EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 2, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: EDINBORO SCHEDULES HIV/AIDS AWARENESS WEEK Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will observe HIV/AIDS Awareness Week Tuesday, April 14 through Friday, April 17, with lectures, panel discussions, testimonials and displays. All events will take place in the multipurpose room in the University Center. One highlight of the week will be the display of four 12’ x 12’ sections of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt throughout the week, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., in the University Center lobby. In addition to the events, the University’s Ghering Health Center will offer free and confidential HTV testing and pre- and post-test counseling. Appointments may be made anonymously by calling 732-2743. Edinboro English professor Dr. Jan Kinch, coordinator of HTV/AIDS Awareness Week, said this year’s observance will be the University’s largest and most diverse. It will offer discussions on such HTV/AIDS topics as sexually transmitted diseases, risk factors, support services in the community, legislation, new developments in research, and medication. Kinch said one of the week’s highhghts will be a four-part presentation, “Genesis: A Wake-Up Call; Toward Enlightenment,” Wednesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. It will feature a look at the recent HTV/AIDS story of Nushawn Wilhams in Chautauqua County, and how the community dealt with the crisis. Some of the most moving moments of the week will be personal testimonials from people who have the AIDS virus and a candle-lighting ceremony to memorialize loved ones lost. For more information on the week’s events, contact Kinch at (814) 732-2617 or 734-7670. -30BKP:bjf A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 FAX (814) 732-2621 April 3,1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MISTER ROGERS TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE AT EDINBORO UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT Fred Rogers, the creator, writer and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS, will receive an honorary doctorate at commencement ceremonies at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, May 9. For the past 30 years, Rogers has been bringing his 30-minute “visits” to children of all ages from his studio at Family Communications, Inc., located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Earlier this year, Pittsburgh magazine named Rogers “Pittsburgher of the Year,” citing him for his program which is still seen regularly by millions of people: “It is a favorite now of three generations, with parents, even grandparents, humming along with its trademark song ‘It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.’ “In a career spanning five decades, Fred Rogers has taught and unleashed the imaginations of his country’s youth by bringing them to the safe haven that is his neighborhood.. .To Fred Rogers, every person is special. No matter who you are, there is something that you have to offer to the world. It’s a message he received in his youth and that is at the basis of everything he has worked a lifetime to achieve.” Within the past year TV Guide named him one of television’s 50 all-time most important persons, and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented Rogers with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys, which was held at Radio City Music Hall. The 70-year-old Rogers was bom in Latrobe, Pa. As a child, his somewhat overprotective mother seldom let him play outside. His world became his room where he played with puppets and created music - two things he is still doing decades later. -more- A member of the State System of Higher Education MISTER ROGERS TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE, Continued Page 2 After graduating from Latrobe High School, Rogers attended Dartmouth College two years before going to Rollins College in Florida where he graduated in 1951 with a degree in music composition. His intention was to enter the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary until he saw his first television. He decided his rehgious career would have to wait - instead he answered the call of television. He went to New York and landed a job with NBC where he worked on The Voice of Firestone, the Lucky Strike Hit Parade, The Kate Smith Hour, and the NBC Opera Theatre. A year later he married Joanne Byrd, a talented concert pianist and fellow Rollins graduate. In 1953 he returned to Pittsburgh at the request of WQED to work as producer, musician and puppeteer with host Josie Carey on a live daily program called The Children’s Comer. He eventually enrolled in the seminary and was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1962. He studied child development at the University of Pittsburgh, then went to Toronto for one year where he created a 15-minute children’s series called Misterogers for the CBC. He returned to Pittsburgh and WQED in 1966 to develop Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. In February of 1968, his show aired nationally on PBS and is the longest-running program on the network. Rogers has received virtually every major award in television, and dozens of others from special-interest groups in education, communications and early childhood. He has two George Foster Peabody Awards and a lifetime achievement award from the TV Critics Association. One of his famous cardigan sweaters is on display in the Smithsonian and in 1994 the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania bestowed on him its History Maker Award. A member of the State System of Higher Education, Edinboro University will award the honorary degree Doctor of Public Service to Mr. Rogers in recognition of his pioneering efforts to create television programming that addresses the concerns of early childhood through the eyes of the children themselves; for his focus on family and human relationships which nourish the healthy emotional growth of children; for his contributions over more than 40 years to the theory and practice of child development which have had positive and profound effects on three generations of American children and their parents; for his legacy of self-affirmation and individual worth; and for the hundreds of visits he has made to our neighborhoods. Fred and Joanne have two sons - John, 35, and James, 38 - and two grandchildren. -30BKP:csw EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 3, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TIM FLYNN NAMED HEAD WRESTLING COACH AT EDINBORO Edinboro University of Pennsylvania President Dr. Frank G. Pogue today announced the appointment of Tim Flynn to the permanent post of head wrestling coach. Flynn has been acting head coach since last August when Pogue appointed former head coach Bruce Baumgartner acting athletic director. Pogue made Baumgartner the University’s permanent athletic director in February. ‘Tim is an excellent role model for our smdent-athletes. He has a sincere commitment to the caring, learning community that we have created at Edinboro University,” said Pogue. Flynn served as an assistant coach under Baumgartner for five years before acting in the head coach role. In his first year at the helm, Flynn led Edinboro to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament championship and the program’s first Eastern Wrestling League tournament title. The Fighting Scots qualified a school-record nine wrestlers to the NCAA Division I National Championships, where Edinboro placed 15th in the final team standings. During Flynn’s tenure at the Boro, the Scots have enjoyed some of the finest mat seasons in school history, including last year’s perfect 14-0 dual meet campaign and sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division I national tournament. Edinboro also compiled a 15-2 dual mark in 1993-94, and a 16-2 overall record in 1994-95, winning the EWL dual meet title all three years. The Scots are 63-28 overall in dual matches since Flynn joined the Boro program as an assistant coach prior to the start of the 1992-93 season. -more- A member of the State System of Higher Education FLYNN NAMED HEAD WRESTLING COACH, Continued Page 2 “Fm very honored to be appointed head coach, and really looking forward to building upon the great tradition we have established here at Edinboro,” said Flynn. “Our goal is to recruit quality student-athletes who are committed to working hard to get the best possible education and hopefully challenge for national titles.” ‘Tim has played a major role in the success of our program during the last six years, first as an assistant, then this past year as our head coach,” said Baumgartner. “He is a very hard worker, a person of outstanding character who is well-respected by our student-athletes and his peers. He is very much a hands-on coach and we are fortunate to have him running our program.” Prior to joining the Boro staff, Flynn served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Pennsylvania State University, for three years. He earned a bachelor of science degree in business management from Penn State in 1987, and a master’s in business administration with a concentration in finance in 1990. During Hynn’s collegiate years with the Nittany Lions, he captained the 1986-87 wrestling squad and earned All-American honors at 134 pounds. He was a two-time Eastern Wrestling League champion, winning the 126-pound title in 1986 and the 134-pound championship in 1987. He ranks ninth on Penn State’s all-time win list with 105 career victories. Flynn is a four-time Midlands Championships placewinner, a two-time Mat Town USA champion, and was an Espoir National freestyle mnner-up in 1984. Flynn is the son of Joe and Lois Flynn, who reside in Annapolis, Maryland. Tim and his wife, Tanya, have a son, Logan Lee, who was bom in October. -30SA:bjf EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 3, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: EDINBORO UNIVERSITY HOSTS “FUTURES DAY” Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will offer a peek at how future technology will likely be used when it hosts “Futures Day” on Tuesday, April 7, from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., at Baron-Fomess Library. The event is intended to give the community a glimpse into the future of technology in higher education. Most of the events will be held in the library’s second-floor computer lab and will feature demonstrations ranging from developments on the Internet and World Wide Web to digital cameras to videoconferencing to software for analyzing DNA. “Futures Day” will be open to the public. For further information contact Pat Hitchings at 732-2796. -30BKP:bjf A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 6,1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; EDINBORO TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH ORANGE FREE STATE UNIVERSITY The Vice Rector of South Africa’s University of the Orange Free State, Benito Khotseng, Ph.D., will sign an exchange between his school and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Friday, April 10. The signing ceremony will take place at noon in the President’s suite of Van Houten Dining Hall. The agreement is intended to promote cultural and academic understanding between the United States and the Republic of South Africa. It calls for a one-to-one exchange of either students or faculty members between the two schools. The ceremony will mark the culmination of a week-long visit to the Erie area by Khotseng. On Monday, April 6, he will attend a lecture by author Esmeralda Santiago at 7:30 p.m. at Edinboro. On Wednesday, April 8, he will attend a presentation by South African poet Dennis Brutus at 2 p.m. in Edinboro’s Reeder Hall. On Thursday, April 9, he will tour Erie and be the guest of honor at a luncheon at the Erie Historical Museum sponsored by Edinboro’s Africana Studies program. That evening he will participate in a symposium on South Africa at 7 p.m. in Edinboro’s University Center. Khotseng received his doctorate from the University of Natal in 1990, and a M.Ed. degree from the same school in 1982. He also holds degrees and certificates from the University of the North, University of South Afiica, and Huddersfield Polytechic. He has been involved in many levels of education since his first teaching position in 1971. He has served as senior lecturer, professor, dean and chief manager of strategic programmes before being named vice rector in August of 1996. -30BKP;csw A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 6, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE SET FOR EDINBORO UNIVERSITY APRIL 19 Hundreds of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania students will be recognized for their academic achievements during the 1997-98 academic year at the University’s annual “Celebration of Excellence” on Sunday, April 19, at 1:30 p.m. in McComb Fieldhouse. Edinboro President Frank G. Pogue will address the honorees. Also speaking will be Denise N. Green of Cambridge Springs, a senior majoring in nursing, and Rabeena AUi, who is in the graduate certification program in elementary school guidance. Presiding over the Celebration of Excellence will be Dr. Robert C. Weber, provost and vice president for academic affairs. Among those honored will be 40 students whose degrees will be awarded summa cum laude (grade point average 3.8 to 4.0) at the May commencement. Forty-nine students will recognized as magna cum laude graduates (3.6 to 3.79 grade point average), and 48 as cum /auJe graduates (3.4 to 3.59 grade point average). Students who are enrolled in the University Honors Program will be recognized, including nine graduating seniors, as will 21 students who will receive Outstanding Departmental Senior Awards for academic excellence from individual departments. Medallions will be presented to the 48 recipients of Presidential Scholarships. Pogue will award several special awards including the second annual President’s Award for Social Responsibility. New awards this year will be Educator of the Year and the Provost’s Award for International Education. Also new will be the Student Government Association’s Campus Leadership Awards for the outstanding student organization, organizational advisor and -more- A member of the State System of Higher Education CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE APRIL 19, Continued Page 2 student leader. Other honorees will include members of the academic honor societies, scholarathletes, and students who were named to the Dean’s List in 1997. The Celebration of Excellence brings together the entire University community to recognize the broad range of achievement and standard of excellence manifested at Edinboro for more than 140 years. -30BKP:bjf EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 6, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SOUTH AFRICAN POET DENNIS BRUTUS AT EDINBORO UNIVERSITY Dennis Brutus, a South African poet and former political prisoner under apartheid, will appear at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, April 8 to conduct a poetry reading and lecture on South Africa. Bom in Rhodesia in 1924, Bmtus spent a year and a half in prison for his protests against racial discrimination. He lived in England after leaving South Africa in 1966 and has taught at the University of Denver and Northwestern University. He has been hailed as the “singing voice of the South African Liberation Movement.” He speaks with experience, heart and authority about inhumanity while still showing how the spirit can soar and sing. Drawing from his own life, Bmtus’ poems take the audience from the rigors of apartheid to the bestiality of imprisonment and from the desolation of exile to those moments of recognition and acknowledgment that made the stmggle worthwhile. Bratus has published 12 books of poetry and is the recipient of the Langston Hughes Award for Poetry and the Paul Robeson Award for Artistic Integrity. The lecture on South Africa will take place at 2 p.m., followed by the poetry reading at 4 p.m. in the University Center multipurpose room. -30BKP:bjf A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 7,1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KIM AND REGGIE HARRIS TO PERFORM AT MILLER SCHOOL The musical duet of Kim and Reggie Harris will bring their performance of traditional songs, contemporary original music and storytelling to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. They will perform on Thursday, April 16, at 3:30 p.m. for a teacher inservice program. On Friday, April 17, at 9:45 a.m. and again at noon they will perform for students and teachers from the University’s Miller School and Emerson-Gridley Elementary School, and Edinboro graduate and undergraduate students and faculty. The performances will be in the Miller School multi­ purpose room. Kim and Reggie Harris are gifted singers and instrumentalists, composing much of their performance material. At Edinboro they will perform selections from their first album, “Music and the Underground Railroad,” including songs, stories, and narratives about slavery and the quest for freedom. Married in 1976, they were both raised in Philadelphia and currently reside in upstate New York. They have performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the 53'^'* Presidential Inaugural. -30BKP;csw A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 8, 1998 MEDIA ADVISORY: Please be advised of the clarification that follows: The current Edinboro University student identified in police and media reports in an alleged incident of rape off campus on March 14-15 is Michael T. Hoffman, date of birth 12-20-76, whose hometown is St. Marys, Pa. Please refer to this identifying information in any future reports, as, regrettably, another Edinboro student with the same first and last name but different middle initial (as well as different hometown) has been erroneously connected to the incident. Thank you. -30WAR:bjf A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 9, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: EDINBORO TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH ORANGE FREE STATE UNIVERSITY The Vice Rector of South Africa’s University of the Orange Free State, Benito Khotseng, Ph.D., will sign an exchange agreement between his school and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Friday, April 10. The signing ceremony will take place at noon in the President’s suite of Van Houten Dining Hall. Signing for Edinboro will be President Frank G. Pogue. The agreement is intended to promote culmral and academic understanding between the United States and the Republic of South Africa. It calls for a one-to-one exchange of either smdents or faculty members between the two schools. -30BKPrbjf A member of the State System of Higher Education April 10,1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LOCAL STUDENT INDUCTED INTO HONORARY SOCIETY Heather K. Edmunds of Delevan, N.Y., a student at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, was recently inducted into Psi Chi, the National Psychology Honorary Society. Administered by the American Psychological Association, the honorary society recognizes students for their outstanding academic achievement in psychology coursework. Heather is vice president of the Psychology Club, a peer tutor, and a member of the freshman orientation committee and Alpha Chi/Pennsylvania Zeta Chapter. She is the daughter of Richard and Constance Edmunds of Delevan. -30PSL:bjf EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 14,1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: “WHATEVER THE LETTER, WE’RE ALL GREEK TOGETHER” MARKS WEEK OF ACTIVITIES AT EDINBORO The fraternities and sororities of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Greek Week ’98, April 17-25, with the theme of “Whatever the Letter, We’re All Greek Together.” This year’s Greek Week will be highlighted by four charitable events: a bowl-a-thon and a penny war to raise money for the American Cancer Society, a food drive to benefit the Edinboro Food Pantry, and an eating contest with McDonald’s to raise money for a specific charity chosen by the winner. The bowl-a-thon will be held on Tuesday, April 21, from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Edinboro Lanes. Student bowlers will raise money in support of two sorority members who have been diagnosed with cancer. The Greek God/Goddess candidates will be competing in a penny war competition April 20-24, from noon to 5 p.m. at the University Center. The money will also be donated to the American Cancer Society. Canned food items will be collected and given to the Edinboro Food Pantry. Greek Week will kick off at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 17, with a torch run through the campus and community and will finish at the University Center where the Greek picnic and the closing ceremony for Aids Awareness Week will take place. The evening will end with the mini­ events in the multipurpose room. The Greek Dance competition will take place in Memorial Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 17. Other Greek Week events include football, volleyball, basketball, the climbing wall and the traditional concluding event, Greek Sing, which will be held on Saturday, April 25, in Memorial Auditorium. Although it is not a Greek Week event, many fraternity and sorority members are expected to take part in the March of Dimes Walkamerica will be held on Sunday, April 26, at Presque Isle. -30CGH:csw A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 15,1998 . FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: EDINBORO UNIVERSITY WOMEN ATTEND CONFERENCE IN CUBA What do soap operas, modern-day Cuba, and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania have in common? The answer is Edinboro history professor Dr. Jerra Jenrette, art professor Suzanne Winterberger, and alumnus Sherri McIntosh who is a graduate student in history and women’s studies at West Virginia University. They attended the Second International Women’s Studies Conference at the University of Havana where they presented a paper on the depiction of Hispanic women in American soap operas. “Carlotta: Changing Images of Hispanic-American Women on U.S. Daytime Soap Operas,” examined the role of a long-running character on ABC’s One Life to Live. Jenrette, who teaches Latin American history at Edinboro, said the three decided on a soap opera topic because it was something all of them had grown up with, and soap operas are very popular in Latin America. Their presentation was more than just a nostalgic look at a favorite soap opera. It was an insightful report on how minority women have been portrayed on major television networks, “The thing we found interesting in our research,” said McIntosh, “which we relayed to the conference, was the marginalization of Hispanic-American women in U.S. daytime soaps. There are Hispanic U.S.-based soaps that deal only with Latin-American women, but we were focusing on major networks and how they marginalized Latin-American women.” The topic was a big hit with women and men attending the conference as it attracted one of the largest audiences of any of the presentations. “We had a good time with it,” said Winterberger. “It was a nice way to talk about a serious subject in a light-hearted manner.” -more- A member of the State System of Higher Education WOMEN ATTEND CONFERENCE IN CUBA, Continued Page 2 The conference came just before the Pope’s historic visit to Cuba, and the three Americans were able to observe not only the daily life of the Cuban people, but also the forces of change already at work on the island nation. They were also aware of American media coverage which they felt was not always accurate and sometimes heavily filtered. “Some of the preliminary media reports I found disturbing at times,” said McIntosh. “One of the opportunities for Cuban women is in-home restaurants called ‘paladares,’ which seat no more than 12 and are sanctioned by the government. It’s a $5 fare, and it gave us the best food we had in Cuba. Over 90 percent are owned by women, many of whom have had a career and are retired. They have a lot of freedom with the restaurants and their whole family works with them. But they work exhausting 16-hour days. That was one of the concerns of the women at the conference. I was really excited that Martha Stewart had done a story on a paladar until I reahzed the one she reported on was mn by a man.” Women have made strides in other ways in Cuba. Jenrette reported that 70 percent of the country’s professional/technical positions, which includes doctors and scientists, are held by women. Many of them have been trained in Russia as well as in Cuba. The emphasis on health care by the Cuban government is reflected in the mandatory distribution of physicians. “For every 100 families,” said McIntosh, “it is required there be a doctor within that block. Each apartment complex has a doctor within it, and there is a clinic in each conamunity.” The Edinboro group also reported that in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster, Cuba treated more than 40,000 Ukrainian children who were victims of the fallout. Many of them were treated in Cuba for six months before being flown back to Ukraine. With the end of Moscow’s support for the Castro government, the country has mmed to more market-oriented enterprises, most noticeably tourism. While the U.S. embargo remains intact, most of the tourists are European. That has been a mixed blessing for the Cuban people as it has brought with it much-needed hard currency, but also prostitution, especially among very young women. Cuban scholars worry that the strides women have made since the revolution will be threatened. Prior to the revolution, crime and vices were rampant. The Edinboro women got a first-hand look at this underside of the Cuban economy when they visited a beach near Havana. “We saw 12- and 13-year old girls with male tourists, primarily from Europe,” said McIntosh. ‘There were 50 to 100 girls and the rest were men. We were the only adult women on the beach. These girls are not prostimtes but ‘jineteras’ or jockeys - as in striving to get ahead. In their minds what they are doing is not considered prostitution. They are -more- WOMEN ATTEND CONFERENCE IN CUBA, Continued Page 3 not necessarily performing sexual favors. Sometimes they are more like companions, accompanying the men to discos and parading, scantily clad, with them on the beaches. They are not permitted into the men’s hotel rooms. The girls claim they do it to get ‘things’ rather than cash. They want nice dinners, nice clothing and to go to discos they couldn’t otherwise frequent.” In part, the Cubans blame this desire for material goods on American culture, which they refer to as a “to have society.” They think this materialism is what is calling the young women. But these girls pay a high social cost for their activity. If they are at the beach then they are not at school which is looked down upon, especially in Cuban society where education is so important. They are even ostracized by their families and community. “If there were a community social gathering,” said McIntosh, “they would be ostracized from it because of the unpopular choices they have made.” Despite the hardships of the Cuban economy, the Edinboro group was impressed by the resilience of the people. ‘The Cuban people are not depressed,” said Winterberger. “This is a people whose spirit has overwhelmed everything. The communal spirit - the belief that they are all in it together - is pervasive. People are making sacrifices, having fewer material goods, so that other people can have more. There is that spirit of togetherness, that ‘we are all in it together.’ Nothing, not the collapse of the Soviet Union or the hardships imposed by the 35-year U.S. embargo, can take that spirit away.” -30- BKP:csw EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 15, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: EDINBORO TO HOST ART EDUCATION CONFERENCE Award-winning art educator Dr. Karol Thompson will be the keynote speaker at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania’s biennial Art Education Conference on Friday, April 24. The conference, which is open to art educators and students, will include a walking tour in Erie of the studio of artist and Edinboro alumnus Dan Burke (1972), the Glass Growers Gallery and the Erie County Historical Society, as well as tours of student art exhibits on the Edinboro campus. Thompson has taught all levels of art students for 35 years. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including one from the Maryland State Art Teachers Association and the Washington Post’s Agnes B. Meyer’s Teacher of the Year Award. Her lecture at 10 a.m. in Memorial Auditorium will discuss the necessity and rewards of teaching students “how to see.” The conference will offer workshops on pop-up art, wire brooch making, painting and poetry, ceramics, animation and book arts. Conference organizer Rachael Harper said many of the events are free to encourage student and faculty participation. -30BKP:bjf A member of the State System of Higher Education Heven students from General McLane High School will enter Edinboro University this fall having already earned more than 80 university credits through an articulation agreement between the two schools. Seated, from left, are April Hirth, Amanda Hubbell, Amanda Caruthers, Wendy McAdw, and Erika Hedderick. Standing, General McLane Superintendent Dr. Terese Walter, Heide Hamson, Lisa Gutting, Nicole Diley, Heidi Henning, Christina Baker, and Edinboro r^i ent r. r G. Pogue. Missing from the photo is Carrie Williams who was on a field trip to Germany. ^ Edinboro University of Pennsylvania President Frank G. Pogue and Benito Khotseng, vice-rector of the University of the Orange Free State in South Africa, sign a historic agreement to establish a cooperative exchange agreement between the two schools. Edinboro faculty and administration witness the signing which calls for a one-to-one exchange of faculty and students. The purpose of the agreement is to nromote cultural and academic understanding between the United States and Rabeena Alii of Erie presented the graduate student address at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania’s “Celebration of Excellence” on April 19. Alii will receive a graduate certificate in elementary school guidance from Edinboro in May. She is currently assistant director of residence life at Mercyhurst College. Alii, who is a native of Guyana, spoke on the importance of taking responsibility. ‘Trust in your ability,” she said. “Be proud, be persistent and be consistent.” She is a two-time graduate of Edinboro with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling. She plans to earn a doctorate in counselor education. Denise N. Green of Cambridge Springs presented the student address at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania’s “Celebration of Excellence” on April 19. Green will graduate summa cum laude from Edinboro in May with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. She quoted from the Langston Hughes poem Dreams and urged students not to compromise their standards. In addition to graduating this year. Green will celebrate her 25* year of marriage to her husband, Don. They have four children: Donnie, Stacie (a sophomore at Edinboro), Daniel and Shelly. She is the daughter of Wayne and Shirley Wilcox of Waterford. \ EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 21,1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 636 STUDENTS TO GRADUATE AT EDK^ORO'S SPRING COMMENCEMENT Edinboro University of Pennsylvania President Frank G. Pogue will confer degrees on 636 students at the Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9, at 1:00 p.m. in McComb Fieldhouse. Mth a December 1997 graduating class of 684 students, Edinboro granted approximately 1,320 associate, bachelor's and master's degrees during the 1997-98 academic year. Carrying the ceremonial mace and leading the academic procession as the Grand Marshal at the ceremony will be Richard Heasley, professor of sociology, anthropology, and social work. He has been a member of the Edinboro faculty for 32 years. Professor Heasley is known by his students and colleagues as a dedicated, studentcentered professional. He and his wife, Patricia, a 1962 Edinboro graduate and a member of the University’s Council of Trustees, are the parents of two children, Richard II and Andrea Loeffler, both Edinboro graduates. Serving as featured speaker and receiving an honorary doctorate will be Fred Rogers, the creator, writer, and host of Mister Rogers ’ Neighborhood on PBS. The 70-year old Rogers was bom in Latrobe, Pa. After graduating from high school there, he attended Dartmouth College two years before going to Rollins College in Florida where he graduated in 1951 with a degree in music composition. He went to New York and landed a job with NBC, and a year later he married Joanne Byrd, a talented concert pianist and fellow Rollins graduate. In 1953 he returned to Pittsburgh at the request of WQED to work as producer, musician and puppeteer. In February of 1968, Mister Rogers ’ Neighborhood aired nationally on PBS and is now the longest-running program on the network. more A member of the State System ofHi^er Education Edinboro University Spring Commencement, continued page 2 Rogers has received virtually every major award in television and dozens of others from special-interest groups in education, communications and early childhood. -30psl EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 24, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: EDINBORO CELEBRATES MATH IMAGINATION DAY Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will help celebrate Math Imagination Day on Thursday, April 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Miller School gym. Students from the Miller School will be joined by students from Cambridge Springs Elementary School in what is called the world’s largest math event. The hands-on program will be staged by 85 students from math methods classes in Edinboro’s elementary education department. A variety of teaching/leaming materials, math learning centers and ideas for the K-5 math curriculum will be displayed. Edinboro faculty members Dr. Mary Jo Melvin and Dr. Kathy Dailey said the experience provides the University students with the opportunity to share with elementary children a variety of teaching aids and math manipulatives they created in their courses. It will also encourage the elementary children to have fun with math with the materials and provide valuable feedback to the Edinboro students. For more information, contact Mary Jo Melvin in the elementary education department at 732-2750. -30BKP:bjf A member of the State System of Higher Education EDINBORO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Public Relations and Publications Edinboro, PA 16444 (814) 732-2745 or 2929 Fax (814) 732-2621 April 28, 1998 NEWS ADVISORY: Edinboro University of Pennsylvania will hold its Spring Convocation on Thursday, April 30, at 8 a.m. in Memorial Auditorium. The University-wide event, which is open to the public, will review the University’s progress since the Fall Convocation. Edinboro President Dr. Frank G. Pogue will address the University’s success in meeting its priorities and will honor faculty and staff members who are retiring this year, as well as more than 70 others who are being recognized for 10 to 35 years of service. For the first time, Edinboro will name an Educator of the Year and a Staff Member of the Year. President Pogue views the Spring Convocation as an integral part of the cyclical budget, planning and continuous improvement process as it allows for employee recognition while providing the community with a status report. Following the Convocation, the community will gather at the Diebold Center for the Performing Arts for an Employee Recognition Reception which will feature a display of faculty and staff accomplishments. -30BKP:bjf A member of the State System of Higher Education