the Brockerhoff House Corp. and Centre County's higher education and housing authorities. He also is on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Lycoming College, and has served in the past with the State College Chamber of Commerce, the Centre County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens, Centre County United Way and Centre Community Hospital.
Lee's late father, Eugene, was once an officer with Peoples Bank, and was Penn State's 1987 Renaissance Man of the Year. His late mother, Elizabeth, attended Penn State pursuing home economics studies. His wife, Joyce, earned master's and doctoral degrees from the College of Education and is a curriculum coordinator for the State College Area School District. The couple has two children.
Since the Renaissance Fund's inception in 1969, nearly $3.5 million in private contributions has been raised to help make higher education possible for 1,357 students. During the 1996-97 school year, $273,297 in scholarships was awarded to 308 scholars.
For more information on the Renaissance dinner, contact Robin Wray in the Office of Annual Giving at (814) 863-2052.
Alumna Mary Jane Harris of New York City recently donated two Old Master paintings to the Palmer Museum of Art in memory of her late husband, Morton B. Harris.
One of the paintings is "Christ in Glory with Apostles and Saints," an oil on panel executed shortly before 1586 by the Florentine artist Giovanni Balducci as a preparatory sketch for the main altarpiece in the church of Gesù Pellegrino. It was later known as the "Oratorio dei Pretoni."
The second work, "David with the Head of Goliath," is an oil on canvas painted in Venice by Girolamo Forabosco between 1650 and 1660, which blends an understanding of Titian with the more cosmopolitan Venetian vision of the mid-17th century.
Both paintings are currently on view in the museum on the University Park campus.
The Forabosco painting joins an earlier gift of the Harrises now hanging in the Baroque Art Gallery, Pietro Vecchia's "Sacrifice of Jephthah's Daughter," another Venetian oil on canvas from the mid-17th century, which was donated in celebration of the museum's reopening in 1993. Additional Harris gifts include a vase by American potter Warren MacKenzie, donated in 1992 and an acrylic painting by American artist Beryl Barr-Sharrar, donated in 1994.
Harris earned her bachelor's degree in arts and letters in 1946 and a master's degree in sociology in 1947. An art consultant who for a number of years was associated with the Piero Corsini Gallery in New York, she currently serves as a volunteer member of the Palmer Museum Advisory Board. Her husband of 41 years died in 1995 at age 80. Formerly of Pittsburgh, he was vice president and production manager of Ace Advertiser's Service, a commercial lithography firm in New York City, until his retirement in 1987.
The Harris collection, which was begun in 1967, focuses almost exclusively on Italian Baroque paintings. It has been the subject of articles in Art and Auction and Architectural Digest, and next year will be featured in a book on collectors and collecting in America.
A gift of $50,000 from alumnus Frank Burstein and his wife, Sonia, of Elkins Park, will endow a new scholarship in the Eberly College of Science.
The Hyman and Jenny Burstein Memorial Scholarship in Science, named in memory of Frank Burstein's parents, will be funded through the proceeds from a charitable gift annuity established last December. When fully funded, the scholarship will assist up to two academically gifted undergraduate or graduate students each year.
Frank Burstein earned his bachelor's degree in premedicine from Penn State in 1949 and his medical degree from Hahnemann, and has long practiced medicine in the Philadelphia area. He currently shares a practice that is part of Allegheny Health Systems with a son, one of the couple's four children.
Marie Bednar, cataloging coordinator for the University Libraries, presented "Strategic Planning for Libraries in the 21st Century -- the Time of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources" and "Strategic Planning in Practice" at the "Libraries of the Future" CASLIN 4 (Czech and Slovak Libraries Network) Seminar in Dlouhe Strane, Czech Republic.
Ingrid Blood has been named to the Blue Ribbon Audiology Panel of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). The panel is charged with developing a report for the executive board of ASHA which will identify critical issues facing the profession, set the vision for the future and describe the outcomes essential for those visions to be achieved.
Pat Comerford, instructor in dairy and animal science, was elected vice president of the American Youth Horse Council.
A recording by cellist Kim Cook, associate professor of music in the School of Music, of two Haydn cello concertos is now available on the Slovak Treasures label in the Czech Republic and Bayer Recordings in Germany. The performance was recorded in the Czech Republic with the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Peter Lucker.
She previously recorded a CD with the Castalia Trio for the Skvrna label in the Czech Republic, and BASF has released her recordings of world premieres of Brazilian music.
"Brother's Keeper," a new play written by Charles Dumas, associate professor of theatre arts, had its world premiere in August at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in New York City. Dumas directs the play, which also features eight Penn State theatre students.
Evelynn M. Ellis has been elected chair of the Council of College Directors of Minority Programs for the 1997-98 year. She is currently the coordinator of minority programs in the College of Arts and Architecture and affiliate assistant professor in the School of Music.
Irwin Feller, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation and professor of economics, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Advisory Board.
Ralph M. Ford, assistant professor of electrical engineering, presented the paper "Metrics for Scene Change Detection in Digital Video Sequences" at the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia Computing and Systems in Ottawa.
Dale Jacquette, professor of philosophy, recently presented two papers at international conferences. The first, "Paraconsistent Logical Consequence," was given at the First World Congress of Paraconsistency, University of Ghent, Belgium; his second presentation was "Constructibility and the Analysis of Quantifiers in Wittgenstein's 'Tractatus,'" at the 20th International Wittgenstein Symposium, Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, Kirchberg am Wechsel, Austria.
Sridhar Komarneni, professor of clay mineralogy in the Department of Agronomy and Materials Research Laboratory, gave an invited talk on "Nanocomposites: Lessons from Bioceramics" at Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. He also gave a presentation at University of Vienna in Vienna, Austria, on "Novel Swelling Mica."
Student Christie Boylan works out at the McCoy Natatorium
on the University Park campus while studying.
The Natatorium and other sites on the campus have a variety of exercise
facilities available to faculty, staff and students.
Photo: Greg Grieco
When The Penn State Teacher first came out in August 1993, people likened it to a Norton Anthology of Teaching for University faculty and teaching assistants. Now Penn State's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) is coming out with a new edition of the book.
The first edition offered a wide range of advice on teaching, most of it pragmatic and concrete. The new edition, The Penn State Teacher II: Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn, also combines nuts-and-bolts advice with a range of individual voices. As they did in the first edition, these voices echo and amplify the guidebook's practical advice. Sometimes they explore more philosophical issues of teaching and learning.
The new edition includes:
* General suggestions for creating and delivering good lectures, along with a presentation on incorporating problem-solving techniques into the lecture format, by John Lowe, award-winning chemistry professor.
* Tips for the first day of class, juxtaposed with an essay on the ways the first class of the course sets the tone for the rest of the semester, by Katie C. Armstrong, an undergraduate student in environmental resource management.
* Guidelines for leading effective discussions, backed by a commentary on the dangers and opportunities involved in discussion sessions, by John Moore, award-winning associate professor of English and comparative literature.
Diane Enerson, director of the center, rewrote and edited the book in collaboration with Kathryn Plank, the center's associate director; Neill Johnson, programs coordinator; and Susanna Milner, a graduate assistant at the center.
A full description of the center and what it does, as well as many of its resources, are online at http://www.psu.edu/celt. For more information, or to be added to the center's mailing list, call (814) 863-2599 or e-mail CELT@psu.edu.
WMAJ Radio (1450 AM) in State College will carry a schedule of fall sports events including men's and women's soccer, field hockey and women's volleyball. A total of 13 broadcasts are planned. Check local listings for the events and broadcast times.
The Penn State Football Story, the TV program that airs statewide and in a number of cable markets outside Pennsylvania, has earned two Mid-Atlantic Region Emmy nominations for 1996-97. This is the fourth consecutive year the weekly football highlight show has been nominated for a regional Emmy in at least one category.
Football wide receiver Joe Jurevicius is among 30 candidates for the Biletnikoff Award, which annually goes to the nation's outstanding receiver. Jurevicius, a senior, has an average of 19.6 yards-per-catch on 55 career receptions.
Rene's List, a special fund that helps to promote the women in 14 sports at Penn State, has grown to include 600 people. This year, the transition of the fund into a more encompassing initiative will provide an opportunity for all fans of the University's women's program to get involved.
For information, contact Katina Mack at (800) NITTANY or (814) 865-9462.
Senior volleyball player Terri Zemaitis won Big Ten "Player-of-the-Week" honors for her MVP performance in the Ikon-Husky Invitational.
For the latest information on Penn State sports, visit the official Intercollegiate Athletics' Web site at http://www.psu.edu/ (Click on sports).
Robin Anderson is coordinator, process improvement in Computer and Information Systems. Her title was listed incorrectly in an article on page 8 of the Aug. 21 Intercom.
Dr. William S. Pierce, Evan Pugh professor emeritus of surgery, was inadvertently omitted from a listing of current Evan Pugh professors in a story on page 5 of the Aug. 28 Intercom. Pierce was appointed an Evan Pugh professor in 1986.
