Top Faculty Accomplishments 2024

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

National and International Recognition of Faculty:

  • Onek Adyanga (History) was presented with the 2023 ASMEA Best Conference Paper award in the Africa category at the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa conference
  • Xun Pan (Music) was inducted to the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame
  • Micheal Houlahan (Music) was invited to serve as a visiting professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where he presented 8 lectures on topics of musicianship and pedagogy
  • Carrie Smith (Criminology, Sociology & Anthropology) was selected to receive a scholarship to attend the 10th Annual Pardee RAND Graduate School Faculty Leaders program
  • Stacey Irwin (Communication & Theatre) was named national chair for the Alpha Epsilon Rho International Media Honor Society at the 69th annual Broadcast Education Association Conference
  • Morgann Davis (Music) was selected as a finalist for the national Instrumental Soloist Professional Division of The American Prize competition

Scholarly and Creative Accomplishments:

  • Nicole Pfannenstiel (English & World Languages) published a book Web Writing (First) with The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT)
  • Kirsten Madden (Economics) co-authored a book Building a Social Science: 19th Century British Cooperative Thought by Oxford University Press and published an article “Anna Doyle Wheeler:  Gender Equality and the Need for a Cooperative Economic System” in peer-reviewed journal Feminist Economics
  • Jessica Hughes (Communication & Theatre) published her co-edited volume Disability in Dialogue with the publisher John Benjamins
  • Greg Seigworth (Communication & Theatre) published his co-edited volume The Affect Theory Reader 2: Worldings, Tensions, Futures with Duke University Press
  • Robert Bookmiller (Government, Policy & Law) published the Second Edition of the book The United Nations as part of Chelsea House/Infobases’s Global Organizations series
  • Heidi Leitzke (Art & Design) exhibited her paintings at the Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington, DE and had an exhibition at the acclaimed Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia
  • Katarzyna Jakubiak (English & World Languages) edited the Polish translation of James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time by Mikolaj Denderski published by Karakter Publishers in Poland
  • Three photographs by Prof. Shauna Frischkorn (Art & Design) were exhibited at the Glasgow Gallery of Photography in Glasgow, Scotland
  • Barry Atticks (Music) produced a video “Winter Holiday” with Music Department’s students and students from Music for Everyone elementary school program in Lancaster city
  • John Kaiser Ortiz (Philosophy) published an article "Ghosting Humanity: In Search of an Ethics for the Disappeared" in peer-reviewed journal Wagadu
  • Greg Seigworth (Communication & Theatre) published an article “’There is no Direct Evidence of Anything’: Mediation in Lauren Berlant and Raymond Williams” in peer-reviewed journal Media Theory
  • Jennifer Jester (Music) contributed a book chapter to Teaching Instrumental Music: Contemporary Perspectives and Pedagogies published by Oxford University Press
  • Victoria Khiterer (History) published a book chapter in “Kyiv as a Center of Soviet Jewish Culture in the 1920s-1930s” in a book Jews and Urban Life edited by Leonard J. Greenspoon
  • David Cullen (Music) released a Solo Guitar Recording entitled Revival
  • Caleb Corkery’s (English & World Languages) play "Street Poet” was selected as a finalist for the national Waterworks Festival in Charlottesville, VA
  • Jonathan Strayer (Communication & Theatre) participated in a Performance as Research study and performance in Theatrical Mask and Clown at the Pig Iron Theatre Company in Philadelphia

Select Publications and Creative Activities:

  • Christine Filippone (Art & Design) presented “From Social Action Theory to Cine Accion” at the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts conference at Arizona State University
  • Madeleine Darmiento (Music) presented on reviving the violoncello da spalla at the College Music Society 2023 International Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania and the 2024 American String Teachers Association National Conference
  • Carrie Smith (Criminology, Sociology & Anthropology) presented "Theorizing Lived Experiences as Professional Expertise" at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction
  • Jennifer Jester (Music) presented “Practice Smarter Not Harder” at the International Tuba Euphonium Association’s annual conference
  • Marco Antolin (English & World Languages) presented "Hemingway's Narration in 'The Spanish Earth': A Romantic View in his Search for Transatlantic Empathy" at the Association of Literary Critics, Writers, and Scholars annual conference at Houston University
  • Kirsten Madden (Economics) presented “Anna Doyle Wheeler on the Conditions and Consequences of Gender Equality” and “William Thompson (1775-1883): Transforming Bentham through Owen, Building a Materialist Theory of Cooperation” at the Allied Social Science Association meeting in San Antonio, TX
  • Caleb Corkery (English & World Languages) presented “Using Propaganda and Rhetorics of Resistance to Define the American White Man” at Northeast Modern Language Association’s conference in Boston
  • Anne Stuart (Music) presented "Encourage a Sense of Belonging - Mentoring Student Teachers" at Maryland Music Educators Association’s and Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s state conferences
  • Ron Baker (Economics) presented about an active learning techniques at the Journal of Economics Teaching Symposium
  • Greg Seigworth (Communication & Theatre) presented "In and Out of Sync: Affect in Motion" at the conference (E)motion in Changing Worlds hosted by Aristotle University, Greece
  • Barry Atticks (Music) presented “Speed-testing in Audio Education: An Imperative Assessment Tool” at European Audio Engineering Society's annual conference

College of Education and Human Services

Grant:

  • Beth Powers, PI (EMEE), and Dr. Deborah Tamakloe, CoPI (SPED) were awarded a Federal Grant of $974,000.00 through the Department of Education (DOE) and through the Office of Special Education Programming (OSEP). Program faculty include Richard Mehrenberg and Susannah Boyle. Joshua Belice, Jeffry Porter, and Rene Munoz also greatly supported this endeavor. This Personnel Preparation Grant will primarily support graduate students to earn both Post Baccalaureate Certification in Special Education and a Masters' in Early Childhood Education. The grant also focuses on recruiting and retaining historically underserved and underrepresented scholars who are highly qualified to serve young children with exceptionalities. This highly competitive grant is prestigious in that of the 13 funded institutions, MU was the only regional public university. Eleven awardees are Research 1 institutions, and one is a Research 2 HBCU. This activity addresses all four of the goals listed below.
  • Ann Gaudino, (EDFN), visited with Annette Nielson, Executive Director, of the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center, and Jon Chin, Founder and Director, Share Meals to discuss their launch of the new Smart Food Pantry. This specially designed vending machine works with the Share Meals App, currently available to MU students, for them to obtain free food items.  Vending machines operate for both perishable and nonperishable items.  Dr. Gaudino will share this information with the Hunger-Free Campus Task Force, of which she is a committee member, for possible implementation at MU.  Jon Chin has served as a presenter and keynote speaker for the Annual Conference on Education and Poverty @ MU, which Dr. Gaudino directs, www.conferenceoneducationandpoverty.org.
    • The Special Education Online Degree Completion program launched this spring, and together with the Early Childhood Online Degree completers, we expect over twenty new students this coming fall.
    • Created and approved a new degree program in psychology, the Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral and Human Services.

Faculty Publications:

  • Ann Gaudino, (EDFN), created and published two Online Educational Resource (OER) sites: Creating an Effective Online, Asynchronous Graduate Course (https://www.merlot.org/merlot/contentbuilder/designCenter.htm?id=9165848 ) and Dissertation and Thesis Analysis Template (https://www.merlot.org/merlot/contentbuilder/designCenter.htm?id=9165914 ). This was part of the Open Call for OER initiative led by Dr. Nicole Pfannenstiel and mentored by Dr. Dan Albert.
  • Ann Marie Licata, (EDFN), along with colleagues, Dr. Tiffany Wright, EDFN, and Kelsey Munster published a chapter entitled Personal experiences fuel principal preparation course redesign. In Fowler, D. & Johnson, A. Equity and Access: An Analysis of Educational Leadership Preparation, Policy, & Practice in School Improvement, (pp. 131-142). Information Age Publishing.
  • Ann Gaudino, (EDFN), is the founder and editor of The Excellence in Education Journal, ISSN 2474-4166 Indexed by ERIC and EBSCO, website: www.excellenceineducationjournal.org. She edited and published Volume 12, Issue 2, Summer 2023. The journal issue can be viewed here: https://www.excellenceineducationjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/EEJsummer2023-1.pdf
  • Sarah Brooks, (EDFN), and Dr. Tiffany Wright, EDFN, published their case study research in the Journal of School Leadership. Wright, T. & Brooks, S. B. (2023). District and school leaders’ efforts concerning the public gender transition of a high school teacher. Journal of School Leadership, https://doi.org/10.1177/10526846231174152
  • Charlton Wolfgang, (EMEE), wrote a "Hot Topic Sheet" for Mensa Gifted Youth International as their first publication in the new Hot Topic Sheet series for gifted youth, their parents, and educators. It is entitled "Top 5 STEM Activities for Gifted Youth" and is published in the members-only section of Mensa International's website: https://www.mensa.org/members/national-mensas/gifted-youth/resources-repository
    • Here is the description of the new series:
      • Hot Topic Sheets are for gifted youth coordinators, families, and educators who work with gifted children and youth. These downloadable handouts provide information and suggested resources to support the interests and development of creative and advanced learners.
  • Charles Barrett, (PSYC), was the invited lead author on an article titled, "Best Practices in Academic Services for English Learners" with Dr. Romero in the seventh edition of the Best Practices in School Psychology series published by the National Association of School Psychologists.
  • Barrett, C. B., & Romero, M. (2023). Best Practices in Academic Services for English Learners. In P. Harrison, S. Proctor, & A. Thomas (Eds.). Best Practices in School Psychology 7. National Association of School Psychology.
  • Jennifer Frank, (SOWK), was interviewed and quoted in several articles on homelessness in Lancaster City as a result of her publication of the research report People & Places. Articles ran in the LNP on 9/3 and 9/4. Students involved in achievement: Dawn Watson, Rachel Preibisch, and Jenna Graeff (recent graduate)
  • Ann Gaudino, (EDFN), Book publication: Un'Eridita Corale a Firenze Italia (A Choral Legacy in Florence, Italy). This book publication is an expansion and translation into Italian of a previous book I published, Joan Yakkey:  Her Children's Choir Legacy in Florence, Italy.  The expansion and translation was written by university students in Italy.
  • Rachel MacIntyre, (PSYC), co-authored an article in Behavior Therapy, “Weight bias internalization and psychosocial, physical, and behavioral health: A meta-analysis of cross-sectional and prospective associations”, that was published in May 2023. https://doi.org/10.2196/39488
  • Miriam Witmer, (EDFN), and junior English Education major, Ms. Julia Fallows, presented "Relationships Matter When Growing Your Own Educators" at the University of New Mexico's Mentoring Institute on October 25, 2023. The paper was accepted for publication in the conference proceedings. Ms. Fallows also presented at the Poster Session.
  • Andrew Bland, (PSYC), published an invited chapter on the Personal Hero Identification Technique (a therapeutic strategy he developed that applies existential-humanistic psychology theorizing in conjunction with emerging research in heroism science) in the Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies, published by Springer.
  • Sarah Jackson (EMEE) published an article in the journal, Action in Teacher Education, entitled "Engaging with Engagement: Interrogating Preservice Teachers’ Theories of Engagement in Their Literacy Planning and Reflection." She is a co-author along with Lindsey W. Rowe, Jackie Ridley, Marie E. Borkowski, and Michiko Hikida. It was published online in December 2023 and will appear in print in 2024.
  • Abdulsalami Ibrahim (EDFN) Publication: Ibrahim, A., & Buse, N., Tamakloe, D. (SPED), (2023). Students’ Perceptions of Active Engagement in an Online Learning Environment during Emergency Remote Teaching: Implications for Online Engagement Framework. Excellence in Education Journal (EEJ), 12(12), 5-39. ISSN 2474-4166. https://www.excellenceineducationjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EEJfall2023final-1.pdf
  • Ann Gaudino (EDFN) has published Volume 12, Issue 3, Fall 3 of The Excellence in Education Journal. Gaudino is the founder and editor of the journal. Founded in 2012, this journal is listed by the US Dept of Education ERIC database and EBSCOhost database and hold ISSN designation from the US Library of Congress. The issue can be accessed here: https://www.excellenceineducationjournal.org/journal-archive/
  • Beth Powers (EMEE) authored a peer-review article, titled "More Than Just Filling a Bucket: Inspiring Young Children to Grow and Thrive through Culturally Sustaining Approaches" which has been accepted for publication in the International Journal for Social Policy and Education.
  • Colleen O'Connell (WSSD) was interviewed about her experiences integrating Non-Linear Pedagogy and a Constraints-Led Approach within sport coaching to enhance motor development and skill acquisition within the Neuro Beast Podcast on 8/23/23. The Neuro Beast Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, is geared toward providing sport practitioners with tangible resources to enhance their coaching/teaching skills.
  • Andrew Bland (PSYC) served as guest editor of a special feature published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. The collection of 13 papers offers contemporary reactions and responses to Maslow’s 1969 article, "Toward a Humanistic Biology," by multiple generations and iterations of humanistic psychologists.
  • Drew Hunter, (PSYC), was a co-author of an article titled, "The impact of initial level of performance on multidisciplinary team eligibility decisions when using response to intervention".
  • The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) published an article entitled "Creating Program Pride and Establishing Education-based Expectations" by Dr. Branden Lippy, Lampeter-Strasburg School District Athletic Director and MU Wellness and Sport Sciences Adjunct Professor.

Faculty Awards, Appointments

  • Beth Powers, (EMEE), was awarded an honorary Head Start Diploma for her work and dedication to local Head Start Programs and the Community Action Partnership.
  • Joe Behun, (PSYC), was appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro to serve as a member of the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors. The Pennsylvania Senate voted unanimously to confirm the nomination of Dr. Behun on June 29, 2023.
  • Karen Rice, (SOWK), was invited to serve on the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)'s Board of Accreditation's special committee on DSW accreditation. The purpose of the committee is to review current draft accreditation standards, results from pilot self-studies, and make recommendations for necessary accreditation policy and standard revisions.
  • Nakeiha Primus, (EDFN), was nominated by parent advocacy groups, Special Education Alliance of Cheltenham (SEAC) and the Cheltenham African American Alliance (CAAA), to envision and lead a professional development series for the Cheltenham School District during the 23-24 AY centered on inclusive disciplinary practices. I await further details from the superintendent.
  • Karen Rice, (SOWK), was appointed to serve on the Leadership Lancaster DEI Task Force. Dr. Rice will work with other members of the community to support, assist, and offer guidance around Leadership Lancaster programming ensuring a DEI lens is employed.
  • Janet Bertoni, (SPED), volunteered as a Group Leader with Autism on the Seas from July 13-18. She trained and managed 4 additional volunteer staff while assisting 6 families with exceptional children ranging from ages 8-48.
  • Laura Granruth, (SOWK), President of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE), I am writing to cordially invite you to serve on the GADE Advisory Board for a three-year term. As you may know, GADE is a private, non-profit voluntary professional organization whose mission is to promote excellence and equity in social work doctoral education through networking, capacity building, and stewardship of the profession.
    • The GADE Advisory Board comprises a small, diverse group of social work leaders who have demonstrated a strong commitment to doctoral education in the profession.
  • Marc Felizzi, (SOWK), was named to the Editorial Board of the Journal of European Sport and Society.
  • Marc Felizzi, (SOWK), was invited to review and write an endorsement for Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Promoting Recovery and Self-Determination, Third Edition by Patrick W. Corrigan.
  • Drew Hunter (PSYC) was on a panel to discuss RTI. Response to Intervention (RTI) is a data-based approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavioral needs. Learners who receive RTI are provided with interventions that increase in intensity to expedite their learning. Multi-disciplinary teams including speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, general educators, special educators, administrators, and others can serve to collaborate together to effectively support RTI in the school. Similar to RTI in that it seeks to meet the needs of all students, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides multiple avenues for engagement, representation, action and expression in the classroom to support the diversity of learners. This panel will discuss how school personnel can work to advocate for the intersection of RTI and UDL so that learners of all ability levels can be supported in an inclusive and cohesive learning environment.
  • Drew Hunter (PSYC) spoke on a panel regarding MTSS. Data informs decision-making at every level of MTSS implementation, ranging from the individual student level to the district level. MTSS Teams utilize screening and progress monitoring data to determine appropriate instruction, evaluate student progression within the multi-level prevention system, enhance instruction, support intensity, and adhere to guidelines in identifying students with disabilities. Moreover, teams employ implementation data to assess the effectiveness of their assessments, interventions and supports per their intended objectives and identify improvement areas. RTI is a comprehensive strategy to support students experiencing difficulties in their learning. Students' progress is closely observed throughout each tier of intervention to evaluate whether additional evidence-based instruction or intervention is required in regular education, special education, or a combination of both.
    • School psychologists, administrators, intervention providers, special educators, general education teachers, and other members of MTSS problem-solving teams are all responsible for ensuring data drives the decisions made for students. In this panel, we will discuss how to use data to drive decision-making and, more specifically, how to use RTI for students with academic, language, and behavioral concerns.
  • Kat Walsh (SOWK) During the winter session, Kat Walsh deployed with the American Red Cross for 3 weeks to the Nashville, Hendersonville and Clarksville areas of Tennessee to assist with the recovery efforts from the devastating tornados that occurred in the beginning of December. Throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday seasons, Kat served as a Disaster Mental Health supervisor and service provider to help community members impacted by the tornadoes, as well as volunteers and staff members assisting those significantly impacted.  Kat was also a member of the Red Cross Integrated Care and Condolence Team (along with other disaster health and spiritual care volunteers) to support families who lost a loved one due to the disaster.
    • This experience will enhance Kat's knowledge as a disaster (mental health) responder, informs her work as a Social Work and Disaster Mental Health professor, and embodies Millersville and Social Work's professional values including service, compassion, professionalism and civic engagement.
  • Colleen O'Connell, (WSSD), was awarded the Lori E. Souder LGBTQ+ Advocacy Award during the Rainbow Graduation Ceremony hosted by the Dr. Rita Smith-Wade-El Intercultural Center on 4/15/24. This award was student-nominated.

Faculty Presentations:

  • Deborah Tamakloe, (SPED), presented on a research paper titled "Supporting Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Across Cultures in Inclusive Programs" with one student (Abigail Azizkhan- an Early Childhood and Special Education major) at the Division of International Special Education Services Conference on 07/12/2023 in Bangalore, India.
  • Jason Petula, (EMEE), was accepted and completed an Elementary Engineering Workshop at the Pennsylvania State University July 12-14, 2023. He was awarded $4000 to purchase K-5 engineering modules, which will be used to offer a new Summer Institute next year related to the upcoming new Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (STEELS) standards.  The curricular materials will also be used with planned revisions to the science methods courses.
  • Andrew Bland, (PSYC), delivered his address as incoming president of the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of the American Psychological Association--APA) at APA's annual convention in Washington, DC.
  • Charles Barrett, Millersville School Psychology Graduate Program adjunct faculty member, was the keynote speaker for the Robert G. Bernreuter Lecture of the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania Fall Conference in State College, PA. He led the group through a full-day workshop, including part 1: Social Justice is About Privilege, Implicit Bias, and Intersectionality, and part 2: Social Justice is About More Than Numbers
  • Sarah Jackson (EMEE) presented collaborative research alongside ERCH major Delanie Ouk at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention on November 19, 2023, in Columbus, OH. Dr. Jackson shared about the partnership between Millersville students in the Creative Experiences for the Young Child course, local elementary schools, and local teaching artists through the Speaking Out Collective critical literacy storytelling program. Delanie Ouk's research (for departmental honors) articulates how the Speaking Out Collective is a particularly strong way to meet the five essential learning pursuits in Dr. Gholdy Muhammad's widely accepted framework.
  • Pérsida and William Himmele (EMEE) were invited as featured speakers at the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) 2023 Conference. They gave two presentations 1) Total Participation Techniques for the Middle School Classroom, and 2) Four things every teacher should know about English Language Learners. The conference was held from November 1- 4 at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Their photos were featured on their conference page https://amle.org/annual/content-what-to-expect/
  • Ann Marie Licata, (EDFN), presented with TPSID grant model program colleagues, Dr. McKenna Killion, MU INST Director, Dr. Katey Burke - IOD at Temple University, and Drs. Meghan Blaskowitz and Alia Pustorino-Clevenger from Duquesne University, on an American Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Education Webinar entitled "Inclusive Postsecondary Education in Pennsylvania: Finding the Right Fit" on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.
  • Drew Hunter, (PSYC), presented on a review of three studies of the psychometric qualities of the rate of improvement indices and eligibility decisions made using them at the 2024 Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists.
  • Drew Hunter, (PSYC), presented on the assumption that Ordinary Least Squares assumes the absence of outliers and normality residuals. They also reviewed the implications for practitioners and future research. This presentation occurred at the 2024 Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists.
  • Jason Baker, (PSYC), presented "Transformational Counselor Education Programs: Complex Adaptive Systems, Emergence, and the Ecology of Systemic Change" at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) national conference on 10/12/23 in Denver, CO.
  • Shaun Cook, (PSYC), attended and participated in the Annual Eastern Psychological Association Conference this semester. He presented a project with Carolyn Bolden (an MU alumnus), Dr. Vredenburg-Rudy & Dr. Lippy.  He also served as the session chair for three paper sessions and a keynote session.  Dr. Cook was the introductory speaker for the Cognitive Keynote session, served on the conference's Program Committee as the Cognitive Section Chair, and is on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Psychological Association.
  • Kimberly Heilshorn, (EMEE), presented twice at the National Association for School-University Partnerships in March 25-26, 2024, in Anaheim, CA. Her presentations were "Unlocking Insights: The Engaging Journey of Action Research" and "A Tool for Innovation: Class to Classroom Assignments".
  • Aileen Hower, (EMEE), presented the results of having received the PDE Innovative Teacher Prep2Practice Grant, with co-presenters/grant awardees Drs. Miriam Marguerita Gomez Witmer and Abdulsalami Ibrahim (EDFN), titled "Dismantling Racial Injustice by Preparing Culturally Relevant Educators Using the Pennsylvania CRSE Competencies" at the AERA Annual Meeting on 4/14/2024 in Philadelphia, PA.
  • Ann Gaudino, (EDFN), was the first presenter in one session and the second presenter on two sessions for the Johns Hopkins 21st Annual International Roundtable on School, Family, and Community Partnerships held in Philadelphia.
    The sessions were:
    • Gaudino, A., Ibrahim, A., Marcum-Dietrich, N. & McConnell, W. (2024).
    • Shared Waters: An Upstream Downstream Collaborative of School and Community Partners. Johns Hopkins International Network of Scholars, 21st International Roundtable on School, Family, and Community Partnerships.
    • Fitch, G. & Gaudino, A., (2024). Engaging Parents and Families Living in Acute Poverty during the Pandemic: A Case Study of How One Superintendent Led the Response. Johns Hopkins International Network of Scholars, 21st International Roundtable on School, Family, and Community Partnerships.
    • Hopkins, C. & Gaudino, A. (2024). Parent and Central Office Administrator Perceptions of Family Engagement in an Urban District. Johns Hopkins International Network of Scholars, 21st International Roundtable on School, Family, and Community Partnerships.
    • Alumni of EdD in Educational Leadership:
      • Camille Hopkins, Director of Schools, SDOL
      • George Fitch, Asst. Superintendent of Student Services, York City SD
  • Susannah Boyle, (SPED), presented on "BridgeBuilder: A Collaborative Model for Pre-Service Special and General Educators" and "Supporting LGBTQ+ Learners and Educators in a Shifting Legal Landscape at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) convention in San Antonio, TX on 3/14-3/15. "Supporting LGBTQ+ Learners..." was also selected for a video-on-demand session during the virtual CEC Convention and will be available from April to June.
  • Julie A. Lombardi, (WSSD), presented "Advocating for our Wellness Course through Assessment, Best Practices Teaching, Curricular Revisions, and University Connections" during the Society for Health and Physical Educators National Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, on 3/14/2024.
  • Rachel MacIntyre, (PSYC), delivered a presentation titled “Social help or harm? An egocentric network analysis of peer influence on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating” at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine on March 14, 2024.
  • Joe Behun, (PSYC), gave the keynote speech titled, "Against all odds: The journey from GED to PHD" at The Annual Induction Ceremony of Iota Upsilon Pi of Chi Sigma Iota (Counseling Academic and Professional Honors Society International) at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on 4/5/24 in Monroeville, PA.
  • Pérsida Himmele and Dr. William Himmele, (EMEE), presented at the 2024 Annual ASCD conference, which was held in Washington, DC, from March 22 to March 25, 2024. Their presentation was based on their ASCD book, Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner.

College of Science & Technology

Grants:

  • Duane Hagelgans (Emergency Management); FEMA Grant serving several purposes: 1) Scholarship money to students, 2) volunteers to local volunteer fire company, and 3) both community service opportunity to students/better community relationships with local community for $296,000. (8/25/23)
  • John Haughery (Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology), Mr. John Bridgen (Precision Cobotics); award for Workforce Development & Career Exploration in Robotics Engineering (Robotics WorX) for $75,000 (8/30/23). Robotic WorX Workforce Development private-public partnership program for high school and undergraduate students in automation and robotics engineering for $243,000 (4/12/24).
  • Aaron Haines (Biology); Kittatinny Ridge Mini-Grant Program, Noninvasive Survey of Weasels and Other Rare Mammals Along the Kittatinny Ridge for $10,000 (1/1/24).
  • Jeremiah Mbindyo (Chemistry); Optimization of a Green and Environmentally Sustainable Candle Manufacturing Process from DCED for $68,860 (9/12/23)
    • Student PA manufacturing Innovation grants totaling $6000 each (3/6/24).
  • Sharon Brusic (AEST) was awarded a grant from the Department of Agriculture’s Ag & Youth Grant Program for a project that she is working on with Tommy Kuhns (’25, TECE), an undergraduate student in Technology & Engineering Education.
    • The purpose of the grant is to run a competition for middle school and high school students to design hydroponic or aquaponics systems. The concept was Mr. Kuhn’s brainchild, and he is playing the key role as competition facilitator. Three winning teams will be given funding from the grant to pay for them to build and test their systems. Mr. Kuhns will be visiting each site, accompanied by a representative from InTag Aquaponics. We are inviting the three winning teams to visit Millersville on Friday, April 12 for the primary purpose of hearing a speaker from InTag Aquaponics, visiting our MU systems in Osburn Hall and in Caputo’s greenhouse.
  • Co-PIs Dr. Jack Ogutu and Dr. Betty-Jo Bowers were selected by the Governor’s Office of Administration (OA) to “conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of the effectiveness of the Commonwealth’s workplace safety program.” PA Labor and Industry Comprehensive OSHA Study Grant.
  • S-STEM Scholars Program; CO-PIs – Dr. Janet White and Dr. Carolyn Weaver
    • Cohesive group of scholars – 2nd cohort of 10 scholars started fall ‘24
    • Community-Building Retention Activities (CoBRA) ranged from a professional speaker series to community service activities to professional skill building activities.
    • Immersive Chincoteague Bay Field Station Research Experience
    • Poster Presentations of Field Station Research work, May 31, 2024
  • NSF Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Track 1 grant award
    • PI – Dr. Laura Ramos-Sepulveda with MU faculty collaborators: Nanette Dietrich, Ann Guadino, Dan Albert, Bob Vaillancourt, Tyrone Washington, and Cynthia Taylor; Recruiting STEM teachers “Noyce Scholars” to work in high-needs districts.

Awards/Recognition:

  • Cayleigh Minter (Nursing); Award Nomination: UPMC APP Recognition Award and Promotion to Senior Advanced Practice Provider (7/9/23).
  • Tracee Matincheck, CRNP (NURS): APP Clinical Ladder Appointment in June 2023, Designated as "Senior CRNP"; UPMC Pinnacle
  • Sepi Yalda (ESCI): Nominated by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Nominating Committee and Executive Committee for the 2024 AMS President Elect Position.
  • Duane Hagelgans (ESCI) was honored by the Blankets of Honor organization. The organization honors veterans and first responders for their service. During the ceremony, he was told of the 332 Blankets of Honor awarded to date, and he was the first firefighter honored. (8/8/23)

Private Public Partnerships:

  • Jingnan Xie (Computer Science); On Teaching Recursion in Lower Level Courses; Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Volume 38, Issue 801, pp 216 (4/1/23)
  • Jingnan Xie (Computer Science); On the Undecidability and Descriptional Complexity of Synchronized Regular Expressions. Acta Informatica (2023), Springer (4/10/23); Pumping Lemmas Can be 'Harmful, Theory of Computing Systems (4/5/24)
  • Jingnan Xie, "Pumping Lemmas Can be 'Harmful'", Theory of Computing Systems, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00224-024-10169-9
  • Melissa Mullen Davis (Chemistry); Encouraging Transparency and Accountability for Group Oral Presentations. In deNoyelles, A., Bauer, S., & Wyatt, S. (Eds.), Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository. Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida Center for Distributed Learning (7/21/23)
  • Melissa Mullen Davis (Chemistry); Fostering Student Sense of Belonging with Inclusive Course Design. In Kloepper, K.D. & Crawford, G. (Eds.) Chemistry in General Education [Online]; ACS Symposium Series; ACS Books. Ch 13, p 193-210 (12/6/23), Schmeisser, J., Crawford, G. (2023) Distance Learning with Food Chemistry. In Kloepper, K.D. & Crawford, G. (Eds.) Chemistry in General Education [Online]; ACS Symposium Series; ACS Books. Ch 4, p 49-70 (12/6/23)
  • Melissa Mullen Davis (Chemistry); Interdisciplinary Perspectives Assignment: Increasing Student Interest, Engagement, and Sense of Belonging with Diverse Topic Exploration. In Pfannenstiel, A.N., Baldys, E., Hughes, J.M.F., Licata, A.N., Szczyrbak, G., Anderson, S., & Rice, K. (Eds.). Inclusive Practices: Ideas for classroom integration from Millersville classrooms to yours. OER Commons (2/14/24).
  • Michael Elioff (Chemistry); Polymer bound acridinium derivative as a turn-off fluorescent sensor for Cu (II) and Fe (III) ions in acidic condition, J. Hu, J. B. Griffith, M. S. Elioff, J. Photochem. And Photobiol. A: Chemistry, 2023, 443, 114848-114857 (8/2/23).
  • Cynthia Taylor (Mathematics); Taylor, Cynthia; Co-author on the book, Powerful Mathematicians Who Changed the World: The Mystery Underground, Grades 6-8 published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (10/20/23)
  • Cynthia Taylor (Mathematics); Attending to what prospective teachers notice about students’ intersecting identities; Published in: School Science & Mathematics, 123(8), 461-475 (12/30/23)
  • Cynthia Taylor (Mathematics); Interpreting prospective teachers’ responses to inequities in a written vignette: A plan for action; Publication in: School Science & Mathematics, 123(6), 249-264 (12/30/23).
  • Todd Sikora (Earth Sciences); Elevated Mixed Layers during Great Lake Lake-effect Events: An Investigation and Case Study from OWLeS, Steven J. Greybush, Todd D. Sikora, George S. Young, Quinlan Mulhern, Richard D. Clark, and Michael L. Jurewicz Sr. (11/16/23).
  • Aaron Haines (Biology); Published 2 chapters in the book: Inclusive Practices: Ideas for Classroom Integration from Millersville Classrooms to Yours, Chapter 6, The benefits of daily quizzes & group work via student response systems and Chapter 10, Use of grading rubrics to improve student academic performance & inclusivity (4/2/24).
    • (Supporting underrepresented students in natural resource field work)
  • Aaron Haines (BIOL) Publication; Article in The Wildlife Professional Magazine We review excursion experiences to improve the retention of underrepresented undergraduate students in the natural resources field. Students found these experiences to be overwhelmingly positive, and students felt empowered with new knowledge and experiences provided by immersive excursions. However, more effort is needed to identify strategies to recruit more underrepresented students into the natural resource field. 11/21/2023. Alyssa Lutz, Orion Groff, Jennifer Juarez, Nate Wilson, Tori Summers, Laniv Ceaser, Darian Hauf.
  • Schreiber, KV, 2022. Ch 3: Best Management Practices as an Alternative Approach for Urban Flood Control. Flood Handbook, Vol. 3: Flood Impact and Management, Ed. by Eslamian, S. and F. Eslamian, Taylor and Francis, CRC Group, USA, pp. 53-76. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429463327
  • Pinder, Natalie E. and Ligocki, Isaac Y. and Horton, Brent M. and Hoover, John E., Valerenic Acid Reduces Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Adult, Female (C57BL/6J) Mice. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4547396 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4547396 This peer reviewed publication originated with Natalie Pinder's thesis research conducted in Dr. Hoover's lab. After graduation, Natalie completed a master's in public health and is now a first-year medical student.
  • Rajaseelan and Albert published peer-reviewed article with Millersville Student, Aaron Maynard, and Millersville chemistry alumni, Drs. Michael Gau and Taylor Keller (University of Pennsylvania), in IUCrData titled “1-Ethyl-4-isopropyl-1,2,4-triazolium bromide” https://doi.org/10.1107/S2414314623007848
  • Rajaseelan and Albert on their recent peer-reviewed publication with Millersville Student, Aaron Maynard, and Millersville chemistry alum, Drs. Michael Gau (University of Pennsylvania), in IUCrData titled [(1,2,5,6-η)-Cyclo­octa-1,5-diene](1-ethyl-4-iso­propyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-yl­­idene)(tri­phenylphos­phane)iridium(I) tetra­fluorido­borate di­chloro­methane sesquisolvate. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2414314623009033
  • Jessica Fellmeth (Biology), "A Dynamic population of prophase CENP-C is required for meiotic chromosome segregation" has been accepted for publication in PLOS Genetics. This work bridges her post-doctoral fellowship research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and her new lab here at Millersville University. 11/29/2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38019881/
  • Ed Rajaseelan (Faculty), Dr. Dan Albert (Faculty), Tim Lerch (Student), Drs. Michael Gau (University of Pennsylvania, Alumnus); “(4-Butyl-1-ethyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-yl-idene)[(1,2,5,6-η)-cyclo¬octa-1,5-diene](tri¬phenyl¬phosphane)rhodium(I) tetra¬fluorido¬borate,” IUCrData. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2414314624000609
  • Sarah Keller (May 2024 DNP Graduate), “Timely Recognition of Posterior Circulation Stroke: Triage Nurse-Driven Dizziness Screen,” Eastern Research Nursing Society, Boston MA, April 3-5, 2024, Published in Journal of ERNS.
  • MiKaila Lugo-Schlegel (May 2024 DNP Graduate), “Breaking Mental Health Stigma: Incorporating NAMI's In Our Own Voice into a Family Nurse Practitioner Program,” Eastern Research Nursing Society), Boston MA, April 3-5, 2024, Published in Journal of ERNS.

Community Outreach

  • 37th Annual Brossman Foundation and Ronald E. Frisbie, Sr. Science Lectureship:
    • Dr. Sophia Lunt, Professor at Michigan State University, Princeton (PhD), MIT (Post-doctoral Fellowship)
    • Dr. Lunt is a top cancer researcher in the field, discovering breakthroughs in personalized therapies, metastasis prevention and cutting-edge imaging technologies. A local to central PA, Lunt graduated from Cumberland Valley High School in 2002, then completed her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Lebanon Valley College, her Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University and her postdoctoral training in cancer biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Department of Defense Visionary Postdoctoral Fellow.
    • Throughout her career, Dr. Lunt has achieved many major accomplishments including having work published in top-tier publications, large grants and invited speaking events. In addition, she also has a TEDx talk with over two million views and is one of four recipients of the inaugural American Association of Cancer Research-Incyte NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research. She was also chosen by (then) Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden to introduce the Vice President at the AACR Annual Meeting, announcing inaugural grant recipients to 20,000 attendees. She was recently awarded a National Institute of Health R01 grant for over two million dollars to support her continued work in cancer research. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious grants in biomedical research.
  • North Museum of Nature and Science:
    • Millersville University and the College of Science and Technology were the host site for the annual North Museum Science and Engineering Fair
    • Over 200 students participated in hands-on demonstrations run by MU faculty/student presenters.  Participating students toured Osburn Hall, Caputo/Roddy Hall, and Brossman Hall
  • PA Central Region Science Olympiad hosted by Millersville University:
    • The College of Science & Technology has been hosting this event for the past 16 years. 
    • Over 500 students from 30 regional schools participated in the 23-station day-long event.
  • 36th Annual Women in Mathematics, Science and Technology Conference:
    • The 36th annual Glenna Hazeltine Women in Mathematics, Science and Technology was held Tuesday, April 2nd in the Student Memorial Center. More than 250 middle and high school students and their advisors from 50 schools in 6 surrounding counties enjoyed presentations by 20 female Role Models and a keynote speaker who shared their experiences as women in the sciences. This year’s Role Models included six MU alumni!
  • 49th Annual Millersville University High School Math Contest:
    • The competition provides a great opportunity for high school students to test their mathematical knowledge, skills, and creativity with the hope that students will be encouraged to study more mathematics and participate in future competitions such as the American Mathematics Competitions and the William Lowell Putnam. This year’s event was one of the biggest with over 200 competitors from 35 regional schools.

Industry Partners:

  • Lampire Biological Laboratories: On-site incubator space employing MU student interns Danielle Nietupski (‘25) and Sarah Abrahem (‘24)
  • Climavision X-Band Radar Partnership
  • Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (ACB)
  • Roddy Research Pond and Ecological Teaching Preserve
  • Woodstream, Lititz, PA (Direct path internship program)
  • Precision Cobotics – Robotics WorX Solutions Lab

Lombardo College of Business

Faculty Publications: 

  • Hong, L., How Blockchain Manages Supply Chain Risks: Evidence from Indian Manufacturing Companies, International Journal of Logistics Management (forthcoming 2024).
  • Nandedkar, A., & Brown, R.S. (in press) “How Missing Data led to Inter-team conflict in the IT   Division” International Journal of Instructional Cases. (In press)
  • Miksa, L. & Nandedkar, A. (2024).  The Challenger’s Triumph: Batting A Tech Titan. International Journal of Business & Management, 19(2), 49-54.
  • Chowdhury, G.K., Brown, R.S., & Nandedkar, A. (2024). Western Bank- A Case of Leading Strategic Change in a Commercial Bank. Journal of Business Cases and Applications, 43, 1-12.
  • Chowdhury, G.K., Nandedkar, A., & Brown, R.S. (2024). Dealing with a Difficult Colleague: The Intriguing Case of Professor Zahir. Journal of Business Cases and Applications, 41, 1-6.
  • Koyin Chang, Marc Tomljanovich, and Frank Ying.  ICT Development and Total Factor Productivity Growth. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development 2024, 8(1), 3108.
  • Trout, B., Ng, C. (2024).  Digital Transformation Strategies for Small and Midsize Accounting Firms.  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Vol. 95, No. 2, p. 20-23.

Faculty Presentations: 

  • Baizhou Chen: Presented "Non-GAAP Earnings Disclosure Quality and Overvalued Equity" at SWAAA Conference, 4/10-15/24 in Galveston, TX.
  • Leo Hong: Presented "Improving the Waste Supply Chain: A Case Study of South Korea 2012-2021 Using Stochastic Frontier, Artificial Neural Network and Grey Incidence Approach" at the Decision Science Institute, 4/4-6/24 in Boston, MA.  
  • Joseph Galante: Presented "Participation Liability for Corporations and Limited Liability Companies", 10/3/23 in Frankenmuth, MI.
  • Minoo Ghoreishi: Presented manuscript "Cooperative-An Alternative Business Model" at the Academy of Business Research Conference, 8/2-4/23 in Boston, MA.
  • Ankur Nandedkar: Nandedkar, A. (2024). Spark Classroom Engagement with Socrative. International Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society. Singapore (June 2024).
  • Nandedkar, A. (2024). Nearpod: Make Learning Interactive. Annual DSI Pedagogy Virtual Conference.(June 2024).
  • Nandedkar, A. (2024). Active Learning and Fun Results: The Blooket Experience. Annual DSI Pedagogy Virtual Conference.(June 2024).
  • Nandedkar, A., & Gangadharan, A. (2024). Quiziz: A Catalyst for Engagement. Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society.Salem, Massachusetts (June 2024).
  • Nandedkar, A., & Gangadharan, A. (2023). Creating an Interactive Classroom Experience with Gimkit. International Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society. Dublin, Ireland (July 2023).
  • Jianfeng Wang: Presented "Exploring the Relationships among Normative Commitment, Self-Efficacy, and Employee Turnover” at Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) 25th Annual International Conference, 7/8-13/24 in Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Marc Tomljanovich: Koyin Chang, Marc Tomljanovich, and Frank Ying.  ICT Development and Total Factor Productivity Growth. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development 2024, 8(1), 3108.

Awards/Recognition:

  • Brian Trout received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor.
  • Eric Blazer was promoted to Professor.

University College

Faculty Publications: 

  • Lawson, K.L. (2024) presented at the 24th Annual Conference Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME) 2024 on Utilizing UDL (Universal Design for Learning) to Enhance Multicultural Education
  • Lawson, K.L. (2024) presented at the Celebration of Faculty Excellence in Pedagogy 2024 on, Academic Advising in the 21st Century: Academic Advising and UDL (Universal Design for Learning)
  • Lawson, K.L and Mbindyo, M.N (2024) co-presented with colleagues at the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program Conference 2024 in Drexel Hill, PA on Effective Pre- and Post-Secondary Educational and Career Pathways for English Learners.
  • Mbindyo, M.N (2024). Inclusive Advising. In Pfannenstiel, A.N., Baldys, E., Hughes, J.M.F., Licata, A.M., Anderson, S., Szczyrbak, G., Rice, K., & Hurst, B. (Eds.). (2024). Inclusive practices: Ideas for classroom integration from Millersville classrooms to yours. OER Commons. https://oercommons.org/courses/inclusive-practices-ideas-for-classroom-integration-from-millersville-classrooms-to-yours.

Faculty Presentations: 

  • Finley-Bowman, R. E. (2024, March 21) Being “EPPIIC” for All Students: The Success Mission of Millersville’s University College. AAC&U Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success. Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Lawson, K. L. NACADA Annual Conference 2024 held in Orlando Florida and presented on the following topics.
    • Served on Panel Presentation: Reimagining Academic Recovery for Students on Academic Warning and Probation
    • Co-presented a concurrent Session: Propelling Students to Success: The Magic of UDL (Universal Design for Learning) in Advising
  • Lawson, K. L., & Mbindyo, M. (2024) Improving Your Reading Comprehension in College Courses available at https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/111813/overview
  • Mbindyo, M.N., & Lawson, K. L. (2024) College Level Time Management Lesson Plan available at https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/111872