Lynette Kvasny, associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology; Laura Rotunno, associate professor of English at Penn State Altoona, and Jennifer Wood, associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Penn State New Kensington, have received the Alumni/Student Award for Excellence in Teaching and have been named 2014 Penn State Teaching Fellows. The Penn State Alumni Association, in conjunction with undergraduate and graduate governing bodies, established the award in 1985. It honors distinguished teaching and provides encouragement and incentive for excellence in teaching. Recipients are expected to share their talents and expertise with others throughout the University system during the year following the award presentation.
It wasn’t Abbey Road in London but Seventh Street Road in Upper Burrell that served as the venue for Penn State Laureate Kenneth Womack’s Beatlemania campus tour. The yearlong traveling presentation made a stop Jan. 29 in the Forum Theatre at Penn State New Kensington. Womack’s talk, “The End: Authorship, Nostalgia and the Beatles,” focused on the groups’ musical and lyrical development from their early years through their breakup in 1969. To the delight of students, faculty, staff and alumni in the audience, he also delved into the esoteric aspects of the bands’ history, such as the original ambitions of Lennon and McCartney to become Broadway musical composers.
"The Introduction" by Eric Cash memorializes the first meeting of Paul McCartney, left, and John Lennon (red shirt). Lennon was the founder of the skiffle band, The Quarrymen. The illustration was a part of Kenneth Womack's talk on the Beatles.
Was Penn State Laureate Kenneth Womack the mysterious fifth Beatle? Womack gave a detailed talk on the history of the Beatles Jan. 29 at Penn State New Kensington. He is standing in front of a photo from 1969 of the last time the four Beatles were together.
Tyler Knabb of Reading prepares for his 920-mile, eight-day cycling trip to raise funds for the 2014 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. He will start his quest Oct. 22, traveling in a heart-shaped route through Pennsylvania that will take him to 11 Penn State campuses.
Penn State World Campus student Tyler Knabb of Reading will embark on a cycling journey Oct. 22 to raise funds for the 2014 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. His 920-mile, eight-day cycling trip is in memory of his mother and friend who lost their battles with cancer.
Jack Sennett, a member of the first graduating class at the campus in 1960, gives gala guests a "Overview" of life at the New Kensington Center, as the campus was originally known when it began on Fourth Avenue in the city of New Kensington. Sennett was also a member of the campus' first basketball team in 1958, the year the campus was founded.
Cellist Kim Cook, accompanied by pianist Svetlana Rodionova, makes her Penn State Laureate debut at the New Kensington campus. She is a world-renown cellist who has performed in Europe and Asia. She was named the inaugural Penn State Laureate in April by President Spanier.
