Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Samantha Kronstadt, a graduate student at Kutztown University receiving her Master of Education specializing in student affairs in higher education at graduation this May, has won the National Career Development Association's (NCDA) annual poetry contest. For the contest, NCDA puts out a theme during National Career Development Month each November; this year's theme was "Re-Imagining Your Career: Celebrating First Jobs through Encore Careers."

Brandon Martinez is the recipient of the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award. The award is one of the most prestigious honors given at Kutztown University.

Kelsey Livingston is the recipient of the Copper Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Award. The award is one of the most prestigious honors given at Kutztown University.

Kutztown University's music department will host Piano Palooza on Monday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Georgian Room of Old Main. The concert will feature pieces for one and two pianos as well as multiple musicians on each instrument. It will include works by Brahms, Debussy, Faure and Chasins. In addition, the concert will feature the premiere of a unique work written by KU music student Colin Shecktor.

The Kutztown University chapter of Phi Alpha Theta national history honor society has inducted 18 new members. Undergraduate students must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours in history, achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.1 in history and a 3.0 overall.

Kutztown University's chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Lambda national honor society for graduate students has inducted nine new members. In order to be considered for membership students must have completed at least 12 credit hours as a degree-seeking student in a graduate program, a grade point average placing the student in the top 35 percent of campus graduate students and a record of leadership and service to graduate students or graduate student organizations.

Avalanche, Kutztown University's golden bear mascot, earned the title of Mascot Madness Champion April 6 with a 15-vote victory over Rocky of Slippery Rock University. More than 12,000 votes were cast in the one-day championship round. The Kutztown University mascot program is run by twenty student performers and handlers.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Members of Kutztown University's choral program will perform Mozart's Solemn Vespers (Vesperae solennes de confessore) on Monday, April 13 at 8 p.m. in Carnegie Hall, New York. The singers will join nearly 200 from colleges and universities across the country. They will be accompanied by the New York City Chamber Orchestra.

Kutztown University student David Grow has been awarded the Carole and Ray Neag Undergraduate Research Fund grant for his commitment to academic excellence and to research activities. He was chosen on the basis of his project proposal and the strength of his presentations to the KU Undergraduate Research Committee.

Kutztown University student Adam Cooper has been awarded the Carole and Ray Neag Undergraduate Research Fund grant for his commitment to academic excellence and to research activities.

Kutztown University student Jennifer Cruz has been awarded the Carole and Ray Neag Undergraduate Research Fund grant for her commitment to academic excellence and to research activities. Cruz, from Easton, Pa., was awarded $1,600 to fund her research project, "A Assay to Identify Tumor Suppressor Genes Turned Off in Cancer Cells."

Kutztown University has conferred degrees more than 750 on students during the summer, fall and winter terms. 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 their requirements for graduation throughout the entire year. The following students have been awarded degrees since the spring 2014 announcement. Students who have requested privacy (FERPA) are not listed publicly.

A passion for art took Rebecca Van Horn '15 halfway around the world. The Kutztown University history major, with a double minor in English literature and art history, had been studying the work of French artist Paul C?zanne, and decided to apply to a study abroad program in Aix-en-Provence, France, his hometown, for the spring 2014 semester. Two scholarships made her dream come true.

More than 1,700 students have been named to the Fall 2014 Dean's List at Kutztown University. To be eligible for Dean's List, an undergraduate student must be registered for at least 12 credits and have a minimum grade point average of 3.60.

Despite suffering a stroke less than one year ago, Jennifer Sommers fights back to graduate from Kutztown University.

The Kutztown University Global Brigades (GB) chapter is traveling to Panama in January to aid impoverished South American communities which lack access to medical care. The global brigades organization is the largest student-led international nonprofit. It serves to resolve global health and economic disparities by working with volunteers and the community to implement health, economic and education programs to meet a community's development goals.

KU sophomore Corey Bechtel has earned a spot in the prestigious Forrest Wood Cup Bass Tournament, August 20-23, 2015, on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Ark. The tournament is the nation's premiere bass event featuring the top 45 pros and co-anglers in the nation. Bechtel qualified for the event with a 9th place finish last month in the Wheeler Lake Invitational, Wheeler Lake, Ala., where he caught a three day total weight of 15.08 pounds. He competes as a co-angler.

Katy Douillette '17 is a thrill-seeker--she loves the excitement of a call from the fire station in the middle of the night; the rush of speeding to the scene; the majesty of a wave of water falling over flames that lick the sky far above her head. But she's also a people person. Douillette has been volunteering with the Campbelltown Fire Company since age 14. Now that she attends Kutztown University (KU), she volunteers at the Kutztown Fire Company simultaneously.

The Kutztown University Department of Electronic Media won two Crystal Pillar Awards at the Mid Atlantic regional Emmys Sept. 20 in Philadelphia, Pa. KU received four nominations from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for the Crystal Pillar, the award given to colleges and universities. There are eight college and university production categories. KU swept the Live Sports Production category and received two nominations in the Arts and Entertainment category.

Theresa Gassert '14 participated in the American Sociological Association's (ASA) Honors Program this August, at their 109th annual meeting in San Francisco. Gassert, who received her bachelor's degree in sociology from KU, presented research from her senior honors seminar at a roundtable session.

Deidgre Green of Philadelphia is working for the state Department of Revenue as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Alexa Korber of Bernville is working for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Kutztown University has confirmed the graduation of 1,293 students. Commencement exercises were held May 10; however, some students had additional time to complete graduation requirements.

Thirty-two Kutztown University upperclassmen are spending their summer making sure incoming freshman get a solid start to their education. Connections, the freshman orientation program at KU, is in full swing for the month of June.

Senior Michael Lawrenson and junior Niku Kruger have been named to the 2014 USA Rugby AIG Collegiate All-American (MCAA) squad. Lawrenson comes to KU via Durban, South Africa, and Kruger is a product of Pretoria, South Africa. This is Lawrenson's second year on the squad.

The Kutztown University Model United Nations Club traveled to Milan, Italy on May 19 to represent Kutztown University at the Milan International Model United Nations Conference at Bocconi University. Kutztown University's delegation was among the most highly awarded at the conference.

Kutztown University has released the names of the 2014 Spring Semester Dean's List. The list includes 1,759 students. To be eligible for Dean's List, an undergraduate student must be registered for at least 12 credits and have a minimum grade point average of 3.60.

The Kutztown University men's rugby team will head back to the Collegiate Rugby Championships May 30-June 1 at PPL Park, Chester, Pa. The event will be broadcast on NBC Sports and the NBC Sports Network. The team will open the tournament on Friday, May 30 with an 8 p.m. game versus Notre Dame. This game is not open to the public. On Saturday, May 31, the Golden Bears take on perennial powerhouse Dartmouth at 4:36 p.m. and then St. Joseph's University at 7:32 p.m.

The Kutztown University women's rugby club will participate in the Collegiate Rugby Championship Invitational for sevens May 30-31. Friday's pool play will be held on the campus of Neumann College in Aston, Pa., with the championship slated for PPL Park in Chester. Kutztown is the only Division II program in the eight-team women's field.