High-level academic and athletic performance continues to serve as a staple of Kutztown University. On Tuesday, July 9, 174 Golden Bear student-athletes were named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes for the 2018-19 academic year. Kutztown produced a school-record 181 honorees last year and valiantly backed that number up this year with its second-highest total ever. More than 100 Golden Bear student-athletes have earned PSAC Scholar-Athlete recognition in each of the last 13 years. Student-athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher at the completion of the most recent academic year to be eligible for PSAC Scholar-Athlete status. The PSAC's 18 institutions combined to produce 3,061 Scholar-Athletes, totaling 42% of the student-athlete population. Both numbers break previous conference records of 2,934 and 41% set just one year ago. The league has registered better than a 30% rate for 10 straight years. From Kutztown, 127 female student-athletes were honored, more than 61% of the female varsity student-athlete population. Just under 25% of the Golden Bear male student-athlete population qualified for Scholar-Athlete status with 51 honorees.

Kutztown University has conferred degrees for nearly 1,300 students for the Spring 2019 semester. Kutztown University announces degree conferment twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. Commencement exercises are held in May and December; however, students finish the requirements for graduation throughout the entire year. The following students have been awarded degrees following the spring 2019 semester. The cumulative grade point average necessary for honors distinction is: with honor (cum laude) 3.40; with high honor (magna cum laude) 3.60 and with highest honor (summa cum laude) 3.80. Students listed multiple times have been awarded more than one degree.

Tamara Jennings made history, Tuesday, as the first Kutztown University softball student-athlete to be named a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's Spring Top 10 Award winner. Jennings, who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in computer science in May, turned in the best season of her career in helping lead the Golden Bears to 36 victories and a spot in the PSAC Championship tournament. The Philadelphian compiled a .416 batting average with 72 hits, 50 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 51 runs batted and 14 stolen bases in across 56 games, setting career-highs in every category. Jennings also had a .458 on base percentage, .647 slugging percentage and .981 fielding percentage. Jennings led the PSAC with eight sacrifice flies, while ranking third in RBIs, fourth in runs scored and fourth in hits. She was also amongst the conference leaders in batting average (ninth), slugging percentage (ninth), stolen bases (ninth) and at-bats (10th, 173). For her on-field work, Jennings earned All-PSAC East, National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region First Team, Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region First Team and D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention honors. The outfielder's combination of on-field and classroom performance led to spots on the Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team and Academic All-America Third Team. Jennings and teammate Sara Keeny were the softball program's first Academic All-Americans. Jennings received the Kutztown University Honors Program Award and Computer Science/Technology Award in 2019. She will be named a PSAC Scholar-Athlete for the fourth time and NFCA Scholar-Athlete for the third time later this summer. Jennings, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), will begin work towards her Master of Science at Kutztown this fall. She is enrolled in the five-year computer science/information technology combined M.S./B.S. program. Tuesday's announcement gives Kutztown a female Top 10 recipient for the second year in a row. Jennings is KU's eighth female Spring Top 10 winner and 21st female Top 10 honoree since the awards were initiated during the 1997-98 academic year. The Top 10 Awards, selected by the PSAC's sports information directors, recognize student-athletes who distinguish themselves in the classroom, as well as in the arena of competition. The conference designates Top 10 Award winners after each of the sports seasons: fall, winter and spring. To be a candidate for the Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials.

Kutztown University is pleased to welcome the newest members of the Golden Bear family, including both new incoming freshmen and transfer students.

Kutztown University inducted 12 students into the Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society for physics at its induction ceremony this spring. Sigma Pi Sigma exists to honor outstanding scholarship in physics; to encourage interest in physics among students at all levels; to promote an attitude of service of its members towards their fellow students, colleagues, and the public; to provide a fellowship of persons who have excelled in physics. Sigma Pi Sigma's mission is not completed in the induction ceremony with the recognition of academic accomplishment. In the four dimensions of Honor, Encouragement, Service, and Fellowship, the mission of Sigma Pi Sigma takes a longer view.

Recent Kutztown University graduate Tommy Biltcliff joins the Patriot League's multimedia staff as a finalist in two categories for a Sports Video Group (SVG) 2019 College Sports Media Award. Biltcliff graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in cinema, television and media production. This year's winners will be announced at the 11th annual College Sports Media Awards Ceremony on May 30, at the SVG College Summit in Atlanta hosted by Jen Lada, ESPN host and reporter. Representing a variety of college athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies and students, award finalists are named across four divisions in a total of 20 categories.

More than 1,750 students have been named to the Spring 2019 Dean's List at Kutztown University. To be eligible for the Dean's List, an undergraduate student must be registered for at least 12 credits and have a minimum grade point average of 3.60.

Two juniors from the Kutztown University Department of Communication Design (KUCD) were recently named winners in the Society of Publication Designers (SPD) 2019 Student Design Competition. Keri Stefkovich of Vernon, N.J. received sixth place for her feature spread on the END IT Movement, and Heather Leiby of Lancaster, Pa. received an honorable mention for her feature spread on hot cocoa. Stefkovich and Leiby worked hard to not only create intricate layouts for their features, but also each shot original photography and created hand-drawn typographic solutions for their spreads - a highly impressive feat. This year's competition required students to design feature spreads that aligned with the competition categories such as News Magazine, How-To Magazine and Fashion/Lifestyle Magazine. Competition judges included Sarah Garcea, art director of Inc.; Rob Hewitt, creative director of Dwell; Nathalie Kirsheh, creative director of Allure, Glamour, Self; Tala Safie, lead designer of AIGA Eye on Design; and Mike Schnaidt, creative director of Fast Company. Since 1965, the SPD's mission has been to empower the future of visual storytelling and set the standard for editorial excellence by bringing together and supporting the most talented creative individuals across all platforms and disciplines to learn, inspire and collaborate. The SPD includes anyone contributing to the creation of visual stories, from art directors to coders and data miners, from major publications to independent zines, and from seasoned professionals to students.

Governor Tom Wolf has named Uttam Paudel student trustee on the Kutztown University Council of Trustees. Paudel, of Kutztown, Pa., is a junior political science major and double economics and software development minor. Originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, he is fluent in four languages and well-versed in data analysis. During his time at KU, Paudel has presented at five conferences, represented Nepal and Kutztown at the UN World Youth Forum, made the Dean's List multiple times and received a KU BEARS grant to research the Twitter presence and influence of labor unions. He currently serves as a campus tour guide, KU Presidential Ambassador and Admissions liaison officer at the New Students Orientation office. "I am humbled by this great honor of representing Kutztown students and being their voice at the Council of Trustees," Paudel said. "Working closely with Admissions has informed me of what current students, prospective students and parents admire most about Kutztown, as well as what we can do better. My first priority is to use these perspectives in Council decisions to help boost our retention and enrollment rates. I intend to focus on plans that emphasize the efficiency and enhancement of campus resources so that we continue to provide excellent service to thousands of students." The Council of Trustees, the governing body of the university, is composed of an 11-member board, one of whom is an undergraduate student. Students are nominated by the Council of Trustees, reviewed by the chancellor and then confirmed by the governor. The Student Trustee is a full voting member.

Two Kutztown University students have been named as award recipients representing KU's Honors Program during this summer's Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Honors Summer Study Abroad Program. Hosted by Bloomsburg University, junior anthropology major Kierra MacLeod and junior communication design major Morgan Nadin will visit various countries throughout Central Europe. During this year's trip, honors students from throughout the State System will be based at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and visit sites in Poland, Budapest and the Czech Republic. Students will take classes in "The European Jewish Experience: A Sociocultural Perspective," "The History of Architecture" and "Introduction to Central and Eastern Europe." The summer 2018 Honors Study Abroad Trip was to Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Students are selected for the PASSHE Summer Honors Study Abroad Program through a competitive application process every spring. Each student receives a full scholarship covering the cost of tuition, room and board, travel and required field trips to the selected destination that year. To be eligible to apply, a participant must be an undergraduate student at a PASSHE university and a member in good standing of the nominating institution's Honors Program. He or she must also have completed a minimum of 30 credits of coursework at a PASSHE school and must be returning to the nominating university the following fall.

Kutztown University students Aleska Gonzalez of Allentown, Pa., and Eric Schulden of Fredericksburg, Pa., have been selected for a 15-week internship program, sponsored by Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. Gonzalez is working for the Office of Public Engagement in the Office of Attorney General and Schulden is working for the state Department of Environmental Protection and Governor's Policy Office. The two are part of 12 students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program, which provides students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester's worth of credits. THIS invites students from each of the State System universities to participate. Students participating in the program also will attend several academic seminars during their spring semester internship. Each of the students will complete an individualized research project as part of the program's requirements. Gonzalez is a senior public administration major, with minors in paralegal studies and political science. She is the daughter of Jeanette and Miguel Gonzalez and a 2013 graduate of William Allen High School. Schulden is a senior political science and paralegal studies major, with a minor in international relations. He is the son of Anton and Susan Schulden and a 2015 graduate of Northern Lebanon High School. More than 600 students from the State System universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989, each gaining valuable insight into the workings of state government at the policy-making level. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the offices of the governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the attorney general. State System students interested in participating in THIS in a future semester may obtain information on the program by contacting their individual campus coordinator or their university's cooperative or internship office, or by calling the Dixon University Center at (717) 720-4089. More information on the program also is available at: www.passhe.edu/this.

Twins Ian and Ilijah Denny, East Stroudsburg, Pa., and Kaitlyn Dougher, Saylorsburg, Pa., have been named drum majors of the 2017 Kutztown University Marching Unit. Ian Denny is a music major while twin brother Ilijah is also majoring in music and carries a social work minor. Dougher is a studio art, photography major with minors in art history, music and jazz studies. All three are seniors. Founded in 1934, the Kutztown University Marching Unit is comprised of 150 students under the direction of Professor Dan Neuenschwander. The marching unit is open to any KU student, regardless of their field of study.

Destiny Fisher has been named the Kutztown University campus organizer for the national It's On Us campaign. Fisher, of Philadelphia, Pa., is a senior communication studies major with a minor in public relations. She has served as president of the Black Flame Dance Team and is a volunteer at the Kutztown University Women's Center and GLBTQ Resource Center. As a campus organizers, Fisher serves as a mentor and point of contact for It's On Us initiatives on the KU campus. She will establish individual goals and motivate campus constituencies to rally around addressing the issue of sexual violence.

Two Kutztown University students have been selected to receive the Pennsylvania Art Education Association Fellows Clyde M. McGeary Scholarship. Logan Hanning, a senior from Honey Brook, Chester County, Pa., and Kristen Fessler, a senior from Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pa., will receive the award at the annual PAEA conference next month in Pittsburgh. The scholarship is offered to students that uphold excellence within the study of art education. The PAEA Fellows Clyde M. McGeary Scholarships Program presents annual scholarships to art education students in Pennsylvania colleges and universities. Cash value of the scholarships is determined by the income produced by the endowment and the number of scholarships that are awarded in any given year. Historically, at least two scholarships have been presented at each PAEA Annual Conference.

Three Kutztown University students took their research to the Pa. state capital on April 25. Danielle Cannon, Carly Plesic and Austin Stoudt participated in the annual Undergraduate Research at the Capital event.

The Career Development Center offers two career development certificates each year that helps students become stronger, more confident & successful students and future employees. The Freshman/Sophomore Exploration certificate allow students to gain a greater understanding of themselves and the career development process. The Junior/Senior Success certificate allows students to gain a greater understanding of themselves, employer expectations, effective job search strategies and interview skills,

Kutztown University students Rob Pallett and Ike Okorji won first place in the "Berks' Got Talent" competition held at Reading Area Community College. It is the first time KU has won the competition in its 10-year history. Best friends since their freshmen year, Okorji and Pallett, performed vocals and on guitar to defeat musicians and performers from Albright, Alvernia, Penn State Berks, Penn State Schuylkill and RACC. Both are frequent participants at Open Mic Nights, KUsic and other talent shows.

Kutztown University has honored 21 students with the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges award. Honorees were selected based upon criteria in the following categories: academic achievement, leadership involvement, commitment to volunteer efforts, and commitment to social action. Honorees must have a cumulative grade point average above a 3.25 and a minimum of 75 credits to be considered.