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California University
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 25 OCT. 10, 2011
READ THE JOURNAL ONLINE: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal
Free
Alumni to Speak at
Homeland Security Conference Counseling
Offered
to
T
Area Vets
wo distinguished alumni with
expertise in national security and
emergency preparedness will be
featured at Cal U’s fifth annual
Conference on Homeland and
International Security, from 8 a.m.-4
p.m. Oct. 25 in the Performance Center.
The theme for this year’s conference
is Transnational Crimes and Security.
The keynote speaker is Maj. Gen.
Donna F. Barbisch ’84, who retired after
a 38-year career in the U.S. Army. She
now is president of Global Deterrence
Alternatives and director of the Institute
for Global and Regional Readiness.
Also on the program is former
special agent Mark Camillo ’76, a law
enforcement and security professional
who specializes in emergency
preparedness operations. He is senior
vice president of strategic planning for
Contemporary Services Corp., the
world’s largest event security firm, and
president of Apex Security Group, an
affiliated executive security company.
Past conferences have attracted a
mix of law enforcement and security
professionals, educators and students.
“This is a private and public
partnership coming together to defend
our homeland and provide better
security for our citizens,” said Dr.
Michael Hummel, associate professor of
Leadership and Security Studies.
International Sporting Events,” and Dr.
Emily Sweitzer, chair of Cal U’s
Department of Justice, Law and Society,
will give closing remarks
.
About the speakers
Barbisch
Camillo
“This conference is also an excellent
networking opportunity for our students,
and we are honored to have two
distinguished alumni among our guest
speakers.”
Following opening remarks by Cal U
President Angelo Armenti, Jr., Hummel
will discuss “Kidnapping for Profit.”
Agent Jenny Wells, of the Office of
Personnel Management, Federal
Investigative Services Division, will
speak on “Counterintelligence and
Security.”
Barbisch’s luncheon talk will focus
on “Building Resilience to
Transnational Crimes.”
The afternoon session includes a
presentation by Dr. Andrae Marak, a
former Cal U professor, on “Borders,
Borderlanders and Crime.”
Camillo will examine “Soft Targets
for Terrorism: Securing Major
Barbisch began her military career in
the Army Student Nurse Program and
rose through the ranks in a multitude of
active-duty and reserve assignments
from Vietnam to the Pentagon. Her final
military assignment was as director of
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and
Nuclear Program Integration for the
Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Today, her focus is providing
visionary policy and program solutions
related to the national security threats
posed by terrorism, natural disasters and
emerging infectious diseases.
With more than 20 years of
experience in managing complex private
and public, medical and organizational
challenges, Barbisch tackles the
complexities of combating terrorism
through comprehensive planning and
cultural change.
A frequent lecturer, she is engaged in
numerous think tanks and seminars on
national and international public policy,
strategic planning and integration. Her
professional activities include RAND
studies; ANSER, Institute for Homeland
— Continued on page 2
al U will offer free counseling services to military veterans and their
families through the Office of
Veterans Affairs.
Area residents who have served in any
branch of the military are eligible to attend
counseling sessions. Their dependents and
family members also may receive counseling. Non-students are welcome.
Appointments are available from 10
a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays on these dates: Oct
11, Oct. 25, Nov. 8, Nov. 22, Dec. 6 and
Dec. 13.
Licensed professional counselor Jason
Brosk from the Vet Center, Department of
Veterans Affairs, will meet with clients in
the Cal U Wellness Center, Room G-57,
Carter Hall.
Services include individual and marriage counseling, readjustment counseling,
and counseling for drug and alcohol issues,
bereavement, and military sexual trauma.
Counseling also is available, as needed,
for Cal U veterans and community members with loved ones who have been
deployed.
“We have developed a relationship
— Continued on page 3
C
PSO Returns to Campus Oct. 18
alifornia University will continue
a fall tradition by hosting a
performance by the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra.
Students, faculty, staff and the
California community may attend the
concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 18 in Steele Hall
Mainstage Theatre.
Conductor Lawrence J. Loh will lead
violinist Yuko Uchiyama and the
orchestra in a program that includes the
Overture to Die Zauberflote (The Magic
Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.;
Violin Concerto in D minor, by Jean
Sibelius; and Symphony No. 4 in F
Minor, by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The PSO first performed on the
California campus in 1994, and the fall
concert has become an annual event.
Each spring Cal U students, alumni and
University friends travel to Pittsburgh for
a symphony performance in Heinz Hall.
Students who wish to attend the Oct.
18 performance will be admitted free
with a CalCard. Cost is $10 for other
members of the Cal U community or the
general public.
Tickets are available at the Steele
Hall Box Office, in advance or at the
door. To place a credit card order, call
724-938-5943; there is a $2.50 processing
charge for credit card orders under $200
C
Gay Athletes, Allies
Topic of Talk
Brian Sims, the only openly gay football
team captain in NCAA history, will speak
inside Cal U’s Vulcan Theatre this Thursday
at 11 a.m. in celebration of Diversity
Awareness Month. Sims, a defensive
standout on Bloomsburg University’s 2000
national finalist football team, will speak
on ‘LGBT Advocates, Allies, Athletes and
Policies.’ See story on page 2.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will return to campus for the 18th consecutive year
with an 8 p.m. performance Oct. 18 in Steele Hall’s Mainstage Theatre.
and a $5 processing charge for orders
over $200.
Cal U’s Alumni Association will host
a pre-symphony reception to support the
Alumni Scholarship Fund. PSO
Conductor Loh is expected to attend the
gathering of Cal U alumni and friends at
6:45 p.m. in the Kara Alumni House.
Hors d’oeuvres and limited bar service
will be offered.
Cost is $75 for the reception,
symphony performance and optional
shuttle service between the Alumni
House and Steele Hall. A portion of the
ticket price benefits the Alumni
Scholarship Fund and is tax-deductible.
Visitor parking is available in the
Vulcan Garage, near the campus
entrance.
For reception tickets or more
information about the Alumni
Association event, contact administrative
assistant Montean Dean at
dean@calu.edu or 724-938-4418.
Football Plays Spotlight Student Directors
Player T
Discusses
Gay
Athletes,
Allies
n celebration of Diversity Awareness
Month, the Office of Multicultural
Student Programs will welcome Brian
Sims to campus.
The team captain of Bloomsburg
University’s 2000 football team and a
Regional All-American defensive
lineman, Sims is the only openly gay
football team captain in NCAA history.
At 11 a.m. Thursday in the Vulcan
Theatre, inside the Natali Student Center,
Sims will discuss “LGBT Advocates,
Allies, Athletes and Policies.”
During his senior season, Sims helped
the Huskies overcome a 0-2 start and win
12 consecutive games before losing to
Delta State (Miss.) in the NCAA Division
II National Championship game. He led
the Huskies in sacks, with nine, while
recording 47 total tackles.
Sims initially went public with his
homosexuality when one of his
teammates broached the issue in the
middle of the season. In a videotaped
interview, Sims said that season was the
most surreal of his life, but he had the full
support of his teammates and coaches.
The story grew the following year as more
and more players discussed “the gay
captain.”
After graduating Sims attended law
school and earned his Juris Doctorate at
Michigan State University School of Law.
OutSports magazine covered his story,
which also has been featured in Gay.com,
TheAdvocate.com, and numerous
newspapers. His openness has prompted
hundreds of personal responses from
athletes, coaches, parents and allies in
more than 40 states and 30 countries.
Sims is now an LGBT advocate and a
successful policy attorney. He lives and
works in Philadelphia. In addition to his
practice, Sims serves as president of the
board of directors for EqualityPA and
chairman of GALLOP (Gay & Lesbian
Lawyers of Philadelphia).
In 2010, Sims joined the faculty of the
Center for Progressive Leadership and the
National Campaign Board of The Victory
Fund. The National LGBT Bar
Association named him one of the Top 40
LGBT Attorneys Under 40 in the United
States.
Sims recently resigned as the staff
counsel for policy and planning at the
Philadelphia Bar Association, where he
worked with the chancellor, executive
director and board of governors to pursue
and implement the legislative and policy
agenda of the association.
Currently the managing editor of the
Bar Association’s newest publication,
UponFurtherReview, he has also served
as the legal editor for M.D. News
Magazine and as an associate editor at
The Philadelphia Bar Reporter.
Although he no longer plays football,
Sims has remained an avid athlete and
regularly competes in marathons and
triathlons across the region.
The Diversity Awareness Month event is
free and open to all members of the campus
community, as well as the general public.
I
2
he public may attend “An
Evening of One-Acts,” a series of
short plays directed by students
and presented by the Department of
Theatre and Dance.
Curtain time is 8 p.m. Thursday and
Friday, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday.
All performances are in the Gerald and
Carolyn Blaney Theatre in Steele Hall.
The department’s first performance
of the Fall 2011 semester features plays
that may be humorous, thoughtprovoking or shocking, but always
entertaining.
Cost is $12 for adults, seniors and
children. Students with valid CalCards
are admitted free; they must leave a $5
deposit that will be returned if they
attend performance.
For ticket information, or to order
tickets (with a credit card) by phone, call
the Steele Box Office at 724-938-5943.
Students in the Department of Theatre and Dance will present ‘An Evening of One-Acts’
this week in Steele Hall.
Alumni to Speak at Conference
— Continued from page 1
Security advisory group; and the
Metropolitan Washington Bioterrorism
Task Force.
Barbisch chairs the subcommittee on
quarantine for the Department of
Veterans Affairs’ Technical Advisory
Committee on Emergency Management
and the committee on homeland security
for the Reserve Officers Association. She
serves on the board of directors for
Humanitarian Aid International
Consultants, the Armed Forces
Foundation, and the Homeland Security
Council for the American Board of
Forensic Examiners.
She is on the faculty of George
Washington University and the Army
War College.
Along with her degree from Cal U,
Barbisch holds a master’s degree in
public health from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a
doctorate in health administration from
the Medical University of South
Carolina.
Camillo began his career in law
enforcement as a special agent in the
U.S. Secret Service, where he protected
four U.S. presidents during three White
House assignments, including a stint as
head of the White House Security
Branch.
Camillo has played key security roles
at major events, including leading the
security team for the 2002 Winter
Olympics at Salt Lake City, Utah.
He has held positions at Lockheed
Martin, where he directed public safety
and homeland security initiatives, and
now holds a key leadership position with
Contemporary Services Corp, which
provides event staffing, crowd
management, security and guest services
for entertainment, sporting and civic
events at major venues across the
country.
Groups Explore Medieval Arts
al U students have been recognized for their mastery of
medieval arts.
Members of the year-old Medieval
and Renaissance Society traveled to
Buffalo, N.Y., last spring for the Festival
of the Passing of the Ice Dragon, a
medieval-style event.
They won the Group Category in the
Pentathlon, an arts-and-sciences display
and competition that showcased their
skills in five areas: needlework, clothing
and accessories, woodworking, cooking,
and heraldry.
The society grew out of the Cal U
Fencing Club. At its weekly meetings,
the club offers free lessons through the
Society for Creative Anachronism(SCA),
a medieval re-enactment group with
members around the world.
The fencing club, which now has 45
members, competes regularly in tournaments. Instead of Olympic-style fencing,
many members practice historical
swordsmanship, training with a thinbladed epee or using the thicker, broadbladed rapier.
Because of the club’s connection
with the SCA, participants were exposed
to a variety of medieval crafts, “so we
started a society to facilitate people
being able to study the arts of medieval
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times,” said Cindy Speer. Secretary for
the Department of History and Political
Science, she serves as an adviser to both
clubs.
The two groups have many members
in common, Speer said. The Medieval
and Renaissance Society explores all
aspects of world cultures prior to 1601.
For the festival competition in
Buffalo, society members created a
medieval-style marzipan subtlety, a confection shaped like a Viking ship; handsewn heraldic banners; a painting; and a
Viking-style chest made from wood.
Support for the trip was provided by
Dean Mohammed Yamba and the
College of Liberal Arts.
This fall the group intends on having
workshops in blackwork embroidery,
wire weaving, medieval dance and much
more. They are already preparing for
next March’s Pentathalon, where they
intend to enter craft projects related to
medieval regalia.
Faculty, staff and community members
are encouraged to join Cal U students as
members of fencing club or the medieval society. The fencing club meets at 7 p.m.
Thursdays in Herron Hall Gym B while
medieval enthusiasts gather at 7 p.m.
Wednesdays on the second floor of Gallagher
Hall. Cindy Speer at speer@calu.edu .
To register
The conference is sponsored by the
Department of Justice, Law and Society
at Cal U. Cost is $25 per person; fee
includes lunch.
To register as an individual, send a
check for $25, payable to the Foundation
for California University; please include
“JLS” (Justice, Law and Society) in the
memo line. Mail checks to Dr. Emily
Sweitzer, Security Conference Co-Chair,
California University of Pennsylvania,
Department of Justice, Law and Society,
P.O. Box 30, California, PA 15419.
Registration information for groups
and corporations is online at
www.calu.edu ; look for the event in the
“News” or “Events” carousel on the
homepage.
For more information, contact Dr. Emily
Sweitzer at 724-938-4438 or
swetizer@calu.edu , or Dr. Michael Hummel
at 724-938-6043 or hummel@calu.edu .
Follow
Mission Day
Discussion via
Twitter
egistration for Mission
Day XIII on Oct. 26 is
ongoing. Check the Cal U
website, www.calu.edu , for a link
to the registration page, or visit
www.calu.edu/events/missionday/index.htm .
Events will feature a keynote
address by Sugata Mitra, whose
“hole in the wall” project
demonstrates the power of
curiosity to stimulate selfinstruction and peer-shared
knowledge. To engage in the
conversation, please follow
@CalUofPA on Twitter and use
the #calumday hashtag to share
your thoughts on this provocative
topic.
Remember that daytime
classes, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., are
cancelled on Mission Day so that
students, faculty, staff and alumni
can participate in the program.
Evening classes may be cancelled
at the instructor’s discretion.
R
Softball Stars Prepare for International Play
his fall student-athletes Jillian
Russell and Natalie Wideman will
represent their country and Cal U
at two of the world’s most prestigious
women’s softball events.
Russell, a senior infielder from
London, Ontario, is a member of the
Canadian National Senior Softball Team.
She has been selected to compete in the
2011 Pan American Games, to be held
Oct. 17-24 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In July Russell helped the team earn a
bronze medal at the World Cup of
Softball, held in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Former Vulcan softball standout and 2008
Olympian Megan Timpf is also a member
of this team.
Wideman, a sophomore catcherinfielder from Mississauga, Ontario, is a
member of the Canadian Junior Women’s
World Softball Championship team. She
will play at the International Softball
Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World
Softball Championships, Dec. 6-17 in
Cape Town, South Africa.
Last summer Wideman and Cal U
second baseman Shelby Lia, a
sophomore, helped the Canadian Junior
National Team win 12 of 14 games at the
Canadian Open Fastpitch International
Championship from July 11-17 in Surrey,
British Columbia.
“The impact of having two players of
this caliber from one university, especially
a Division II university, is outstanding for
the players individually,” said Rick
Bertagnolli, Cal U’s 19th-year head
softball coach. “The promotional impact
it has for California University and Cal U
T
All-American Jillian Russell (left) will play for the Canadian National Senior Softball Team in the 2011 Pan American Games beginning Oct. 17.
Sophomore Natalie Wideman (right) is a member of the Canadian Junior Women’s World Softball Championship Team, which will compete in the ISF
Junior World Championships in December.
softball is enormous worldwide.”
Russell will play third base at the Pan
American Games. As a shortstop at Cal
U, she twice has been named PSAC-West
Player of the Year. She’s also a 2011
National Fastpitch Coaches Association
(NFCA) third-team national AllAmerican.
Last spring Russell tied the singleseason school record with 14 home runs,
a total that ranks second in the PSAC.
She finished second on the team with a
.366 batting average (53 for 145), posting
13 doubles, one triple, 50 RBI, 36 runs
and eight steals while starting all 43
games. She enters her senior season only
six home runs shy of the all-time school
record, 38.
Wideman, who earned first-team allconference honors as a freshman, also
started all 43 games last season. She
batted .348, with 47 hits, 28 runs, eight
doubles, two triples, 23 RBI, 10 walks and
six stolen bases.
Both players helped the Vulcans win
29 games in 2011 and make the program’s
17th NCAA Division II Tournament
appearance in the past 18 years.
Russell already is preparing for the
Pan-Am Games with the Canadian
National Team, and Wideman will leave
on Nov. 28.
Both opportunities will be once-in-alifetime experiences for both players,
Bertagnolli said, and he credited the
faculty and administration for their
cooperation and support as the studentathletes work to blend high-caliber
competition with academics.
“The faculty is as big a part of this as
anyone,” he said. “My coaching staff and
I are so appreciative of their roles in
enabling these young women to
participate.
“Our faculty understands the
significant impact of this opportunity, and
everybody has been on board and
extremely helpful in getting this done.”
Cal U Joins National
Veterans Day Roll Call
alifornia University of Pennsylvania will mark Veterans Day on Nov.
11 by participating in the Remembrance Day National Roll Call.
The names of the more than 6,200 military members killed in Iraq
and Afghanistan in the 10 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will
be read outside the Natali Student Center and at schools nationwide starting
at 9 a.m. Names will be read in chronological order. At 2 p.m., Cal U will
join with these schools for a minute of silence to honor fallen service
members. The Roll Call is expected to conclude at approximately 4 p.m.
The Remembrance Day National Roll Call is sponsored nationally by the
Veterans Knowledge Community of NASPA Student Affairs Administrators
in Higher Education. NASPA is a 12,000-member association for the
advancement, health and sustainability of student affairs professionals.
At Cal U, the event is being organized by the Veterans Club.
The University is inviting relatives and friends of fallen service members
to participate in the Roll Call by reading the name of their loved one.
“We want to rally our campus and local communities to send a powerful
message to the troops currently serving that we have not forgotten their
service and sacrifice, and we certainly have not forgotten the fallen,” said
Robert Prah, a captain in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and
director of Veterans Affairs at Cal U.
“The reading of each individual name is extremely powerful because it
emphasizes the significance of each and every life lost in the last 10 years.”
For more information, please contact Prah at 724-938-4076 or
veterans@calu.edu .
C
President Angelo Armenti, Jr. poses with the 2011 President’s Faculty Award recipients
(seated from left) Dr. Christine Patti, Marsha L. Nolf, (standing from left) Drs. Ralph
Belsterling, Donald Thompson and Robert S. Whyte.
Nominations Open for
President’s Faculty Awards
ominations are being accepted for
the 2012 President’s Faculty
Awards. Tenured faculty
members who have demonstrated
excellence in teaching, research or service
are eligible to receive one of these
prestigious awards, which are presented at
the annual President’s Gala.
Any member of the Cal U community
— students, faculty, staff or alumni —
may make a nomination. Self-nominations
are permitted. Nominations close at 4
p.m. Oct. 28, 2011.
Although a faculty member may be
nominated in multiple categories, he or
she may compete for only one award. The
nominee may select the category. For
example, if a faculty member is
nominated in both the teaching and
service categories, he or she may submit
support materials for one or the other, but
not both awards.
Support materials from nominees are
due by 4 p.m. Nov. 14 , 2011.
University President Angelo Armenti,
Jr. established the awards to recognize
N
deserving faculty for their outstanding
work. Each 2012 award recipient will be
honored at the President’s Gala in June
and presented with a medallion, an
engraved paperweight and a $2,000 check.
The 2011 President’s Faculty Award
winners were Dr. Christine Patti, honored
for teaching; Dr. Robert S. Whyte, for
research; and Dr. Ralph Belsterling, for
service.
President’s Faculty Awards are
separate from the awards given by the
Faculty Professional Development
Committee, which recognizes recipients at
Commencement.
Nominations will be accepted by email or paper copy. Please submit e-mail
nominations to the President’s Faculty
Awards Committee chair, Dr. Joseph
Heim, at heim@calu.edu . Send hard
copies to him at the Department of
History and Political Science, Box 6.
Each nomination must include the
name of the nominee, category of
nomination (teaching, research or service),
and the name of the nominator.
Counseling Offered for Vets
— Continued from page 1
with the Vet Center in McKeesport that will provide services to any of the
more than 200,000 veterans who live in southwestern Pennsylvania,” said
Capt. Robert Prah, director of the University’s Office of Veterans Affairs.
“We are fortunate to have built a strong partnership between Cal U and
the Vet Center, and we hope it can benefit military veterans throughout the
region.”
For more information about the free program at Cal U, or to request an
appointment, call California University’s Office of Veterans Affairs at 724938-4076 or e-mail vetcenter@calu.edu . Visitor parking is available in the
Vulcan Garage. Veterans, dependents and family members also may request
special appointments by contacting counselor Jason Brosk at the
McKeesport Veterans Center, 412-678-7704.
3
Consistency Leads to Hall of Fame Induction
Editor’s Note: Cal U will hold its 17th
annual Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet Oct.
21 at the Performance Center in the Natali
Student Center. For reservations, contact
Montean Dean at 724-938-4418. Throughout
the fall, The Journal will profile each of the
2011 Hall of Fame inductees.
he made the most famous shot in
Cal U basketball history, but
Megan Storck earned her Hall of
Fame induction for her effective play
over four years.
Still, she will always be remembered
for her three-point swish, tossed with
28.6 seconds left in Cal’s 75-72 NCAA
National Championship victory over
Drury (Mo.) on March 27, 2004.
“It was just a moment that you
won’t forget the rest of your life,” she
said. “In the last few minutes of that
game, the emotions were just running so
high. I still get choked up about talking
about it all these years later.
“I wish I could bottle that emotion
and open it whenever I want to go back
to it. It was just a dream come true from
when I was little girl playing. It’s just
something you never forget.”
A three-year starting point guard and
four-year letter-winner, Storck played for
the Vulcans from 2002-2003 through
2005-2006.
She finished her career with 1,409
points, 767 career assists, 359 steals and
160 three-point baskets. Her career
assists total remains a team and PSAC
record, as does her single-season total of
285 assists in 2004.
Her 132 steals in 2004 still ranks second in PSAC history and her three-point
total is second in team history.
“Everyone talks about the assists, but
the fact is that I was very fortunate to
have four other girls on the floor who
were great scorers,” Storck said. “You
could just throw the ball up and Sarah
(McKinney) or Sameera (Philyaw) could
go put it in. The other players made the
records possible.”
Success came early in Storck’s collegiate playing career. She was voted the
2003 PSAC-West Freshman of the Year
after averaging 10 points per game with
122 assists, 70 steals and 35 three-point
baskets. That year Cal rolled to its first
undefeated PSAC-West season (12-0),
won a second consecutive PSAC championship, and advanced to the national
semifinals before losing by two points
and finishing 33-2 overall.
Storck led all scorers, with 17 points,
in the 14-point national quarterfinal win
over North Florida.
The following year she was named
the 2004 Elite Eight Tournament MVP
after producing three consecutive “double-doubles,” including a 16-point, 10assist effort and the clutch game-winner
in the nationally televised finals.
Storck averaged 14 points per game
as the Vulcans achieved a school-best 351 overall record, but she continues to
S
Megan Storck, a 2011 Hall of Fame inductee, was a key player on Cal U’s 2004 NCAA Division II National Championship team.
emphasize Cal’s team-oriented style.
“We would not have been to that
point in the game if it wasn’t for my
teammates,” she said. “I remember Erin
Dillon hitting a big three-pointer late in
the game to stop Drury’s rally. I would
have never been in position to make that
(winning) shot if it wasn’t for my teammates.”
In Storck’s final two seasons, Cal
went 26-6 and 26-5. The Vulcans won
their fourth conference crown in five
years her senior season, and they
advanced to the NCAA Regional semifinals in 2005.
Storck reflected proudly about the
team’s ability to maintain its championship caliber of play. She and Lisa
Gottuso were co-captains in 2005-2006.
“My final two years were more
rewarding to me because of the countless
hours and work that we as a team put
into making sure that the program stayed
at that level,” she said.
“My senior year we weren’t the most
talented, but we played the best as a
team, and I will always be proud that we
won the conference championship that
year.”
During Storck’s four years on the
team, Cal and former head coach Darcie
Vincent compiled an amazing 120-14
(.895) cumulative record, with a 46-2
PSAC-West mark.
Storck helped the Vulcans win four
straight PSAC-West titles and NCAA
tourney appearances, three conference
titles, two consecutive Final Four showings and the coveted national championship.
“It’s amazing when you say 120 wins
for a career,” Storck said. “Not many
people can say that. I was very fortunate
to have come in at the right time to be
the point guard of a great basketball
team.
“Cal’s women’s basketball program
has such a rich tradition. I am honored
to be part on its Hall of Fame list.”
Storck was a first-team all-conference selection in 2004 and 2006, and she
earned second-team honors in 2005. She
remains the only player in Cal history
with 1,000 career points, 500 career
assists, 300 career steals, and 100 career
three-pointers.
Her exceptional career and ability to
perform in the clutch make her an ideal
addition to the Hall of Fame, said 2000
inductee and current assistant coach
Annie Malkowiak ’94, ’96.
“When the game was on the line, she
was one who wanted the ball in her
hands,” Malkowiak said. “Megan was
never outworked. She gave her all each
and every day. She was simply one of the
greatest players in school history.”
A three-time Academic All-District
selection, Storck received her bachelor’s
degree in sport management in 2006.
“My entire time at Cal was a pleasant
experience from the first time I stepped
on campus,” she said. “From people at
the student union to professors like Dr.
(Ayana) Lyles, everyone was nice and
helpful.
“President Armenti was one of my
mentors and had such a big influence on
everything I did at Cal,” she added. “I
have to thank him a lot, because he
invests so much of his time in Cal and
inthe women’s basketball program.”
Originally from Macungie, Pa.,
Storck is a graduate of Emmaus High
School, where she helped the Hornets
win consecutive district titles while scoring 1,320 career points and averaging
five steals and 4.1 assists per game. She
also competed in field hockey and track
and field in high school.
Since graduating from Cal U, Storck
has earned a teaching certificate in
health and physical education from
Edinboro University, and she is pursuing
her master’s degree in education.
Storck lives in Conneaut Lake, Pa.,
where she is a heath and physical education teacher at Linesville High School.
For the past three years she also has been
an assistant coach for the Lions’ varsity
basketball team.
“I try to coach my players and help
the program by emulating the same type
of team and program that Coach
(Darcie) Vincent ran,” she said. “Playing
at Cal has helped earn the respect of my
players, and I carry the knowledge I
learned from Cal. Hopefully, someday I
can be a head coach and build my own
program.”
Like many alumni, Storck is
impressed with Cal’s growth and looks
forward to visiting the new Convocation
Center.
“I thought Hamer Hall was the best
place to play in the PSAC, and now
they’re going to be playing such a great
place,” said Storck. “Any student who
goes to Cal is getting the best of the
best. It’s turned into a tremendous university for anyone, no matter what
degree they’re getting or which sport
they play.”
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
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 Communications and Public Relations
4
250 University Avenue
California, PA 15419
724-938-4195
wald@calu.edu
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 25 OCT. 10, 2011
READ THE JOURNAL ONLINE: www.calu.edu/news/the-journal
Free
Alumni to Speak at
Homeland Security Conference Counseling
Offered
to
T
Area Vets
wo distinguished alumni with
expertise in national security and
emergency preparedness will be
featured at Cal U’s fifth annual
Conference on Homeland and
International Security, from 8 a.m.-4
p.m. Oct. 25 in the Performance Center.
The theme for this year’s conference
is Transnational Crimes and Security.
The keynote speaker is Maj. Gen.
Donna F. Barbisch ’84, who retired after
a 38-year career in the U.S. Army. She
now is president of Global Deterrence
Alternatives and director of the Institute
for Global and Regional Readiness.
Also on the program is former
special agent Mark Camillo ’76, a law
enforcement and security professional
who specializes in emergency
preparedness operations. He is senior
vice president of strategic planning for
Contemporary Services Corp., the
world’s largest event security firm, and
president of Apex Security Group, an
affiliated executive security company.
Past conferences have attracted a
mix of law enforcement and security
professionals, educators and students.
“This is a private and public
partnership coming together to defend
our homeland and provide better
security for our citizens,” said Dr.
Michael Hummel, associate professor of
Leadership and Security Studies.
International Sporting Events,” and Dr.
Emily Sweitzer, chair of Cal U’s
Department of Justice, Law and Society,
will give closing remarks
.
About the speakers
Barbisch
Camillo
“This conference is also an excellent
networking opportunity for our students,
and we are honored to have two
distinguished alumni among our guest
speakers.”
Following opening remarks by Cal U
President Angelo Armenti, Jr., Hummel
will discuss “Kidnapping for Profit.”
Agent Jenny Wells, of the Office of
Personnel Management, Federal
Investigative Services Division, will
speak on “Counterintelligence and
Security.”
Barbisch’s luncheon talk will focus
on “Building Resilience to
Transnational Crimes.”
The afternoon session includes a
presentation by Dr. Andrae Marak, a
former Cal U professor, on “Borders,
Borderlanders and Crime.”
Camillo will examine “Soft Targets
for Terrorism: Securing Major
Barbisch began her military career in
the Army Student Nurse Program and
rose through the ranks in a multitude of
active-duty and reserve assignments
from Vietnam to the Pentagon. Her final
military assignment was as director of
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and
Nuclear Program Integration for the
Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Today, her focus is providing
visionary policy and program solutions
related to the national security threats
posed by terrorism, natural disasters and
emerging infectious diseases.
With more than 20 years of
experience in managing complex private
and public, medical and organizational
challenges, Barbisch tackles the
complexities of combating terrorism
through comprehensive planning and
cultural change.
A frequent lecturer, she is engaged in
numerous think tanks and seminars on
national and international public policy,
strategic planning and integration. Her
professional activities include RAND
studies; ANSER, Institute for Homeland
— Continued on page 2
al U will offer free counseling services to military veterans and their
families through the Office of
Veterans Affairs.
Area residents who have served in any
branch of the military are eligible to attend
counseling sessions. Their dependents and
family members also may receive counseling. Non-students are welcome.
Appointments are available from 10
a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays on these dates: Oct
11, Oct. 25, Nov. 8, Nov. 22, Dec. 6 and
Dec. 13.
Licensed professional counselor Jason
Brosk from the Vet Center, Department of
Veterans Affairs, will meet with clients in
the Cal U Wellness Center, Room G-57,
Carter Hall.
Services include individual and marriage counseling, readjustment counseling,
and counseling for drug and alcohol issues,
bereavement, and military sexual trauma.
Counseling also is available, as needed,
for Cal U veterans and community members with loved ones who have been
deployed.
“We have developed a relationship
— Continued on page 3
C
PSO Returns to Campus Oct. 18
alifornia University will continue
a fall tradition by hosting a
performance by the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra.
Students, faculty, staff and the
California community may attend the
concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 18 in Steele Hall
Mainstage Theatre.
Conductor Lawrence J. Loh will lead
violinist Yuko Uchiyama and the
orchestra in a program that includes the
Overture to Die Zauberflote (The Magic
Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.;
Violin Concerto in D minor, by Jean
Sibelius; and Symphony No. 4 in F
Minor, by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The PSO first performed on the
California campus in 1994, and the fall
concert has become an annual event.
Each spring Cal U students, alumni and
University friends travel to Pittsburgh for
a symphony performance in Heinz Hall.
Students who wish to attend the Oct.
18 performance will be admitted free
with a CalCard. Cost is $10 for other
members of the Cal U community or the
general public.
Tickets are available at the Steele
Hall Box Office, in advance or at the
door. To place a credit card order, call
724-938-5943; there is a $2.50 processing
charge for credit card orders under $200
C
Gay Athletes, Allies
Topic of Talk
Brian Sims, the only openly gay football
team captain in NCAA history, will speak
inside Cal U’s Vulcan Theatre this Thursday
at 11 a.m. in celebration of Diversity
Awareness Month. Sims, a defensive
standout on Bloomsburg University’s 2000
national finalist football team, will speak
on ‘LGBT Advocates, Allies, Athletes and
Policies.’ See story on page 2.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will return to campus for the 18th consecutive year
with an 8 p.m. performance Oct. 18 in Steele Hall’s Mainstage Theatre.
and a $5 processing charge for orders
over $200.
Cal U’s Alumni Association will host
a pre-symphony reception to support the
Alumni Scholarship Fund. PSO
Conductor Loh is expected to attend the
gathering of Cal U alumni and friends at
6:45 p.m. in the Kara Alumni House.
Hors d’oeuvres and limited bar service
will be offered.
Cost is $75 for the reception,
symphony performance and optional
shuttle service between the Alumni
House and Steele Hall. A portion of the
ticket price benefits the Alumni
Scholarship Fund and is tax-deductible.
Visitor parking is available in the
Vulcan Garage, near the campus
entrance.
For reception tickets or more
information about the Alumni
Association event, contact administrative
assistant Montean Dean at
dean@calu.edu or 724-938-4418.
Football Plays Spotlight Student Directors
Player T
Discusses
Gay
Athletes,
Allies
n celebration of Diversity Awareness
Month, the Office of Multicultural
Student Programs will welcome Brian
Sims to campus.
The team captain of Bloomsburg
University’s 2000 football team and a
Regional All-American defensive
lineman, Sims is the only openly gay
football team captain in NCAA history.
At 11 a.m. Thursday in the Vulcan
Theatre, inside the Natali Student Center,
Sims will discuss “LGBT Advocates,
Allies, Athletes and Policies.”
During his senior season, Sims helped
the Huskies overcome a 0-2 start and win
12 consecutive games before losing to
Delta State (Miss.) in the NCAA Division
II National Championship game. He led
the Huskies in sacks, with nine, while
recording 47 total tackles.
Sims initially went public with his
homosexuality when one of his
teammates broached the issue in the
middle of the season. In a videotaped
interview, Sims said that season was the
most surreal of his life, but he had the full
support of his teammates and coaches.
The story grew the following year as more
and more players discussed “the gay
captain.”
After graduating Sims attended law
school and earned his Juris Doctorate at
Michigan State University School of Law.
OutSports magazine covered his story,
which also has been featured in Gay.com,
TheAdvocate.com, and numerous
newspapers. His openness has prompted
hundreds of personal responses from
athletes, coaches, parents and allies in
more than 40 states and 30 countries.
Sims is now an LGBT advocate and a
successful policy attorney. He lives and
works in Philadelphia. In addition to his
practice, Sims serves as president of the
board of directors for EqualityPA and
chairman of GALLOP (Gay & Lesbian
Lawyers of Philadelphia).
In 2010, Sims joined the faculty of the
Center for Progressive Leadership and the
National Campaign Board of The Victory
Fund. The National LGBT Bar
Association named him one of the Top 40
LGBT Attorneys Under 40 in the United
States.
Sims recently resigned as the staff
counsel for policy and planning at the
Philadelphia Bar Association, where he
worked with the chancellor, executive
director and board of governors to pursue
and implement the legislative and policy
agenda of the association.
Currently the managing editor of the
Bar Association’s newest publication,
UponFurtherReview, he has also served
as the legal editor for M.D. News
Magazine and as an associate editor at
The Philadelphia Bar Reporter.
Although he no longer plays football,
Sims has remained an avid athlete and
regularly competes in marathons and
triathlons across the region.
The Diversity Awareness Month event is
free and open to all members of the campus
community, as well as the general public.
I
2
he public may attend “An
Evening of One-Acts,” a series of
short plays directed by students
and presented by the Department of
Theatre and Dance.
Curtain time is 8 p.m. Thursday and
Friday, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday.
All performances are in the Gerald and
Carolyn Blaney Theatre in Steele Hall.
The department’s first performance
of the Fall 2011 semester features plays
that may be humorous, thoughtprovoking or shocking, but always
entertaining.
Cost is $12 for adults, seniors and
children. Students with valid CalCards
are admitted free; they must leave a $5
deposit that will be returned if they
attend performance.
For ticket information, or to order
tickets (with a credit card) by phone, call
the Steele Box Office at 724-938-5943.
Students in the Department of Theatre and Dance will present ‘An Evening of One-Acts’
this week in Steele Hall.
Alumni to Speak at Conference
— Continued from page 1
Security advisory group; and the
Metropolitan Washington Bioterrorism
Task Force.
Barbisch chairs the subcommittee on
quarantine for the Department of
Veterans Affairs’ Technical Advisory
Committee on Emergency Management
and the committee on homeland security
for the Reserve Officers Association. She
serves on the board of directors for
Humanitarian Aid International
Consultants, the Armed Forces
Foundation, and the Homeland Security
Council for the American Board of
Forensic Examiners.
She is on the faculty of George
Washington University and the Army
War College.
Along with her degree from Cal U,
Barbisch holds a master’s degree in
public health from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a
doctorate in health administration from
the Medical University of South
Carolina.
Camillo began his career in law
enforcement as a special agent in the
U.S. Secret Service, where he protected
four U.S. presidents during three White
House assignments, including a stint as
head of the White House Security
Branch.
Camillo has played key security roles
at major events, including leading the
security team for the 2002 Winter
Olympics at Salt Lake City, Utah.
He has held positions at Lockheed
Martin, where he directed public safety
and homeland security initiatives, and
now holds a key leadership position with
Contemporary Services Corp, which
provides event staffing, crowd
management, security and guest services
for entertainment, sporting and civic
events at major venues across the
country.
Groups Explore Medieval Arts
al U students have been recognized for their mastery of
medieval arts.
Members of the year-old Medieval
and Renaissance Society traveled to
Buffalo, N.Y., last spring for the Festival
of the Passing of the Ice Dragon, a
medieval-style event.
They won the Group Category in the
Pentathlon, an arts-and-sciences display
and competition that showcased their
skills in five areas: needlework, clothing
and accessories, woodworking, cooking,
and heraldry.
The society grew out of the Cal U
Fencing Club. At its weekly meetings,
the club offers free lessons through the
Society for Creative Anachronism(SCA),
a medieval re-enactment group with
members around the world.
The fencing club, which now has 45
members, competes regularly in tournaments. Instead of Olympic-style fencing,
many members practice historical
swordsmanship, training with a thinbladed epee or using the thicker, broadbladed rapier.
Because of the club’s connection
with the SCA, participants were exposed
to a variety of medieval crafts, “so we
started a society to facilitate people
being able to study the arts of medieval
C
times,” said Cindy Speer. Secretary for
the Department of History and Political
Science, she serves as an adviser to both
clubs.
The two groups have many members
in common, Speer said. The Medieval
and Renaissance Society explores all
aspects of world cultures prior to 1601.
For the festival competition in
Buffalo, society members created a
medieval-style marzipan subtlety, a confection shaped like a Viking ship; handsewn heraldic banners; a painting; and a
Viking-style chest made from wood.
Support for the trip was provided by
Dean Mohammed Yamba and the
College of Liberal Arts.
This fall the group intends on having
workshops in blackwork embroidery,
wire weaving, medieval dance and much
more. They are already preparing for
next March’s Pentathalon, where they
intend to enter craft projects related to
medieval regalia.
Faculty, staff and community members
are encouraged to join Cal U students as
members of fencing club or the medieval society. The fencing club meets at 7 p.m.
Thursdays in Herron Hall Gym B while
medieval enthusiasts gather at 7 p.m.
Wednesdays on the second floor of Gallagher
Hall. Cindy Speer at speer@calu.edu .
To register
The conference is sponsored by the
Department of Justice, Law and Society
at Cal U. Cost is $25 per person; fee
includes lunch.
To register as an individual, send a
check for $25, payable to the Foundation
for California University; please include
“JLS” (Justice, Law and Society) in the
memo line. Mail checks to Dr. Emily
Sweitzer, Security Conference Co-Chair,
California University of Pennsylvania,
Department of Justice, Law and Society,
P.O. Box 30, California, PA 15419.
Registration information for groups
and corporations is online at
www.calu.edu ; look for the event in the
“News” or “Events” carousel on the
homepage.
For more information, contact Dr. Emily
Sweitzer at 724-938-4438 or
swetizer@calu.edu , or Dr. Michael Hummel
at 724-938-6043 or hummel@calu.edu .
Follow
Mission Day
Discussion via
egistration for Mission
Day XIII on Oct. 26 is
ongoing. Check the Cal U
website, www.calu.edu , for a link
to the registration page, or visit
www.calu.edu/events/missionday/index.htm .
Events will feature a keynote
address by Sugata Mitra, whose
“hole in the wall” project
demonstrates the power of
curiosity to stimulate selfinstruction and peer-shared
knowledge. To engage in the
conversation, please follow
@CalUofPA on Twitter and use
the #calumday hashtag to share
your thoughts on this provocative
topic.
Remember that daytime
classes, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., are
cancelled on Mission Day so that
students, faculty, staff and alumni
can participate in the program.
Evening classes may be cancelled
at the instructor’s discretion.
R
Softball Stars Prepare for International Play
his fall student-athletes Jillian
Russell and Natalie Wideman will
represent their country and Cal U
at two of the world’s most prestigious
women’s softball events.
Russell, a senior infielder from
London, Ontario, is a member of the
Canadian National Senior Softball Team.
She has been selected to compete in the
2011 Pan American Games, to be held
Oct. 17-24 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In July Russell helped the team earn a
bronze medal at the World Cup of
Softball, held in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Former Vulcan softball standout and 2008
Olympian Megan Timpf is also a member
of this team.
Wideman, a sophomore catcherinfielder from Mississauga, Ontario, is a
member of the Canadian Junior Women’s
World Softball Championship team. She
will play at the International Softball
Federation (ISF) Junior Women’s World
Softball Championships, Dec. 6-17 in
Cape Town, South Africa.
Last summer Wideman and Cal U
second baseman Shelby Lia, a
sophomore, helped the Canadian Junior
National Team win 12 of 14 games at the
Canadian Open Fastpitch International
Championship from July 11-17 in Surrey,
British Columbia.
“The impact of having two players of
this caliber from one university, especially
a Division II university, is outstanding for
the players individually,” said Rick
Bertagnolli, Cal U’s 19th-year head
softball coach. “The promotional impact
it has for California University and Cal U
T
All-American Jillian Russell (left) will play for the Canadian National Senior Softball Team in the 2011 Pan American Games beginning Oct. 17.
Sophomore Natalie Wideman (right) is a member of the Canadian Junior Women’s World Softball Championship Team, which will compete in the ISF
Junior World Championships in December.
softball is enormous worldwide.”
Russell will play third base at the Pan
American Games. As a shortstop at Cal
U, she twice has been named PSAC-West
Player of the Year. She’s also a 2011
National Fastpitch Coaches Association
(NFCA) third-team national AllAmerican.
Last spring Russell tied the singleseason school record with 14 home runs,
a total that ranks second in the PSAC.
She finished second on the team with a
.366 batting average (53 for 145), posting
13 doubles, one triple, 50 RBI, 36 runs
and eight steals while starting all 43
games. She enters her senior season only
six home runs shy of the all-time school
record, 38.
Wideman, who earned first-team allconference honors as a freshman, also
started all 43 games last season. She
batted .348, with 47 hits, 28 runs, eight
doubles, two triples, 23 RBI, 10 walks and
six stolen bases.
Both players helped the Vulcans win
29 games in 2011 and make the program’s
17th NCAA Division II Tournament
appearance in the past 18 years.
Russell already is preparing for the
Pan-Am Games with the Canadian
National Team, and Wideman will leave
on Nov. 28.
Both opportunities will be once-in-alifetime experiences for both players,
Bertagnolli said, and he credited the
faculty and administration for their
cooperation and support as the studentathletes work to blend high-caliber
competition with academics.
“The faculty is as big a part of this as
anyone,” he said. “My coaching staff and
I are so appreciative of their roles in
enabling these young women to
participate.
“Our faculty understands the
significant impact of this opportunity, and
everybody has been on board and
extremely helpful in getting this done.”
Cal U Joins National
Veterans Day Roll Call
alifornia University of Pennsylvania will mark Veterans Day on Nov.
11 by participating in the Remembrance Day National Roll Call.
The names of the more than 6,200 military members killed in Iraq
and Afghanistan in the 10 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will
be read outside the Natali Student Center and at schools nationwide starting
at 9 a.m. Names will be read in chronological order. At 2 p.m., Cal U will
join with these schools for a minute of silence to honor fallen service
members. The Roll Call is expected to conclude at approximately 4 p.m.
The Remembrance Day National Roll Call is sponsored nationally by the
Veterans Knowledge Community of NASPA Student Affairs Administrators
in Higher Education. NASPA is a 12,000-member association for the
advancement, health and sustainability of student affairs professionals.
At Cal U, the event is being organized by the Veterans Club.
The University is inviting relatives and friends of fallen service members
to participate in the Roll Call by reading the name of their loved one.
“We want to rally our campus and local communities to send a powerful
message to the troops currently serving that we have not forgotten their
service and sacrifice, and we certainly have not forgotten the fallen,” said
Robert Prah, a captain in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and
director of Veterans Affairs at Cal U.
“The reading of each individual name is extremely powerful because it
emphasizes the significance of each and every life lost in the last 10 years.”
For more information, please contact Prah at 724-938-4076 or
veterans@calu.edu .
C
President Angelo Armenti, Jr. poses with the 2011 President’s Faculty Award recipients
(seated from left) Dr. Christine Patti, Marsha L. Nolf, (standing from left) Drs. Ralph
Belsterling, Donald Thompson and Robert S. Whyte.
Nominations Open for
President’s Faculty Awards
ominations are being accepted for
the 2012 President’s Faculty
Awards. Tenured faculty
members who have demonstrated
excellence in teaching, research or service
are eligible to receive one of these
prestigious awards, which are presented at
the annual President’s Gala.
Any member of the Cal U community
— students, faculty, staff or alumni —
may make a nomination. Self-nominations
are permitted. Nominations close at 4
p.m. Oct. 28, 2011.
Although a faculty member may be
nominated in multiple categories, he or
she may compete for only one award. The
nominee may select the category. For
example, if a faculty member is
nominated in both the teaching and
service categories, he or she may submit
support materials for one or the other, but
not both awards.
Support materials from nominees are
due by 4 p.m. Nov. 14 , 2011.
University President Angelo Armenti,
Jr. established the awards to recognize
N
deserving faculty for their outstanding
work. Each 2012 award recipient will be
honored at the President’s Gala in June
and presented with a medallion, an
engraved paperweight and a $2,000 check.
The 2011 President’s Faculty Award
winners were Dr. Christine Patti, honored
for teaching; Dr. Robert S. Whyte, for
research; and Dr. Ralph Belsterling, for
service.
President’s Faculty Awards are
separate from the awards given by the
Faculty Professional Development
Committee, which recognizes recipients at
Commencement.
Nominations will be accepted by email or paper copy. Please submit e-mail
nominations to the President’s Faculty
Awards Committee chair, Dr. Joseph
Heim, at heim@calu.edu . Send hard
copies to him at the Department of
History and Political Science, Box 6.
Each nomination must include the
name of the nominee, category of
nomination (teaching, research or service),
and the name of the nominator.
Counseling Offered for Vets
— Continued from page 1
with the Vet Center in McKeesport that will provide services to any of the
more than 200,000 veterans who live in southwestern Pennsylvania,” said
Capt. Robert Prah, director of the University’s Office of Veterans Affairs.
“We are fortunate to have built a strong partnership between Cal U and
the Vet Center, and we hope it can benefit military veterans throughout the
region.”
For more information about the free program at Cal U, or to request an
appointment, call California University’s Office of Veterans Affairs at 724938-4076 or e-mail vetcenter@calu.edu . Visitor parking is available in the
Vulcan Garage. Veterans, dependents and family members also may request
special appointments by contacting counselor Jason Brosk at the
McKeesport Veterans Center, 412-678-7704.
3
Consistency Leads to Hall of Fame Induction
Editor’s Note: Cal U will hold its 17th
annual Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet Oct.
21 at the Performance Center in the Natali
Student Center. For reservations, contact
Montean Dean at 724-938-4418. Throughout
the fall, The Journal will profile each of the
2011 Hall of Fame inductees.
he made the most famous shot in
Cal U basketball history, but
Megan Storck earned her Hall of
Fame induction for her effective play
over four years.
Still, she will always be remembered
for her three-point swish, tossed with
28.6 seconds left in Cal’s 75-72 NCAA
National Championship victory over
Drury (Mo.) on March 27, 2004.
“It was just a moment that you
won’t forget the rest of your life,” she
said. “In the last few minutes of that
game, the emotions were just running so
high. I still get choked up about talking
about it all these years later.
“I wish I could bottle that emotion
and open it whenever I want to go back
to it. It was just a dream come true from
when I was little girl playing. It’s just
something you never forget.”
A three-year starting point guard and
four-year letter-winner, Storck played for
the Vulcans from 2002-2003 through
2005-2006.
She finished her career with 1,409
points, 767 career assists, 359 steals and
160 three-point baskets. Her career
assists total remains a team and PSAC
record, as does her single-season total of
285 assists in 2004.
Her 132 steals in 2004 still ranks second in PSAC history and her three-point
total is second in team history.
“Everyone talks about the assists, but
the fact is that I was very fortunate to
have four other girls on the floor who
were great scorers,” Storck said. “You
could just throw the ball up and Sarah
(McKinney) or Sameera (Philyaw) could
go put it in. The other players made the
records possible.”
Success came early in Storck’s collegiate playing career. She was voted the
2003 PSAC-West Freshman of the Year
after averaging 10 points per game with
122 assists, 70 steals and 35 three-point
baskets. That year Cal rolled to its first
undefeated PSAC-West season (12-0),
won a second consecutive PSAC championship, and advanced to the national
semifinals before losing by two points
and finishing 33-2 overall.
Storck led all scorers, with 17 points,
in the 14-point national quarterfinal win
over North Florida.
The following year she was named
the 2004 Elite Eight Tournament MVP
after producing three consecutive “double-doubles,” including a 16-point, 10assist effort and the clutch game-winner
in the nationally televised finals.
Storck averaged 14 points per game
as the Vulcans achieved a school-best 351 overall record, but she continues to
S
Megan Storck, a 2011 Hall of Fame inductee, was a key player on Cal U’s 2004 NCAA Division II National Championship team.
emphasize Cal’s team-oriented style.
“We would not have been to that
point in the game if it wasn’t for my
teammates,” she said. “I remember Erin
Dillon hitting a big three-pointer late in
the game to stop Drury’s rally. I would
have never been in position to make that
(winning) shot if it wasn’t for my teammates.”
In Storck’s final two seasons, Cal
went 26-6 and 26-5. The Vulcans won
their fourth conference crown in five
years her senior season, and they
advanced to the NCAA Regional semifinals in 2005.
Storck reflected proudly about the
team’s ability to maintain its championship caliber of play. She and Lisa
Gottuso were co-captains in 2005-2006.
“My final two years were more
rewarding to me because of the countless
hours and work that we as a team put
into making sure that the program stayed
at that level,” she said.
“My senior year we weren’t the most
talented, but we played the best as a
team, and I will always be proud that we
won the conference championship that
year.”
During Storck’s four years on the
team, Cal and former head coach Darcie
Vincent compiled an amazing 120-14
(.895) cumulative record, with a 46-2
PSAC-West mark.
Storck helped the Vulcans win four
straight PSAC-West titles and NCAA
tourney appearances, three conference
titles, two consecutive Final Four showings and the coveted national championship.
“It’s amazing when you say 120 wins
for a career,” Storck said. “Not many
people can say that. I was very fortunate
to have come in at the right time to be
the point guard of a great basketball
team.
“Cal’s women’s basketball program
has such a rich tradition. I am honored
to be part on its Hall of Fame list.”
Storck was a first-team all-conference selection in 2004 and 2006, and she
earned second-team honors in 2005. She
remains the only player in Cal history
with 1,000 career points, 500 career
assists, 300 career steals, and 100 career
three-pointers.
Her exceptional career and ability to
perform in the clutch make her an ideal
addition to the Hall of Fame, said 2000
inductee and current assistant coach
Annie Malkowiak ’94, ’96.
“When the game was on the line, she
was one who wanted the ball in her
hands,” Malkowiak said. “Megan was
never outworked. She gave her all each
and every day. She was simply one of the
greatest players in school history.”
A three-time Academic All-District
selection, Storck received her bachelor’s
degree in sport management in 2006.
“My entire time at Cal was a pleasant
experience from the first time I stepped
on campus,” she said. “From people at
the student union to professors like Dr.
(Ayana) Lyles, everyone was nice and
helpful.
“President Armenti was one of my
mentors and had such a big influence on
everything I did at Cal,” she added. “I
have to thank him a lot, because he
invests so much of his time in Cal and
inthe women’s basketball program.”
Originally from Macungie, Pa.,
Storck is a graduate of Emmaus High
School, where she helped the Hornets
win consecutive district titles while scoring 1,320 career points and averaging
five steals and 4.1 assists per game. She
also competed in field hockey and track
and field in high school.
Since graduating from Cal U, Storck
has earned a teaching certificate in
health and physical education from
Edinboro University, and she is pursuing
her master’s degree in education.
Storck lives in Conneaut Lake, Pa.,
where she is a heath and physical education teacher at Linesville High School.
For the past three years she also has been
an assistant coach for the Lions’ varsity
basketball team.
“I try to coach my players and help
the program by emulating the same type
of team and program that Coach
(Darcie) Vincent ran,” she said. “Playing
at Cal has helped earn the respect of my
players, and I carry the knowledge I
learned from Cal. Hopefully, someday I
can be a head coach and build my own
program.”
Like many alumni, Storck is
impressed with Cal’s growth and looks
forward to visiting the new Convocation
Center.
“I thought Hamer Hall was the best
place to play in the PSAC, and now
they’re going to be playing such a great
place,” said Storck. “Any student who
goes to Cal is getting the best of the
best. It’s turned into a tremendous university for anyone, no matter what
degree they’re getting or which sport
they play.”
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
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 Communications and Public Relations
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250 University Avenue
California, PA 15419
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wald@calu.edu