Akron City Council’s newest member is PAUS Interim Chairman Dr. Raymond Cox III. Raymond, who was seated Feb. 2, will serve out the remaining term of former Ward 8 Council Bob Keith, who resigned recently to take the position of council clerk. Congratulations Raymond! You can read about it in the Akron Beacon Journal at http://www.ohio.com/news/38844932.html.
Dr. Ramona Ortega has been appointed to the newly created University Diversity Council. She is one of fifteen members of the university community who have been asked to provide ideas regarding campus-wide diversity issues. Reconstituting the Diversity Council is one of six goals set in 2008 by Lee A. Gill, J.D., Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Equity/Chief Diversity Officer to foster diversity and inclusive excellence.
Recent MPA graduate Ed Stazyk (2006) is nearing completion of his PhD at Kansas University. Ed recently announced that he has accepted a tenure track faculty position at American University. He will be starting in fall 2009. Congratulations Ed! you can read more about what is going on with Ed at his UK Web site: http://ecstazyk.com/default.aspx.
The International City/County Management Association recently notified MPA Student Tom Reynolds that he has been selected as a finalist in the ICMA’s local government management fellowship program. During the next couple of months, Tom will be interviewing with cities around the country in hopes of receiving one of the coveted fellowships. Congratulations Tom!
The Golden Key International Honour Society inducted PAUS PhD students Keba Scylla and Steven Wright into their esteemed ranks on Sunday, November 9th. Golden Key International Honour Society, founded on 29 November 1977, is an academic society that recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement and excellence among college and university students from all academic disciplines. Congratulations Keba and Steven!
Members of PAUSSA joined fellow students, campus employees, and citizen volunteers on October 25 for a day of community service as part of Make-a-Difference Day. Students engaged in service projects such as painting, working with older adults, landscaping, and street cleaning. The day began on campus with a light breakfast before students, sporting matching t-shirts, loaded buses to go out to various service sites in University Park and the greater Akron community. PAUSSA students painted and wallpapered a center for older adults in the Manchester area. The event seemed to be a great success. PAUSSA students were happy to have lent a helping hand and to have made a difference that Saturday.
Welcome all new students, and welcome back all returning students. The halls will be bustling this semester with the addition of 50 new students to the department’s graduate programs. This semester continues an upward trend in enrollment for the department.
There are two new faces to be found among the faculty and administration in the department. We welcome Associate Dean Annabelle Foos, who is serving as interim chairperson. Dr. Foos will be in late afternoons and can be found in the corner office nearest the main entrance to the department. We also welcome Annemarie Scarisbrick-Hauser, who is serving in the role of visiting assistant professor.
You may notice that two regular faces around the department are missing. Dr. Ramona Ortega-Liston is on sabbatical for the semester. She will return in January. Also, as mentioned earlier in the newsletter, Dr. Ralph Hummel retired in May. There are reports that he can be found sailing off the coast of Maine.
A free workshop titled “Organizing and Managing Your Life as a Student” will be held 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, in Polsky 462. The workshop will help students understand what, how, and how much time to plan for their activities, including recreation. It will address setting both long- and short-term goals so that busy students can make the most of their time. This workshop will be hosted by the Department of Developmental Programs and is open to all members of the campus community. For more information, please contact Shawn Bixler at sbixler@uakron.edu or ext. 5482.
Dr. RaJade M. Berry-James was the invited keynote speaker at The Educational Opportunity Fund Professional Association of New Jersey, 38th Annual Spring Conference, Commission on Higher Education Student Leadership Conference and Graduate Awardee Luncheon. This year’s event was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 17, 2008. Dr. Berry-James’ comments were centered around her professional mantra, “S/he Who Learns, Teaches“.
Dr. Rajade M. Berry-James and Ph.D. students Nichole Bunner, Juanita Elton, and Rosa Githiora presented their paper titled “Our Journey Toward Cultural Competence — Color Blind vs. Color Conscience” at the Annual National Conference on Diversity, Race and Learning, held May 6, 2008 at Ohio State University.