Intercom Online......May 18, 2000

Oh, happy day

Sharing the excitement of being Penn State graduates (at left) are Sloane Miller and Courtney Schmidt, both from the College of Health and Human Development. The two participated in the ceremony for the college held at The Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus on May 13. Over the May 12-14 weekend, 8,431 students systemwide were graduated. About 6,230 of those graduating were receiving bachelor's degrees.

At commencement ceremonies for the College of Communication, held in Eisenhower Auditorium, one happy graduate waves proudly to friends and family after receiving a handshake and diploma from University President Graham B. Spanier (third from right). Photos: Greg Grieco

One graduate (above) sends his appreciation to his parents via his mortarboard.

Commencement brought Penn Stater
to campus for the first time

This past weekend 52-year-old Marie Bang traveled from the state of Washington to State College to celebrate her niece's graduation from Penn State. What made Bang's trip different from the thousands who gathered at the University for commencement is that the trip marked the first opportunity Bang had to meet her own professors and advisers face-to-face. Bang is enrolled at a distance in the Dietetic Food Systems Management (DSM) Program through Penn State's World Campus. Penn State is the only university to offer this program at a distance.

For more than 20 years, the DSM program has provided distance education through first print and now online media under the leadership of Bang's adviser Ellen Barbrow, director of the program.

"I love being a Penn Stater," said Bang, who works for a public health educator in Women, Infant and Children (WIC) nutrition programs. "There are a lot of Penn Staters in my family, so it's part of our family tradition."

Along with herself and two of her nieces, Bang's husband, sister-in-law and many friends are all Penn State alumni. Although her World Campus program does not require her ever to step foot on campus, Bang viewed her recent trip as the happy return of a former student as well.

Bang first enrolled at Penn State New Kensington 25 years ago, but the challenge of going to school full-time and raising two children was too much.

"The first time I went to Penn State, I was only 27 and, having just moved here from Chile, my English was not very good. I knew that I liked nutrition, but I was not as sure about it as I am now. Now, I love it. When you're 52-years-old, you take things a lot more seriously. Now I am studying because I want to help people and to learn more about how to improve nutrition and health," she said.

The program suits Bang well, since there is a requirement that students work in a clinical environment while taking classes.

Barbrow is proud of students, like Bang, who take on the sometimes difficult task of learning at a distance. A recent report on results of the Dietetic Technician Registration Exam from American College Testing (ACT), shows that Penn State grads achieved a 100 percent pass rate, and their scores were considerably higher than the national average in the two major areas of food and nutrition and food service systems management.

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