Three new names will be added to the list of those who have served as Administrative Fellows since the program's inception 13 years ago. For the 1998-99 academic year, the Administrative Fellows are:
* Evelynn M. Ellis, director of multicultural programs in the College of Arts and Architecture and assistant to the associate dean for continuing and distance education, who will serve under the mentorship of James H. Ryan, vice president for outreach and cooperative extension;
* Joan M. Lakoski, associate professor of pharmacology and anesthesia in the College of Medicine at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, who will work in the office of mentor Rodney Erickson, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School; and
* Linda Clark Strauss, assistant director of science technology diversity initiatives in the Eberly College of Science, whose mentor is Gary C. Schultz, vice president for finance and business/treasurer.
The Administrative Fellows Program, developed upon a recommendation from the Commission for Women, provides professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. By serving under the mentorship of a senior-level administrator, fellows receive opportunities to broaden their perspectives and experiences in higher education administration. By serving as fellows, participants can increase their awareness of the complexity of issues facing higher education and participate in the decision-making process.
Ellis, who helps design and implement recruitment and retention
activities for minority students in the College of Arts and Architecture,
also serves as an adviser to students, faculty, staff and administrators
on issues of diversity. She is currently chair of the Council of College
Directors of Minority Programs. She has been a member of that group since
1994 and has been chair of the College of Arts and Architecture Diversity
Committee since 1994.
In addition, Ellis serves on the University Faculty Senate Standing Subcommittee on General Education; is a member of the University Task Force on the Future of Benefits; the University Staff Focus Committee; and the Advisory Council for the vice provost for educational equity. Within the college, she serves on the Continuing and Distance Education Matrix Team and the Executive Council.
Ellis, who earned her doctorate in education and her master's in music, both from Penn State, is an accomplished clarinet player who began as an instructor at Penn State in 1981. From that position she moved on to become coordinator for recruitment and retention programs in the Office of Student Aid and in 1988 was named coordinator for client services in that office. From 1990-94, she served as academic adviser and instructor in the College of Health and Human Development and in 1997 was named an affiliate assistant professor in the School of Music, where she teaches clarinet technique.
Lakoski, who holds a doctorate in pharmacology from the University
of Iowa, Iowa City, came to The Hershey Medical Center in 1993. Her major
research interests involve cellular and molecular regulation of serotonin,
a hormone, and its interactions in the aging process -- particularly involving
the brain. In the past, Lakoski has received major financial support for
her research from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, Bristol-Myers
Co., the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Institute on Aging. She
has published extensively in her field and edited Methods in Cellular
and Molecular Neuropharmacology, a volume in a series published by CRC
Press Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla.
A member of numerous national committees, including the National Scientific Advisory Committee of the American Federation of Aging Research, Lakoski also is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience. She serves on a variety of University-wide committees, including the advisory board for the Gerontology Center and a program committee of the Life Sciences Consortium.
Lakoski has been named to Who's Who in Science and Engineering; and, from 1989-1994, received the Research Career Development Award from the National Institute on Aging. Before coming to Penn State, she was an adjunct member of the Marine Biomedical Institute at the University of Texas from 1988-93 and from 1984-92 served as assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology; In addition, from 1992-93, she was in the Department of Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
As part of her current responsibilities, Strauss is corporate
liaison for funding for the Pennypacker/Bunton-Waller undergraduate student
aid programs. She also oversees the programming budget for the Pennypacker
Experience and created and maintains a database for the Bunton-Waller program.
Previously, Strauss served as programs coordinator in the Division of Undergraduate Studies for the College of Education from 1993-95, where she was responsible for supervising the advising center staff and the Multicultural Task Force, and Enrollment Management Team. Before that, she was programs coordinator in the Eberly College of Science, and in 1991 was an adviser in DUS and an intern in the Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes, where she advised and counseled student-athletes on course selection and academic eligibility.
Strauss, also a doctoral student in social psychology at Penn State, has made numerous presentations on various topics related to undergraduate studies, has conducted research on student performance and retention, and is a volunteer for the Pennsylvania Special Olympics and the Centre County Senior Olympic Games.
The 1998-99 Administrative Fellows will begin their duties in their mentors' offices in the fall.