Ralph Peters, Fox News Commentator, will be speaking at Penn State Schuylkill on Monday November 15 at 7 p.m. in The John E.  Morgan Auditorium.  The title of his talk is, "A World of Trouble:  An Independent Look at Global Challenges."  The program is free and open to the public, however tickets are required and can be picked up at the Penn State Bookstore in the Student Center from M-TH 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m.to 3 p.m.  A book signing and reception will immediately follow the lecture.Mr. Peters' books are available for purchase in the Penn State Bookstore.

For more information please contact Jerry Bowman at 385-6152.

• A parent must have a Penn State User ID. Parents who do not have a current Penn State access account may obtain a "Friends of Penn State" account. Simply go to eLion and select "Parent/Other." Select "Create an Account" and follow the instructions to obtain a "Friends of Penn State" User ID.
• Parents must provide their Penn State User ID to their student.
• The student must grant their parent access in eLion by selecting "Parent/Other Access" on the left-hand menu, selecting "Continue," and following the instructions to grant access to the Grades and/or Student Schedule functions.

There's a quick and simple way to inform everyone on campus of an emergency.

Penn State Schuylkill encourages students, faculty and staff to enroll in PSUTXT, an easy and accessible system that lets them know via cell phone when classes are canceled due to weather conditions or if the campus has an emergency situation. Sign up now for PSUTXT and, when necessary, Penn State Schuylkill will send a text message alert directly to your cell phone and/or e-mail account.

To register, visit http://live.psu.edu/psutxt  to sign up.

Need help registering for PSUTXT? Click Here for Support from e2Campus

For assistance with PSUTXT service, please contact amountz@psu.edu.

The Problem-Oriented Animated Learning Modules for Introductory Computer Science (PALMS for CS1) project utilizes a set of multimedia learning modules and related tools to engage students and enhance their likelihood of success in both classes. IST students are required to take one of the two courses during their freshman year (CMPSC 121 also is a required course for Engineering and Computer Science majors). The PALMS for CS1 project was designed to improve student engagement and retention by enhancing the problem-solving skills of first-year students and by illustrating the applicability of computer science and IST to other fields.

The project's first module is focused on helping students to learn algorithms and basic problem-solving skills. The module's multimedia presentation integrates still images, audio, video, computer animations, interactive quizzes and screen recordings, and serves as the content mechanism for the first four weeks of both courses. The second module, which includes additional animated podcasts, quizzes and lab exercises for learning the C++ programming language, is used during the last 11 weeks of both courses. The PALMS project initially was introduced in fall 2008 and students have reported high levels of engagement with the tools. A more formal assessment of the effects of the project ongoing.

Currently, the project only is being used at Penn State's Schuylkill campus, though efforts are under way to expand it to other Penn State campuses and courses. The project has been supported by funding from the Penn State Schuylkill Advisory Board and the Penn State Schuylkill Faculty-Student Research Endowment.

As the healthcare industry begins a widespread shift to digital record-keeping and electronic information transfer, a growing need has emerged among employees of this industry to be more knowledgeable and skilled in information technology skills and practices.

The need exists for both healthcare professionals who must be knowledgeable in the processing, storage and retrieval of information, as well as for information technology professionals working in healthcare facilities, who should possess a working and current general knowledge of the healthcare industry.

Professionals working within these positions need to understand the complexities of digitally storing and transferring medical information to ensure that this information is accurate, protected and readily accessible when needed.

This is particularly true in Northeastern Pennsylvania where an older age demographic has created an increased need for a variety of health care facilities, as well as medical and technical professionals to staff and operate them.

To answer this growing need, Penn State Worthington Scranton’s Continuing Education department, in conjunction with three other area Penn State campuses, is now offering a Healthcare Informatics Certificate program.  This 19-credit certificate program, which begins this fall semester, provides the required insight into both professional areas to provide a well-rounded understanding and working knowledge of information technology use and how it pertains to the healthcare industry in particular.

This program is especially designed for individuals who would like to enter into the world of healthcare information management or those working exclusively in the information or healthcare fields that wish to broaden their education and understanding of healthcare informatics.

“This program has come about at the perfect time,” said John Drake, director of Worthington Scranton’s continuing education department.  “There has been vast growth within the information technology industry and, as the healthcare industry in our region begins to grow, use of this technology will surely increase.  As professional educators in our region, we want to make sure that we are helping the workforce in both of these industries prepare for this increased need and growing career field.”

Jane Ashton, Director of Continuing Education at Penn State Wilkes-Barre added, “This Healthcare Informatics Certificate program will give our Penn State Information Sciences and Technology graduates, current IT and health care professionals, and the general public an opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge about the healthcare industry that will enhance their resume and opportunities for employment,” said Jane Ashton, director of Continuing Education at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

In addition to Penn State Worthington Scranton and Penn State Wilkes-Barre, the Penn State Hazleton and Schuylkill campuses are partnering in the effort to offer this course, making it available throughout all of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

 “Partnering with the other Penn State campuses enables faculty and students to network regionally and to gain a regional perspective during the course of study,” said Mary Sacavage, Ph.D., Penn State Schuylkill’s Director of Continuing Education.

Sally McGuire, Penn State Director of Continuing Education at Penn State Hazleton, also stressed the advantages of collaborating with other regional campuses, particularly “our ability to offer programs at multiple locations using our video learning technology as well as face-to-face programming.”

For more information about this program, please contact: Penn State Hazleton Continuing Education (CE), 570-450-3053, sam34@psu.edu; Penn State Schuylkill CE, 570-385-6217, mus53@psu.edu; Penn State Wilkes-Barre CE, 570-675-9251, jua12@psu.edu; and Penn State Worthington Scranton CE, 570-963-2600, jcd15@psu.edu.

Penn State Schuylkill held an Adult Learner Open House on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 beginning at 2 pm in the Administration Building on campus.

Students were able to stop into the Administration Building anytime between 2 pm and 7 pm.  For more information, call Shannon Wabby at 570-385-6112 or smw29@psu.edu.

Ask about our 30+ scholarship and our new flexible BSB degree program!  Come see why Penn State Schuylkill is The Right Place for You!

"We are so pleased that a person of Dr. Sacavage's many years experience in higher education and as a community leader will be joining Penn State Schuylkill," said Hillkirk.

Sacavage comes to Penn State Schuylkill after more than 30 years in education and social services. Sacavage received a doctorate in administration and leadership studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2009. She also earned a master of education degree from Kutztown University and a bachelor of arts in social welfare from Albright College. Sacavage is currently the first vice president of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.

Penn State Schuylkill's Department of Continuing Education is part of Penn State Continuing Education (CE), which offers a venue for adults to return to the classroom. CE reaches more than 30,000 adult learners annually at Penn State campuses statewide. Continuing Education is part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education, serving more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 114 countries worldwide.

Green Campus Initiative

Schuylkill Campus Nittany Apartments are going GREEN .  The Schuylkill Campus Housing Department is asking all Nittany Apartment residents to their part and become more "green".  The University-wide initiative is called "Take Charge". (www.takecharge.psu.edu).

According to the website, there are many small changes we can make here that will have a long-lasting impact on the environment.  All residents are asking to consider some of these suggestion:

     **Turning off the water while you brush your teeth saves a gallon of water
     **Your computer monitor uses more energy than your hard drive, so putting your monitor to sleep will reduce electric use
     **If 5,000 students turn off their TV when not in use, 3.6 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions will be prevented - the same as taking 204 cars off of the road.  

Now for the fun part.  The Schuylkill Campus Housing Department is sponsoring a contest for the Nittany Apartments to see which building can conserve the most electricity for the months of February and March.  RA's will be stopping by apartments to tell residents more about the contest and to give students suggestions.  Staff will be comparing kilowatt use for the buildings from February and March of 2009 to kilowatt usage for February and March of 2010.  The winning building will win a PRIZE.  Results will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2010.

Dr. Anthony Leach, Associate Professor of Music and Music Education and 2009-2010 Laureate for Penn State University, will perform at Penn State Schuylkill Campus on Saturday, January 23, 2010. Dr. Leach will perform a concert, along with the Essence of Joy Choir, in the John E. Morgan Auditorium at 7:30 PM. Tickets are available in the Alumni Office, A 14A – Adults $5.00, Children, Students under 18 & Seniors $3.00, Penn State Schuylkill students $3.00 (refundable deposit). This is a public concert and all are invited!

A choral workshop will take place on Saturday, January 23, 2010 from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. This workshop is free, but you must register to participate.   To register, please contact Patricia Try Shoener, Alumni & Development Specialist, Penn State Schuylkill at pts11@psu.edu or 570-385-6262.

In addition, the Essence of Joy will perform during a worship service being held on campus Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 10:00 AM in the Morgan Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

1). You will need your pin number and a parent pin number.  Available at www.pin.ed.gov

2). You will need either completed taxes or the last pay stub for both you and your parents.