Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown University inducted 26 students into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest, largest and most selective collegiate honor society that inducts persons from every academic discipline. Established in 1897, distinguished junior and senior level students join a century-old community of scholars and professionals that includes individuals who have distinguished themselves in positions of leadership and whose careers have been characterized by achievement.

10 members of the Kutztown University track & field teams earned All-Region status across 11 events, announced on Tuesday, Feb. 26, from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), KU's most in a season since 2013. Last year KU sported eight All-Region honorees. These honors cap off a successful week for head coach Ray Hoffman and both men's and women's programs. The Golden Bear women won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship last weekend, the program's fourth title and first since 2006. The KU men finished third overall, its best finish since 2012. To earn All-Region honors, an athlete must be one of the top-five individuals in their event in their respective region. In addition, each member of a region's top-three relay teams was also selected for the distinction. The eight regions used in NCAA DII are the Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West. The 10 student-athletes are KU's most since it also reached that number during 2013. Kelly Groth (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) received the nod for two events, both the 60m and 200m. She was the lone representative on the track. In the field, Taye Dairo (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), Becca Hemingway (Perkiomenville, Pa./Boyertown Area) and Caleb Baukman (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) earned All-Region honors in the high jump, while another trio of Ally Tama (Towanda, Pa./Towanda Area), Katie Seegert (Old Saybrook, Conn./Old Saybrook) and Xavier Feliciano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett (Immaculata)) received recognition in the pole vault. The duo of Ashley Petre (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and EJ Umoh (Bear, Del./Appoquinimink (Lock Haven)) were named in the weight throw. Tommy Oliver (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) rounded out the group by earning All-Region in the heptathlon. Petre is the only Golden Bear to earn the distinction before. At PSACs last Saturday, Feb. 23, Groth's new school-record of 7.70 in winning the 60m, and then placing second in the 200m brought her into All-Region status for the first time in her career. Dairo won the high jump in a PR of 1.69m (5-6.50), third all-time at KU, while Hemingway finished third at 1.63m (5-4.25). Petre was second in the weight throw with a career-best throw of 16.76 (55-0), fourth all-time in KU history. Both Tama and Seegert each had personal-best and NCAA-Provisional marks of 3.65m (11-11.75) in the pole vault at KU's Last Chance Invite on Feb. 15. For the men, Umoh posted an NCAA-Provisional in the weight throw of 18.16m (59-07.00), second all-time, at the Last Chance Invite. Feliciano also had a Provisional mark at the event, clearing 4.85m (15-11.00), eighth at KU, in the pole vault. Baukman finished third in the high jump at PSACs with a PR of 1.99m (6-6.25), seventh all-time in program lore. Oliver had a career-best finish of second in the heptathlon at the PSAC Championships. The outdoor season for the Golden Bears begins on Thursday, March 14, at the 49er Classic in Charlotte, N.C.

Junior Kelly Groth of the Kutztown University women's track and field team has had a knack for setting school-record in her track events this season. She was at it again as her 7.70 in the 60m won the event and set a new school-record joining freshman Taye Dairo as first-place winners in leading KU to the 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Championship Saturday at Edinboro University. It is the fourth title for Kutztown and first since 2006. Groth won the PSAC's Most Outstanding Runner. Groth and Dairo now join their current teammate Meghan Forsythe as Indoor PSAC Champions. Forsythe won the 400m at last year's championships. Groth had a successful day, also running in the 4x4 relay team with Ashley Stewart, Forsythe and Tishun Graham that took home the gold. Groth also took home silver in the 200m. Dairo won the high jump in a career-best jump of 1.69m (5-6.50), which is third all-time at KU. A total of eight Golden Bears achieved career-bests Saturday, and five more found themselves with top-10 marks in program history. Kira Solt, who finished seventh in the pentathlon with a career-high 2914 points, also had a career-best time of 9.07 in the 60m hurdles prelims, which is tied for fourth all-time in KU lore. Joanne Mason was at the top of the leaderboard after the prelims at 9.05, and finished fifth after the final at 9.13. The 4x8 relay team of Stephanie Bresadola, Julie Stratton, Lindsay Hoffman and Julia Wiemken crossed the finish line in second at a time of 9:36.05 which sneaks into the top-10 at 10th. Ashley Petre also won silver in the weight throw with a career-high throw of 16.76m (55-0), fourth in school-history. Amanda Ferraro and Lindsay Smyth both had career-bests in the 3000m and 5000m respectively, and Kathleen Silverman posted a PR of 3.15m (10-4) in the pole vault.

Junior EJ Umoh of the Kutztown University men's track and field team had the furthest throw of the group of 18 competitors in the weight throw to win the event in highlighting KU's third-place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) 2019 Indoor Championships at Edinboro University Saturday in a shortened one-day event. Kutztown had its highest finish at PSACs since placing third in 2012. Umoh becomes Kutztown's first individual indoor PSAC champion since 2016, throwing for a winning mark of 17.34m (56-10.75) to lead a group of a team-high five Golden Bears competing in the event.

Seventh-ranked Kutztown University wrestling claimed three regional champions for the first time in program history and qualified four wrestlers for nationals in capturing a second-place team finish at the NCAA Division II Super Region I Championships on Saturday, Feb. 23, at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa. The nationally-ranked trio of T.C. Warner (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Bloomsburg)) (174 lbs.), Jeff Reimel (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) (184 lbs.) and Andrew Dunn Jr. (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (Virginia Tech)) (285 lbs.), each of whom was the top seed in their respective weight class, brought home regional titles and redshirt-sophomore Joe Renne (Great Meadows, N.J./Hackettstown) wrestled back through the consolation bracket to secure the third and final national qualifying spot at 125 lbs. KU will be sending four wrestlers to nationals for the fifth time since 2012 and featured multiple regional champions for the first time since 2011 when Austin Williams and John Paukovits were weight class winners at the inaugural Super Region I Championships. Warner's undefeated season rolled on with three victories to take the 174-pound bracket. The senior from Mechanicsburg, ranked fourth in the nation by the NWCA, registered a 5-0 shutout of seventh-ranked Mike Raccioppi (East Stroudsburg) in the finals. It was Warner's second victory over Raccioppi in two weeks. Warner got his tournament off to a commanding start with a 41-second pin of American International's Ahmad Sharif and locked up a return to nationals for the first time since 2017 with a 6-2 decision over Pitt-Johnstown's Steven Edwards in the semifinals. Top-ranked Jeff Reimel (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) matched his senior classmate in remaining unbeaten on the season. Reimel was also out to send a message, advancing to the semifinals with a 1:00 pin of Shippensburg's Ryan Narber. The Lansdale native downed Gannon's Joel Leise, 10-4, in the semifinals and roared past Pitt-Johnstown's Brock Biddle, 9-2, in the championship bout. Reimel will be making his third consecutive trip to nationals after an All-America fifth-place showing at 184 lbs. last spring. Redshirt sophomore Andrew Dunn Jr. (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (Virginia Tech)), ranked No. 4 nationally at 285, put together two major decisions before supplying some late match heroics in the final. The Virginia Tech transfer beat American International's Ray Sherwood, 15-7, in the quarterfinals to become the first KU wrestler with 20 wins this season. Dunn Jr. would dispose of Millersville's David Wuestner, 12-3, in the semifinals and used a late third period takedown to win the super regional title over Shippensburg's Derek Berberick, 3-2. The Bethlehem native is now 22-2 on the season and a perfect 20-0 against DII competition. Renne was the surprise of the tournament for the Golden Bears. The grappler from Great Meadows, New Jersey, brought a 7-8 record into the weekend and was unranked in the region. After taking a 3-1 defeat to Gannon's Jacob Dunlap in the quarterfinals, Renne responded with a 17-2 (5:32) technical fall over East Stroudsburg's Nick Reto and a 2:55 pin of Seton Hill's Derrick Chandler-Christie to reach the consolation final. Renne stepped up to the challenge of defeating Mercyhurst's Jacob Ruggeri in his home gym with a 10-4 decision to secure his first berth at nationals. The Golden Bears were second in the team standings with 102 points, behind only nationally-ranked No. 6 Pitt-Johnstown (141 pts.). Gannon took third (94), with Mercyhurst fourth (93.5) and Seton Hill fifth (72). Dunn Jr., Reimel, Renne and Warner will compete at the NCAA Division II Championships in Cleveland on March 8-9.

Kutztown University student Benjamin Winn has won an honorable mention in the Draw The Lines (DTL) PA statewide legislative mapping contest. Winn entered in the higher education age category for the central region, where Pennsylvania native Elise Lashinsky of Mercyhurst University took first place. A 22-year-old senior, Winn is studying communications and political science. He resides in Palmerton, Pa., and is currently pursuing admission to graduate programs for political science and policymaking. Winn is a supporter of anti-gerrymandering actions such as those from Draw The Lines, as well as workers' rights, environmentalism and reducing the wealth gap. Winn hopes to enter the political world as an elected official, consultant or lobbyist following his higher education. 20 Pennsylvania voters and students won top regional honors in the mapping competition, which was the largest in the nation's history. These winners each drew an 18-district congressional map of Pennsylvania and wrote an accompanying essay on how they did it. First place winners in their region and age group received $500 while second place received $250. All maps and their scores may be viewed here by clicking "Enter as a guest", then clicking on the "Shared" button under "Type of Map." Each winner now has a chance to become one of Draw the Lines' six statewide honorees. State champions in each of three age categories - youth, higher education and adult - will win $4,500. The runner-up in each age group will receive $2,000. DTL is a statewide civic education and engagement campaign surrounding the redistricting process and gerrymandering. A project of the Committee of Seventy, DTL is a government nonprofit based in Philadelphia. Each DTL region has its own nonpartisan steering committee made up of civic, education and business leaders from that region. The project puts into the hands of Pennsylvanians, digital tools that allow DTL participants to learn how to draw maps - just as politicians have for decades. For a complete list of winners please visit the Draw the Lines website.

Kutztown University will have 20 student-athletes representing its softball program for the 2019 season. KU closed the book on 2018 and is ready to write new chapters during the 2019 season with plenty of talented and experienced players returning and an exciting group of new faces. Last season did not go as planned on the field for the Golden Bears, who finished 16-21 overall, just the second season below the .500 mark in the last 34 years. But the pieces are in place to return back to the top of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and the Atlantic Region. KU returns six field-position players, including its entire outfield, and two of its starting pitchers that started in the regular season finale last season. Those returning players, plus a talented group of newcomers gives 32-year head coach Judy Lawes plenty of options and lineup flexibility. Read the full season preview online: https://kubears.com/news/2019/2/1/season-preview-kutztown-softball-looking-forward-to-2019-season.aspx

Kutztown University has conferred degrees for more than 450 students for the Fall 2018 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 fall 2018 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. Students who have requested privacy (FERPA) are not listed publicly.

Grant Fickes, a senior mathematics major at Kutztown University, gave three presentations at the Joint Mathematics Meetings, the largest national mathematics conference. This year's conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland, January 16-19. Fickes' presentations covered his collaborative work with associate professor Wing Hong Tony Wong, as well as his research from the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) that he participated in last summer.

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.

109 juniors and seniors at Kutztown University have completed a Career Success Certificate for the Fall 2018 semester. The Career Success Certificate is open to all juniors and seniors. Students gain a greater understanding of themselves, employer expectations, effective job search strategies, interviewing skills and the role of social media in the hiring process. They will also be better prepared to conduct the internship, job, or graduate school search.

Kutztown University has issued Career Exploration Certificates to 41 students for the 2018 fall semester. The Career Exploration Certificate is open to all freshmen and sophomore students. Students gain a greater understanding of themselves and the career development process. They will be better prepared to choose/confirm a major, research careers, gain related experience through informational interviewing and job shadowing experiences, and plan for a successful internship/professional job or graduate school search.

For the second straight year, juniors Mackenzie Fuhrman and Kyra Wozniak of the ninth-ranked Kutztown University field hockey team earned All-America honors for their standout play on the field this season, as released by National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Monday afternoon.

Kutztown University student Daniel Johns of Orwigsburg, Pa., presented his research at the 233rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Tuesday, Jan. 8, in Seattle. Johns, a senior in the physical sciences department, presented his contributed research titled, "Revised Exoplanet Radii and Habitability Using Gaia Data Release 2".

More than 1,740 students have been named to the Fall 2018 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.

More than 170 Kutztown University students have been inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) as part of the December 2018 class. To be inducted at KU, students must attend an orientation, a three-hour leadership training seminar, three success networking team meetings and three speaker broadcasts featuring leading figures delivering success-related messages to members.

Kutztown University will have 92 student-athletes representing its track & field program for the 2018-19 season.

The Kutztown University women's lacrosse team appointed its team leaders heading into the upcoming 2019 season. Seniors Lauren Schmidt, Emily Smith and Jordan Klebe received the honor given by head coach Jackie Stezzi and her staff.

Nearly 500 students will be awarded degrees during Kutztown University's fall commencement on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 9 a.m. in O'Pake Fieldhouse. Dr. Kenneth Hawkinson, university president, and Dr. Anne Zayaitz, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, will preside. Two graduating seniors and one faculty member will speak at the ceremony. Colin A. Quinn will serve as the graduate speaker, Kylin N. Camburn will serve as the undergraduate speaker and Dr. Dina M. Hayduk, professor of sport management and leadership studies, will serve as the faculty speaker.

Kutztown University has conferred degrees on more than 1,225 students during the winter and spring semesters. 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 cumulative grade point average necessary for honor 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.

Morganne Bennett, an education of the visually impaired major in her junior year at Kutztown University, is spending her spare time in the lab this semester.

Nearly 1,700 students have been named to the Spring 2018 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.

Tyler Stoney, of Blandon, Pa., has been named the 2017-2018 winner of the $1000 Liquid Interactive Award for Achievement in Data Analytics at Kutztown University. Tyler's project, "Data Mining Charities," set out to determine whether there is a correlation between the type of a charity in terms of class of recipients, and its effectiveness in distributing funds to recipients.

Sara Wingert, a senior anthropology major from Lehighton, Pa., has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Sara's research allowed her to replicate stone and wooden tipped spears to assist her in learning about past cultures way of life. The research was done to aid archaeologists with documentation of bow and arrow use in different parts of the world. Sara has also completed the Pennsylvania German Studies Minor and was one of the first recipients of the KU Bears research grant. She has served as a Presidential Ambassador and in the fall of 2016, gave a presentation about the summer archaeological field school to the Kutztown University Council of Trustees. She is Kutztown University's nominee for the Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence in the PaSSHE system, an award granted to one graduating senior within the PaSSHE system. In the future, Sara plans to attend University College Dublin, where she was awarded a scholarship, for their program in experimental archaeology and material culture.

Tiffany Visgaitis, a senior physics and astronomy major from Whitehall, Pa., has been awarded the Gold Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award in the category of successfully completed research projects. Tiffany used the on-campus observatory telescope to co-discover two new exoplanets as well as co-authoring two peer reviewed professional publications detailing the discoveries. Tiffany also attended a conference where she presented her research and participated in workshops intended for graduate students. She also recently traveled to Italy where she worked on a computer code used in exoplanet discovery and presented the work she did there at the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Her work on exoplanet detection has been ongoing for three years now since spring of 2015. She has been on the Dean's List every semester since fall 2015, received the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean's Scholar Award in spring 2016, and is the recipient of the Deborah A. James Women in Physics Scholarship for the 2017-2018 school year. In the future, Tiffany plans to attend graduate school and earn a Ph.D. in astrophysics and has already been offered a position in the Case Western Reserve University program.

Fikir D. Wordofa a senior biology and psychology major with minors in bio-chemistry and bioethics, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. She is currently working on a historical/ biological research project focused on the efficacy of Ethiopian traditional medicine. Fikir held an internship with Reading Hospital during which she played a key role in a research project. She started her long term research project while she was still in high school. The research could have a major impact on medical care in Ethiopia where traditional medicine is commonly used. She has been a member of the Kutztown University Honors Program, on the Dean's List, and a KU Health Ambassador since fall 2014. In the future, Fikir plans on attending medical school and has already been accepted into Temple University's program. Once becoming a doctor, she plans to set up programs that combine traditional and western medicine to best treat the ill in Ethiopia.

Matthew Harris, a senior history major from Pine Grove, Pa., has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Matt wrote a paper focused on the topic of what would happen to freed slaves after the Civil War. He is also completing research that examines U.S. military burial ceremonies and customs. Matthew has presented four papers, at local, regional, and national conferences and has also held an internship with the Kutztown Area Historical Society where he digitized and indexed its publications. He is also a part of the honors program and the National History Honorary Society, Phi Alpha Theta. In the future, Matthew plans to obtain an advanced degree in history and has already been accepted into Temple University's program.

Margot Shrift, a senior environmental science and biology major from New Philadelphia, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Her research was focused on species richness and diversity of plant-dwelling spiders which won an award for the quality of the presentation at the Commonwealth of Undergraduate Biologists Conference in April 2017. In the summer of 2017 she earned a position at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem, Millbrook, New York. Margot has also volunteered at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and has assisted in the removal of invasive understory plants. She has been awarded the KU Star Student Award as well as the National Science Foundation KU STEM Tuition Scholarship Award.

Shannon Golden, a senior mathematics and secondary education major from Allentown, Pa., has been awarded the Silver Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Shannon has conducted research as a part of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at Lafayette College. She has presented research related to her work at the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program and at the Algebraic and Extremal Graph Theory, an international conference held at the University of Delaware. Shannon has also presented her work in San Diego at the Joint Mathematics Meeting. She has also worked with others to prepare a paper which will be submitted to a peer reviewed journal, Discrete Mathematics. She is a member of the Kappa Mu Epsilon National mathematics Honor Society as well as the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. In the future, Shannon plans to attend graduate school where she will pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Jenna Ruoss, a senior biology and environmental science major from Wernersville, Pa., has been awarded the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award for successfully completed research projects. Jenna has worked with two professors on different projects. In her research, Jenna explored what terrestrial vertebrates were visiting local streams and contributing to the diversity of parasitic worms cycling through the animal community. In March 2018, she presented the results of her research at the 7th International Symposium on Cecidology in Taiwan and is also one of two students to present at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Harrisburg. Jenna has been on Dean's List every semester she has been here at KU. In the future, she plans on continuing her education and has applied to the PhD program at Ball State University.