California University

VOLUME 13, NUMBER 11 APRIL 4, 2011

Staff Hears Financing Message
at Spring Convocation

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Michele M. Mandell ’69 will receive
the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award
during Cal Pride Weekend festivities.

Mandell
Honored
During
Cal Pride
Festivities

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al U will honor alumna
Michele M. Mandell ’69 with
its 2011 Lifetime
Achievement Award during the fifth
annual Cal Pride Weekend festivities.
The celebration on Friday and
Saturday will feature events designed
to connect alumni with current and
prospective students.
On Friday, a group of
accomplished alumni will discuss
their careers with classes related to
their particular disciplines.
Among the nearly 20 guest
speakers returning to campus are
David Amati ’70, ’72; Julie Berger ’01;
Adam Bujanowski ’01; Nancy ’66 and
Tom ’64 Crumrine; Bob Lippencott
’66; Jim Lopez ’81; Carol Mitchell
’72, ’75; Michele Papakie ’96; Matt
Pitzarella ’02; Tom Rutledge ’77; and
Linda ’64 and Harry ’65 Serene.
At deans’ receptions from 2:30-5
p.m., awards will be presented to
distinguished alumni from Cal U’s
four colleges. Award winners are:
• William Polachek ’71, owner of
The Grand Residence of Upper St.
Clair senior living community,
honored by the College of Education
and Human Services.
• Dr. William Dinello ’81, dean
for the Executive Office/President’s
Office at York College CUNY,
honored by the School of Graduate
Studies and Research.
• Thomas L. Bakaitus ’83,
certified public accountant and
operating officer/partner at Herbein
+ Company Inc., honored by the
— Continued on page 3

roposed cuts in the state
appropriation for higher education
were on the minds of staff
members who gathered for the spring
Staff Convocation March 21.
No one anticipated the magnitude of
the funding cuts proposed by Gov. Tom
Corbett, said President Angelo Armenti,
Jr. But he pointed out that Cal U has
been preparing for a future that relies less
on state support — a situation the
President often has described as
“privatization without a plan.”
The governor’s proposal would reduce
appropriations to state-owned universities
by half.
“We need to remember the mission of
the State System of Higher Education,”
the President said. “It’s to provide a high
quality education at the most affordable
price to the students. We have to keep this
mission in mind.”
Cal U’s innovative and entrepreneurial
activities have placed the University in a
more favorable financial position than
some other institutions, he added.
For instance, Cal U’s No. 1 ranking
among online universities nationwide
could not have come at a better time.
Largely because of the Global Online
program, graduate enrollment has
increased 10.1 percent compared to a year
ago. Over the past nine years, the
University’s total full-time enrollment has
risen by 57 percent.
“Our top ranking for Global Online is
great news, and the program’s success has
come at a time when we need to grow
enrollments any we can,” President
Armenti said. “Many of you (staff) play a
significant role in creating enrollment
increases, by talking with students and
working with them and their families.”
Emphasizing the positive, the
President also pointed out that Cal U is
close to achieving “gender equity,” both
in athletics and on the faculty.
The University has worked hard to
add both female athletes and athletic
scholarships for women, so that the malefemale ratio within the athletic program
mirrors that of the student population.

President Angelo Armenti, Jr. gives his State of the University update at the Staff Convocation,
where he thanked staff members for their role in supporting Cal U’s continued progress.

An effort also has been made to add
more women to the faculty. Over the past
17 years, the number of female faculty
members has nearly doubled, from less
than 25 percent to more than 47 percent.
“We will soon be one of very few
public schools that can truthfully say we

have achieved gender equity,” President
Armenti said.
Although budget concerns top his
agenda, “I’m not shutting the place
down,” he said. A number of faculty
searches are under way, work on the
— Continued on page 3

Rally Urges State Support for Higher Ed

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aculty and students spoke out against proposed cuts in
the state appropriation for higher education at a
March 22 rally in front of the Natali Student Center.
Organized by Cal U’s chapter of APSCUF, the
Association of Pennsylvania State College and University
Faculties, the rally was part of a statewide effort on PASSHE
campuses to raise awareness of the budget cuts and their
consequences.
Students and faculty were asked to fill out postcards by
explaining briefly how they would be affected by the 50
percent reduction in funding proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett.
Some wrote short paragraphs; one student expressed
displeasure by drawing a “frownie face.”
The cards — reading “United We Stand, Underfunded
We Fail” — will be sent to state legislators, union members

said. Nearly 200 cards were collected during the event.
“If we don’t stand together, we will be underfunded, and
that means failure for all of us in the State System,” said Dr.
Michael Slavin, president of Cal U’s APSCUF local.
“Everyone needs to understand just how important this is.”
Cal U’s rally was one of 13 held at PASSHE schools on
March 22. Kutztown University held a similar event earlier
in the month.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is
spreading the word about the effect of funding reductions
through a Web page that includes a “budget alert,” contact
information for state legislators, and links to budget messages
posted by each PASSHE university.
To reach that Web page, visit the Cal U homepage,
www.calu.edu , and click on the PASSHE logo.

‘Cabaret’ Opens
Thursday

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Cal U students Kristin Ross and Sam Silva rehearse for Cal U’s first-ever production of the award-winning musical
‘Cabaret.’ Ross portrays Sally Bowles, a performer at Berlin’s seedy Kit-Kat Club, and Silva plays Cliff Bradshaw, a
penniless American writer visiting Berlin just before World War II.

he Department of Theatre and Dance closes its spring
2011 season with Cabaret, directed by Dr. Michele
Pagen.
Performances of this classic musical are set for 8 p.m.
Thursday and Friday, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday in Steele Hall
Mainstage Theatre.
Set in 1930 at the Kit-Kat Club, a Berlin nightspot where
anything goes, Cabaret introduces the audience to Sally Bowles,
a young English entertainer who dreams of fame and fortune.
She and Cliff Bradshaw, a penniless American writer, explore
romance in a seedy rooming house as the Third Reich gathers
strength.
First staged in 1966, the musical is based on John Van
Druten’s 1951 play, I Am a Camera, together with Christopher
Isherwood’s short stories, Goodbye to Berlin (1939).
Musical numbers include It Couldn’t Please Me More,
Willkommen, Cabaret, Don’t Tell Mama and Two Ladies.
Ticket price for Cabaret is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors;
students are admitted free with a Cal Card and a $5 refundable
deposit. The production is not suitable for the youngest
patrons.
For ticket information, or to order tickets (with a credit
card) by phone, call the Steele Box Office at 724-938-5943.

Big Band Headlines ‘Jazz Experience’

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performance by the ’Burgh Big Band will
wrap up the 29th annual California Jazz
Experience, three days of master classes and
jazz performances in Gallagher and Morgan Halls.
Dubbed CJE XXIX, the event will bring high
school and middle school jazz bands to campus
Tuesday through Thursday for performances and
master classes with guest jazz artists. In addition,
clinicians will work with students on sight-reading
skills and prepared pieces.
Young musicians from the Brentwood, Charleroi,
Chartiers-Houston, Kiski Area, Keystone Oaks,
Montour and Ringgold school districts will attend the
event.
Among the guest instructors is saxophone player
Curtis Johnson, now retired from West Virginia
University. A former associate professor of music,
Johnson continues to perform and to promote music
as a soloist, clinician, adjudicator and conductor.
Johnson has performed on numerous programs for
the North American Saxophone Conference, World
Saxophone Congress and National Saxophone
Symposium. He has performed as a soloist with the
West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and worked as
arranger and performer with the Wheeling Symphony
Orchestra. He also is a substitute performer for the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Renowned in the field of rhythm and blues, his
work can be heard on more than 80 CDs, including
jazz, blues, rock and R&B recordings.
Cal U’s jazz ensemble will give lunchtime concerts
at noon during each day of the Jazz Experience,
playing in the Morgan Hall Learning Resource Center
Auditorium. A concert with a “Motown Reflections”
theme is planned for 8 p.m. April 6 in the same
location.
A “Pop A Cappella” concert will take place at 8
p.m. Tuesday in Morgan Hall. All music will be
provided by human voices alone. Three Cal U groups
are scheduled to perform: the all-male Vulcanize, allfemale A Cappella Stella and the mixed group
California Singers. Visiting a cappella groups also will
be singing.
The Jazz Experience will close with a performance
by the ’Burgh Big Band at 8 p.m. Thursday in Morgan
Hall.
All concerts are free and open to the public, as
well as the Cal U community. The Music Department
and its chair, Professor Max Gonano, host the popular
event.
For more information, contact the Cal U Music
Department at 724-938-4878.

The California Jazz Experience will again bring high school
and middle school students to campus for performances
and master classes with guest jazz artists.

Campus BRIEFS
Philosophers’ Conference Set
The Department of Philosophy will host the 24th
annual conference of the PASSHE Interdisciplinary
Association for Philosophy and Religious Studies on
Friday and Saturday in the Eberly Science and
Technology Center.
Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as
faculty members from various PASSHE universities,
will present papers on topics related to philosophy and
religious studies.
Dr. Nicole Hassoun, assistant professor of
philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University, will deliver
the keynote address. In 2009-2010, she was the
Barbara McCoy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for
Ethics in Society at Stanford University.
Hassoun’s work has appeared in American
Philosophical Quarterly, Critical Review of
International Social and Political Philosophy,
Environmental Ethics, European Journal of
Philosophy, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Journal of
Moral Philosophy, and Public Affairs Quarterly,
among other publications. Her book on global justice is

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under contract with Cambridge University Press.
For more information, contact Dr. Joel Press, assistant
professor in Cal U’s Department of Philosophy, at 724-9381522, or send e-mail to press@calu.edu .

Cal U Welcomes Biologists
Cal U will host the annual meeting of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists
on April 16.
Founded in 1973, CPUB
emphasizes undergraduate
student research and provides
funds for that research through
a competitive grant process.
Its activities have included
scientific meetings, symposia
and institutes for the
professional development of its
Dr. Brian Paulson
(with friend)
members and associates. The
organization also provides a forum for graduate and
undergraduate students to present their research.
Cal U campus director Dr. Brian Paulson, a
professor in the Department of Biological and

Environmental Sciences, estimates that as many as 150
faculty and students from PASSHE universities will
arrive for the meeting in the Eberly Science and
Technology Center.
Dr. Sam Taylor, newly appointed director of the
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, will give the
keynote address. The meting will close with a banquet
and recognition of winners in various research
categories. An outstanding student from each school
also will be honored.
Cal U’s CPUB Outstanding is Bethany Stone, a
senior from Susquehanna, Pa., who is majoring in
fisheries and wildlife biology.
For more information, contact Paulson at 724-9385978, send e-mail to paulson@calu.edu or visit the
CPUB website at http://academics.sru.edu/cpub .

Read The Journal Online
The online Journal is easier to read! Just click on
“News” at the top of the Cal U homepage,
www.calu.edu , then choose “Cal U Journal” to see
the current edition in its new format or to review
archived editions from 2011.

New Look and
Longer Hours
The on-campus shuttle’s new bus
wrap features students wearing
graduation caps and gowns, with a
background of stunning campus
scenes. The on-campus shuttle has
extended its service and will run
from 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday. For a route map and
additional shuttle information, visit
www.calu.edu/parking .

GIS Project Earns Encore for Intern

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unior Ben Snyder will use his knowledge of
geographic information systems when he returns to
Pittsburgh’s National Energy Technology
Laboratory (NETL) for his second summer internship.
Snyder, a geography major with a concentration in
GIS, recently was awarded a 2010 Excellence in
Environment, Security, Safety, and Health Award
presented by the Office of Fossil Energy.
He was part of a team recognized for its work on
“Incident Response Pre-Plan,” an emergency response
tool created as part of the NETL internship, which is
funded by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
Education.
NETL, one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s
national laboratories, focuses on providing secure,
reliable energy at reliable prices.
Snyder and the team created a field-use tool based
on information extracted from site maps in a GIS
platform. It is designed to be used for incidents involving
NETL facilities.
The tool addresses the need for emergency response
personnel to retrieve physical data about those facilities
quickly. The application allows emergency personnel to
access maps, floor plans, confined-space data and
information about hazards, fire hydrants and utility shutoffs. The tool, which includes aerial photos and contact

Junior Ben Snyder will return to Pittsburgh’s National
Energy Technology Laboratory for his second summer
internship. His work a year ago recently earned him
recognition by the Office of Fossil Energy.

information for facility custodians, will speed response
times in emergency situations.
Snyder is a member of the Pennsylvania Army
National Guard, where he is his unit’s acting executive
officer. He also is involved in Cal U’s Army ROTC
program and Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society of
Leadership and Success.
Snyder says the GIS course he took with his

internship faculty adviser, Dr. Tom Mueller, prepared
him well for his summer at NETL.
“It gave me practical experience,” he said. “The
internship made me realize I knew more about GIS then
I realized, and I was able to bring NETL some skills
from what I read or did in labs at Cal.”
Snyder said he felt more like an employee than an
intern at NETL, and he enjoyed using GPS units or
Google Earth software to get coordinates and map
them.
“It was almost like we were artists commissioned to
create a map,” he said.
Snyder’s experience shows the importance of
internships and applying what students learn in class to
the real world, Mueller said.
“Ben is very passionate about his learning. To go out
and not only do your internship but do it so well that it
is recognized by outside agencies says a lot about Ben
and the students we have here at Cal U.”
Snyder joined the military after graduating from
Bethel Park High School in 2007. He said the internship
reaffirmed his decision to attend college.
“GIS is up and coming, and there are so many ways
it can help an organization,” he added. “I am looking
forward to going back to NETL, and I really feel like
part of their team.

Mandell to be Honored
at Cal Pride Weekend
— Continued from page 1

Alisha Carter (left), Gena Sproul and Dr. Lisa McBride listen attentively to President
Armenti’s presentation at Staff Convocation.

Staff Hears Financing Message
— Continued from page 1

Convocation Center is continuing and projects such as the Loop Road construction and
renovations at the Phillipsburg facility and Roadman Park are also continuing.
The President reminded staff members that the state budget will not be finalized
until June 30.
“We are perceived by students and their families to offer high-quality education,” he
said. “They like what they see on this campus and what we have to offer. I do not
believe the budget cut will be as big as it is now proposed, and I don’t think enrollments
will go down.
“Whatever the budget is, it is. We will deal with it and we will be fine.”
He praised the staff for supporting the University’s continued progress despite the
financial challenges.
“I know you give your best every day, and I thank you for your hard work and
dedication. This University received success and recognition, largely because of what
you do every day.”

College of Liberal Arts.
• Clement P. Gigliotti Sr. ’96, CEO
of Merit Contracting Inc., honored by
the Eberly College of Science and
Technology.
President Angelo Armenti, Jr. will
host a dinner for invited guests and
present the Lifetime Achievement
Award to Mandell, who will speak at 7
p.m. in the Performance Center of the
Natali Student Center.
Her talk is free and open to the
public.
Mandell retired in 2009 after 26
years with Talbots, a leading specialty
retailer and direct marketer of
women’s classic clothing, shoes and
accessories.
Starting as a store manager in
Shadyside, Pa., she assumed steadily
increasing positions of responsibility
and ultimately was named executive
vice president, the first woman to hold
that position at Talbots.
As executive vice president,
Mandell was responsible for Talbots’
entire retail stores operation, including
sales volume in excess of $1 billion.
Under her leadership, Talbots’ U.S.
retail operation more than quadrupled
in size.
At California University, Mandell
has received the Professional
Excellence Award presented by the Cal

U Alumni Association, as well as the
2006 Distinguished Alumna Award.
She addressed Cal U’s graduating
seniors at Commencement ceremonies
in 2009.
Secretary of the board of directors
for the Foundation for California
University, she also is a member of the
Board of Presidential Advisors.
Mandell is the fifth recipient of the
University’s Lifetime Achievement
Award. Previous winners are longtime
Cal U faculty member George Novak
’55, honored last year; U.S. Rep. Frank
R. Mascara ’72, the 2009 honoree;
former Nationwide Insurance
executive Thomas Crumrine, who was
honored in 2008; and Lt. Gen. Paul
Van Riper, honored in 2007.
On Saturday, President Armenti
will serve as moderator for an alumni
panel on life at Cal U from a young
alumni perspective. The discussion is
planned for 9:15-10 a.m. in Steele Hall
Mainstage Theatre.
From 11 a.m. -12:30 p.m., the “Cal
U For Life — Meet Our Alumni”
event will be held in the Kara Alumni
House’s Booker Great Room.
For more information about Cal
Pride Weekend and specific classroom
presentation times, contact Amy
Lombard, executive director of
Alumni Relations and Annual Fund,
at 724-938-4418 or e-mail
lombard@calu.edu .

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Ex-Frostburg Coach
Leads Volleyball Team

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After six highly successful years at Frostburg State (Md.) University, Peter Letourneau is
honored to be the new women’s volleyball head coach at Cal U.

eter Letourneau has been named
head coach of the women’s
volleyball team.
For the past six years he was the
head volleyball coach at Frostburg State
(Md.) University, where he compiled a
144-61 cumulative record that included
93 wins over the last three seasons.
He led the Bobcats to four
consecutive conference tournament
titles as a member of both the
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference and Capital Athletic
Conference .
Under his direction, Frostburg State
reached the NCAA Division III
Tournament in each of the last four
years. In 2010, the team advanced to the
regional championship for the first time
in school history.
Letourneau previously was an assistant
coach at Division I Rutgers (N.J.)
University and head coach of both the
men’s and women’s volleyball programs
at Division III Stevenson University
(Md.).
He replaces Stephanie Burner, who
coached the Vulcans from 2008-2010.
“I’m excited and honored to accept
the position,” said Letourneau. “I am

impressed by the way the team has
bonded together during this transition
period. I also believe the team’s work
ethic and culture will serve us well as
we move forward in preparing for the
2011 season.”
The new coach will lead a Cal U
team that has achieved seven
consecutive 20-win seasons, six straight
PSAC playoff appearances and five
consecutive trips to the NCAA Division
II Atlantic Regional championship
match.
Letourneau, a 2003 graduate of
Towson University, was a standout
player before moving to the sidelines.
During his six-year stint with the
U.S. Air Force, he was selected for the
All-Services Volleyball Team and the
All-Air Force team. He played on the
Florida Pro-Beach Volleyball Tour after
starting his playing career at East
Stroudsburg University. .
“We are very excited to have Peter
as our new volleyball coach,” said Cal
U athletic director Dr. Tom Pucci. “He
comes to us with an excellent career at
the NCAA Division III level, and we
look forward to him being very
successful here.”

Confer’s Third
Book Published

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r. Clarissa Confer, assistant
professor in the Department
of History and Political
Science, has published her third book.
Daily Life During the Indian Wars
takes an in-depth look at every aspect
of American
Indian life —
food, dress,
customs and
more — during
almost 300
years of conflict
with AngloAmericans.
The work
offers a
complete
chronology of military and political
events in American Indian history,
ranging from Colonial times through
the 19th century. It includes a
multicultural bibliography of
significant materials from the fields of
history, ethnography and
anthropology, pointing readers toward
additional information.
This is Confer’s second work
published by ABC-CLIO Green Press.

Steelers’ Super Trainer Visits Cal U
Ariko Iso, athletic trainer for the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, discussed her work during a presentation to students and other
interested members of the Cal U community on March 23 in Hamer Hall. Iso is the only female athletic trainer in the 32-team National
Football League, and her visit was part of the University’s Women’s History Month celebration.

The California Journal is published weekly by California University of Pennsylvania, a member of The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Dr. Angelo Armenti, Jr.
University President

Dr. Charles Mance
Vice President for University Technology Services

Craig Butzine
Interim Vice President for Marketing and University Relations

Geraldine M. Jones
Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Ron Huiatt
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Christine Kindl
Editor

Dr. Lenora Angelone
Vice President for Student Affairs

Robert Thorn
Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance

Bruce Wald, Wendy Mackall, Jeff Bender
Writers

Office of Communication and Public Relations

250 University Avenue

California, PA 15419

724-938-4195

wald@calu.edu

The Journal is printed on paper made from trees harvested under the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative ( www.SFIprogram.org ).

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