PennWest News

January 13, 2025

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TORREGANO APPOINTED PENNWEST DIRECTOR OF FREDERICK
DOUGLASS INSTITUTE COLLABORATIVE

January 13, 2025
Dr. Michelle Torregano, associate professor of childhood education,
has been appointed Pennsylvania Western University’s director of the
Frederick Douglass Institute Collaborative.
In 1995, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education established
the FDI Collaborative, which includes all PASSHE universities. Its
purpose is to develop innovative programs to achieve optimal
outcomes for underrepresented minority students and faculty at the

undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels, facilitating their
progress toward meaningful careers.
“FDIs deliver information and programs, and advocate
for scholarships and research in alignment with the State System’s
and universities’ strategic plans,” said Christa Cobb, assistant vice
chancellor and interim chief of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the
State System. “FDIs support the development of the next generation
of university professors and leaders.”
Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was a distinguished American orator,
abolitionist and social justice advocate, and one of the most
consequential civil rights leaders of all time.
Torregano said she was honored to be the 2010-2011 FDI visiting
scholar at the California campus and has been an active member of
the institute since her arrival. Previously she was active in recruitment
of faculty at conferences, participation in forums and programming.
“My goals for the institute are to recruit and mentor faculty of color
as they enter the professoriate, to create an inclusive community, to
foster understanding, awareness and respect for diverse cultures, and
to infuse the great legacy of Frederick Douglass and other civil rights
leaders into the PennWest University culture through research,
conversations and classroom activities,” Torregano said.
She is supported by FDI associate directors on each of the PennWest
campuses:
•

Clarion – Dr. Joseph Croskey, associate professor and director of
PennWest’s Act 101 programs;

•

Edinboro – Adrienne Dixon-McCullum and Gabriella Locke,
assistant professors of counseling;

•

California – Darla Timbo, associate professor of psychology.

Torregano holds a Doctor of Education degree from Penn State. Her
master’s degree in educational administration and supervision and
her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and teaching are from
Xavier University of Louisiana.
“I stand on the shoulders of great leaders, trailblazers and personal
mentors who saw potential in me that I didn’t see in myself,”
Torregano said. “My work in community service – the Black
Association of South Hills for Women and Sisters Place – provides an
opportunity to work for social justice in underserved communities.”
Her interests focus on arts and culture, children, civil rights and social
action, education, and human rights.
Several FDI Collaborative events are planned for the spring semester
at PennWest. A John Lewis Essay Contest will be held on all three
campuses during February, which is Black History Month. The Clarion
campus will host a Frederick Douglass Birthday Bash in February and
the PASSHE Frederick Douglass Conference and Debates April 3 and 4.
Successes of the FDI Collaborative include offering teaching
fellowships to graduate students who are pursuing careers as
university faculty and who are entering the final year of a terminal
degree or doctoral programs; providing opportunities for student
scholars to work with faculty to conduct research and/or provide
support to projects and programming; and student participation in FDI
Collaborative’s annual Douglass Conference and Debates, supporting
their gain of critical knowledge and skills in the art and science of
debate and persuasion.
For information about the FDI Collaborative and contact information
for campus directors, visit www.passhe.edu/fdi.