Increased reliance on state police patrolling is happening at a time that fewer people are applying to police academies in western Pennsylvania, said Roger A. White, who directs the Criminal Justice Training Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There also is increased interest by out-of-state police departments to employ men and women trained in Pennsylvania. The federal government also is hiring away full-time officers. White said some police academy graduates won't work in rural areas or accept part-time police jobs. There also is competition from private companies that hire officers for full-time security jobs. White said there is a smaller pool of interested and eligible police candidates across the country because of the litany of things that could disqualify a candidate, including past drug use, criminal convictions, poor driving records and failure to pass psychological and physical fitness requirements. "Towns need, can't find part-time police," Valley News Dispatch, Dec. 30, 2007

SIUE Emeritus Chancellor David Werner has been named interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Indiana University of Pennsylvania by IUP President Tony Atwater.  Werner began his duties Dec. 10 at the university located in Indiana, Pa., according to information from SIUE's Public Affairs Office. The provost and vice president for academic affairs is the chief academic officer of the institution, reports directly to the president and fulfills the duties of the president in the event he or she is absent. The provost and vice president for academic affairs also is a member of the president's senior cabinet. "Dr. Werner brings almost 30 years of academic leadership to this position, including serving as interim president of Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, as chancellor and as provost at (SIUE)," President Atwater said. "Werner will serve as interim provost," Edwardsville (IN) Intelligencer, Dec. 17, 2007

The most pressing consequence of the rising salaries is felt by coach-hunting schools. Georgia Tech Athletic Director Dan Radakovich, once Bertman’s top lieutenant at LSU, conceded that some coaches had priced themselves out of the Yellow Jackets’ budget when they searched to replace dismissed Chan Gailey. Radakovich, a finance major at Indiana University in Pennsylvania, said he has never studied a market that has worked that way. “(The increases) may not continue at the same rapid pace,” he said. “But there’s no reversal. That would be a first in history. It’s going to be like this for the future.” So Radakovich, and most of his BCS peers, sit prepared to keep spending at least $1 million per year on a football coach. It’s a number that makes athletic directors laugh, and cringe, one after the other.  "REPORT: College football coaching salaries skyrocketing," Detroit Free Press, Dec. 13, 2007

Christmas is going to be happier for a large number of children this season, thanks to the help of Toys for Tots, IUP-Punxsy, Aramarck and Community Action. When Community Action Senior Corps R.S.V.P. Director Janeen Love and Aramarck chief-manager Robert Stevens teamed up to put together a special night at IUP for the students and community to bring toys, they weren’t expecting the event to be such a huge success. With the help of culinary baking and pastry student Ashley Miller, Johnstown, and academic student John Zimmerer, New Jersey, Stevens, via IUP’s food service company, Aramarck, offered students and the Punxsy community a free prime rib dinner if they brought a toy or a donation. A buffet was set up in the cafeteria along with the Toys for Tots, manned by Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Kyler, Phillipsburg, who represented the US Marine Corps of Ebensburg. Every table was full and so was nearly every Toys for Tots box. “We have almost 1,000 toys. We weren’t expecting this,” said Love. According to Love, almost 400 children will benefit from the evening’s event. “It’s the biggest (in the community) so far,” she stated. "IUP, Community Action and Aramark team up to collect Toys for Tots," Punxsutawney Spirit, Dec. 9, 2007
 

The fishers running around southwestern Pennsylvania are descendants of animals released into West Virginia decades ago. That's the conclusion of an ongoing study being conducted by the Game Commission and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Researchers are attempting to determine the density of fisher populations around the state. They also collected 41 road-killed fishers, though, for genetic analysis. That work has shown that the fishers found in southwestern and southcentral Pennsylvania are descendants of animals released into West Virginia. The fishers in northern Pennsylvania, by comparison, are a mixture of the offspring of those animals and others released into Pennsylvania more than a decade ago. "Bear Hunting Season Ranks in Top 10," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Dec. 9, 2007

In addition to ongoing modernization and planned expansion at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Dolan cited the approach of a long-awaited runway improvement at the Indiana County Airport, a state highway upgrade and occupancy of new and existing industrial facilities among the highlights of a busy year in local economic development. Dolan noted IUP "has a $320 million impact on our local economy, with more than 14,000 students and 1,500 employees buying and living in our community." That impact is heading for a major increase with the development of the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, a 150,000-square-foot multi-use facility that will house university sporting events along with regional cultural and business programs. An attached hotel also will be included, Dolan said, noting the complex is expected to have a one-time impact of $22 million on the local economy during its construction followed by an estimated $8 million annual spinoff in years to come. At the beginning of 2007, IUP and local funding partners--including Indiana County and White Township--reached an agreement to purchase the 33-acre development site along Wayne Avenue, at the southern edge of campus, from the Kovalchick Salvage Company. Construction of the $44 million complex is expected to begin next year, with completion slated in 2011. Also in 2007, IUP completed the first phase and moved forward with the second phase of its $270 million "residential revival" project that will replace campus dormitories with modern suite-style apartment housing for students. "Chamber highlights year of development," Blairsville Dispatch, Dec. 5, 2007

Political commentator and journalism professor Stanford Mukasa of Indiana University in Pennsylvania told reporter Patience Rusere that Smith’s death has been a public relations disaster for the ruling party, as Zimbabweans realized that while they lacked political freedom under Smith's rule, there was greater economic stability. Voice of America News, Nov. 21, 2007

The Game Commission -- following the lead of other Northeastern states -- is preparing to open a "conservation season" on snow geese. ... Researchers from Indiana University of Pennsylvania will be collecting bear parts at one of the Game Commission's bear check stations tomorrow. Hunters who bag a bear and check it in at Yellow Creek State Park are being asked to donate the heart and a piece of the tongue. Researchers at IUP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are studying toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that some bears carry. The infection does not usually cause problems in humans with good immune systems, but those with compromised systems can suffer serious consequences, including miscarriages, said IUP professor Jan Humphreys. Cooking bear meat until it's well done eliminates the disease, he added. Anyone seeking more information or looking to donate a heart or tongue can contact Humphreys at 724-397-4432 or jghumfrz@iup.edu. "From the Game Commission," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Nov. 18, 2007

Beverly Chiarulli and a team of students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania are preserving a slice of state history dug up during highway projects. Chiarulli, director of IUP's archaeological services, will get as much as $850,000 during the next five years from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. A big part of the grant will pay for preparing and cataloging more than 250,000 artifacts for the State Museum in Harrisburg. Ira Beckerman, group leader of cultural resources for PennDOT, said IUP was chosen because it's a state university with an archaeology program that has labs, faculty, a supervisor and a stream of students. "There are very few state institutions that can do this, and this is one of them," he said. "Grant will allow IUP to complete preservation project," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Nov. 7, 2007

People continue to misunderstand each other because they often look at others and assume "you're like me or not like me," says Beverly Goodwin, a professor and director of doctoral studies in Indiana University of Pennsylvania's psychology department. "Individuals think they know me based on what they think they know about me," she says. "Usually, what they know is I'm African-American, and they think that explains it all." On more than one occasion at grocery stores, cashiers have turned to her after totaling her items and asked for her food stamps. "Excuse me?" she has said, giving them a chance to rethink their assumption. However, when they've simply repeated the question, Dr. Goodwin has told them she's paying by check. "Diplomatic Relations: 'Ambassadors' field questions about race, ethnicity and stereotypes," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 7, 2007

At least two of the 90 teaching colleges in the state have responded with programs that take students out of state, preparing them to leave Pennsylvania after they graduate. .. "I think that's something we ought to be doing because we know that that's where the jobs are," said Deborah Stanley, the associate director of Indiana University of Pennsylvania's career development center. IUP is planning to debut its "teacher road trips" program this spring. Education students will spend a week touring schools and shadowing teachers in two Virginia districts. "Grads forced to leave state to find teaching jobs," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Nov. 7, 2007

As Indiana University of Pennsylvania honored four borough policemen who rescued a 22-year-old graduate student from her burning apartment early Sunday. Yesterday, university President Tony Atwater presented framed citations to Indiana police Detective Scott Schuller and patrol officers Thomas Dessell, Jenny Lenhart and Michael Raglani, all IUP criminology department graduates, for their efforts. "Without these officers' efforts, this event could have been fatally tragic," Atwater said during a brief ceremony at the municipal building. "IUP honors police who saved student," Greensburg Tribune-Review, Nov. 6, 2007

WENDY BELL, ANCHOR:  When police arrived at the Indiana home smoke was just pouring out of it and neighbors were screaming that somebody was inside. MICHELLE WRIGHT, ANCHOR:  Without a second thought four of them rushed inside and found an IUP grad student burned and not breathing.  Not only did they get her out they gave her C-P-R until the ambulance arrived.  Channel Four Action News Westmoreland Bureau Chief Jennifer Miele has more on honoring the officers.  Jen—  JENNIFER MIELE, REPORTER:  Well, good evening, Michelle.  We know the twenty-two-year-old from Millvale is in critical condition tonight.  We also know from state-police that the fire was started accidentally, but there is a serious investigation going on tonight about the safety of the house she was renting.  Five IUP students lived inside this Washington Avenue home, but only one was there early Sunday morning when smoke came pouring out alerting neighbors who called 9-1-1.  Detective Scott Schuller and Officer Thomas Dessel broke down the door.   DETECTIVE SCOTT SCHULLER, INDIANA BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT:  There are some stairs that are located in that position. We could look down those steps and we saw a figure at the bottom of the steps.  JENNIFER MIELE:  Police say twenty-two-year-old Emma Sacharczyk was lying at the bottom of the basement stairs near her room not breathing and burned all over her body when they found her.  Patrolman Michael Raglani helped carry Emma outside and Patrolman Jenny Lenhert gave her C-P-R until the ambulance arrived.  Emma is a graduate student at IUP’s School of Business.  The university’s president Doctor Tony Atwater presented the officers certificates of appreciation for saving one of their students and many others lined up to sing their praises.  GINA GENTILE, EMMA’S ROOMMATE:  We can’t express how grateful we are they got in there when they did and saved her life. CHIEF CHARLES KELLY, INDIANA BOROUGH VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT:  They did one heck of a job getting her out. JENNIFER MIELE:  Tax records show that a Joseph Godday and his son Matthew bought the rental property on July tenth of this year for eighty-four thousand dollars.   Fire crews found only two smoke alarms inside and neither had working batteries.  Borough code requires a detector in each room, the living room, and the basement.  Electricity to the home was shut off on Friday for an unknown reason.  That may explain, why state-police say, Emma was using an oil lamp and candles when they believe one of them may have fallen over and caught Emma’s room on fire.  So now state-police are going to try to determine why those smoke detectors were not working and why this home had no electricity.  They will make recommendations to the code-enforcement officer who has the authority to issue citations.  Reporting live tonight, I’m Jennifer Miele, Channel Four Action News. WTAE-TV (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Nov. 5, 2007, 5 p.m.

  KEN RICE, ANCHOR:  Four police officers were honored today for their heroic, heroic efforts.  Over the weekend they saved an IUP student’s life after her apartment caught fire.  We also have new details in the investigation.  Here is KDKA’s Mary Berecky. MARY BERECKY, REPORTER:  A state-police fire-marshal ruled the fire in this apartment house along Washington Street in Indiana Borough, Indiana County was accidental.  It’s here twenty-two-year-old Emma Sacharczyk was found unconscious.  The IUP student and business major was unconscious in her basement apartment early Sunday when several Indiana Borough officers forced their way into her apartment building. OFFICER THOMAS DESSEL, INDIANA BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT: The building was filled with heavy smoke and we went down the basement steps and at that time I observed the victim sprawled out on the bottom stairs and myself, Detective Scott Schuller, and then Officer Mike Gregolani, we brought her upstairs. DETECTIVE SCOTT SCHULLER, INDIANA BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT:  And then and I said you know?  Would it have changed your mind if, you know? Hadn’t we seen her at the bottom of the steps we’d of had to go farther in to find her and they said “no”, they had probably done the same thing. MARY BERECKY:  The president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Tony Atwater, presented Detective Scott Schuller, Officer Thomas Dessel, Patrolman Michael Raglani, and Jenny Lenhart with certificates of commendation for their heroic acts.  After Sacharczyk was pulled from her apartment, where authorities say the fire started, one officer did even more.  DETECTIVE SCOTT SCHULLER:  Patrolman Ragalani trained in C-P-R, he went to work with the A-B-C’s and found out she wasn’t breathing, didn’t have a pulse, and immediately initiated C-P-R. MARY BERECKY:  Since the fire investigators learned electricity to the apartment house was shut off last Friday and two smoke detectors were not working. DETECTIVE SCOTT SCHULLER:  There was no electricity in the structure at the time of the fire. MARY BERECKY:  Mary Berecky, KDKA-TV News. KRISTINE SORENSEN, ANCHOR:  The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.  The IUP student was listed in critical condition, but the family has requested that the hospital not release any more information on her condition. KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Nov. 5, 2007, 5 p.m.

DAVID JOHNSON, ANCHOR:    Four police officers honored for pulling an IUP graduate student out of her burning home.   They broke down a door and found IUP graduate student Emma Sacharczyk unconscious in her basement apartment this weekend.  Officers Scott Schuller, Tom Dessel, Jenny Lenhert, and Mike Raglani received certificates of commendation from university president Dr. Tony Atwater.  Investigators say fully-functional smoke detectors may have prevented this tragedy. CHIEF CHARLES KELLY, INDIANA BOROUGH FIRE DEPARTMENT:  We found one that was not working.  It was stuck to the side of the refrigerator in the kitchen.  We found another one in the basement near the furnace room.  It had no battery and it was not working, neither. DAVID JOHNSON:    Investigators are trying to determine why there was no electricity in the house and whether a kerosene heater was being used in the basement.  Sacharczyk remains in critical condition tonight at a Pittsburgh hospital.  WPXI-TV (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Nov. 5, 2007 11 p.m.

ANCHOR:  Fire investigators are looking into the cause of a weekend fire in Indiana County that critically injured an IUP grad student.  She is alive today thanks to the courageous efforts of Indiana Borough police officers.  Amy Post joins us by telephone now with the new details.  Amy—  AMY POST, REPORTER:     So we are live here in Indiana County where police are holding a press conference on this, on this heroic effort.  Now, they are releasing some new information about the fire itself.  They believe that it had started in the basement.  They cannot confirm if a candle started that fire, but they do say that there was no electricity in the building nor were there any working smoke detectors.  Now we don’t know yet if the owner of that building will be charged, but we will continue to follow that development.  Now, four officers were honored today during the press conference from Indiana University of Pennsylvania President Dr. Tony Atwater for their heroic efforts going into that burning building without any fire gear to save that young girl, who is twenty-two-year old Emma Sacharczyk.  Now, she is still in critical condition, but is improving.  We will continue to follow this developing story and we will bring you the latest developments tonight at five, but for now, live with the Indiana County mobile news room, Amy Post, Channel Six News. WJAC-TV (Johnstown, Pa.), Nov. 5, 2007, noon         

 TONY ATWATER, PRESIDENT INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA:    If it were not for the immediate intervention of these courageous officers, this could well be a very, very sad and tragic situation for this young lady. MARTY RADOVANIC, ANCHOR:  An IUP student saved from a burning building and today friends of the victim thanking police for their heroic efforts.  Four Indiana County police officers receiving honor today for acting off an impulse that ultimately saved a life. JEN JOHNSON, ANCHOR:  Although the young student is not out of the woods yet, friends are thankful she still has a chance towards recovery.  Amy Post has been following this story.  She joins us live with the details first on Six.  Amy— AMY POST, REPORTER:  Marty, Jen, imagine running into a burning building without any protective gear and not knowing if the person you are running in for is even still alive.  Well, that exact situation happened to four Indiana Borough police officers.  Five students live in this apartment just off campus at IUP, but only one was home early Saturday morning when fire tore through the building.  Moments later four police officers arrived on the scene. DETECTIVE SCOTT SCHULLER, INDIANA BOROUGH POLICE: We ran across Washington Street to the structure, at which time Patrolman Dessel, forced a door on the side of a building and we made entry. AMY POST:  The officers found twenty-two-year-old IUP grad student Emma Sacharczyk at the bottom of the stairs.  They got her out of the house and she is still in critical condition tonight, but more importantly she’s alive. GENA GENTILE:  We cannot express how grateful we are that they got in there when they did and saved her life and now that she has a chance to recover and we just want to say thank you and our prayers go out to her. AMY POST:  Now, investigators are trying to figure out why there weren’t any working smoke detectors and why the electricity had been shut off to the building, but everyone who knows Emma agrees what is most important is that her condition is improving and the four brave officers are honored for their work. CHARLES KELLY, ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF:  They did one heck of a job getting her out and I’m just so happy and thankful that we didn’t have another officer, our officers go down when they went in, because the smoke conditions were very, very bad in that building. AMY POST: All four officers were honored by the president of IUP.   As for Emma, she’s still getting treatment at the burn center at a Pittsburgh hospital.  Live in the Johnstown news room, Amy Post, Channel Six News. WJAC-TV (Johnstown-Altoona, Pa.), Nov. 5, 2007, 6 p.m.

When Tony Atwater was advancing through the ranks several years ago, his father-in-law shared this wisdom: “There’s nothing new -- just the undiscovered.” Today, Atwater has transformed that adage into ambition as president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In addition to managing a $209 million budget and 1,873 employees, the leader constantly re-evaluates the market and his own business practices seeking innovative ways to better serve his organization and constituents. The latest innovation is a multiphase construction plan to build the largest student residential facility in the United States. Smart Business spoke with Atwater about listening, evaluating data and why you need to do the who before the what. "Smart Leaders: Tony Atwater," Smart Business Pittsburgh, November 2007

 

Five feet tall, blond, blue-eyed and as sweet as they come... that's not how you would describe your average military commander but there are two ladies in our area that fit that description and now they are making military history. KDKA's Mary Robb Jackson reports the two sisters are like the Olsen Twins with attitude. Sister soldiers Jenny and Kathy Conn of Somerset have been selected to train as commanders. Their new ride is the Stryker armored combat vehicle. Pennsylvania is the first National Guard in the country to have a Stryker unit and the sibling sergeants are the first women to command. "It's a lot on our hands," said Sgt. Kathy Conn. "We'll both have a lot of responsibility but as the training goes, we'll see that everybody's going to step up to the plate when it's time to." When talking about the Stryker, their eyes light up. "We mount 50-calibers," said Sgt. Jenny Conn. "So, I mean it has some big brass." The "Stryker" is an eight-wheeled, all-wheel drive vehicle that carries night-day thermal imaging gear and computer support that helps not only in more efficient fighting but in reducing friendly fire incidents. But the vehicle has also been the target of criticism for insufficient protective armor and being rollover prone. The sisters are two-thirds of triplets.  Their brother, Scott, is not in the military. Jenny and Kathy are now studying nuclear medicine at IUP. They've already been to war with a tour if duty in Ramadi, Iraq, which is one of the "hot zones." Eighty-six of their brigade did not come home. The Conn sisters' Stryker Brigade went on alert last week and may be deployed next year. For these sisters, who share a bond beyond understanding being deployed again will be okay as long as they're together. "She's my best friend and I just couldn't imagine going anywhere without her," said Kathy Conn. Sergeants Kathy and Jenny Conn are actually the youngest of seven children. They have four older sisters. Following their service and graduation they hope to work in hospitals. KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Oct. 24, 2007

Monday's public workshop kicking off the U.S. Route 30 Master Plan design session this week at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Those attending first were given a history lesson on the 250-year evolution of the road by keynote speaker Kevin J. Patrick, professor of geography and regional planning at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Citing Pittsburgh as the region's central city, Patrick explained how the wave of development east into the county has evolved from the inner suburbs to the outer suburbs and rural spaces characteristic of corridor towns -- Irwin, Greensburg, Jeannette, Latrobe, Derry and Ligonier. "Unity groups map ideas," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Oct. 23, 2007

Pennsylvania Army National Guard Sgt. Jenny Conn standing up through the hatch of a Stryker during her training to command the armored vehicle. Everything Katheryn and Jenny Conn do, they do together. They live together. They go to college together. They've been to war together. And the Somerset County sisters -- two-thirds of a set of triplets, along with a brother -- spent several weeks this year training to command Stryker armored vehicles for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. fter a semester at Community College of Allegheny County and a semester at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the sisters were called up to serve in Iraq. "Twin sisters take the wheel," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Oct. 22, 2007

Westmoreland County's evolution along the Lincoln Highway Corridor will be studied next week at the U.S. Route 30 Master Plan Design Charrette. The charrette -- a collaborative session in which a group of designers drafts a solution to a design problem -- runs from Monday to Friday. It will be hosted by the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. he event's keynote speaker is Dr. Kevin J. Patrick, professor of geography and planning at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, who will offer his views on development of the corridor during the first workshop from 7-9 p.m. Monday at Smith Hall. "Panel to share, solicit views," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Oct. 20, 2007

Indiana University of Pennsylvania history professor R. Scott Moore and anthropology professor Beverly Chiarulli recently received an IUP new Academic Excellence and Innovation Grant for "The Creation of an IUP Second Life Island for Technology Advancement in the Classroom." Chiarulli said her students will visit underwater sites and take tours on a Second Life island. "A more 3-D atmosphere, while sometimes cartoonish, gives a much larger sense of what, for instance, Mayan sites would be like than through books or online," she said. Advanced technological skills will benefit even social science and humanity students when they compete in the job market, she added. Chiarulli already teaches online distance learning courses involving video clips, audio recordings and textbooks. The Second Life class is an expansion of technology in the classroom. It's also a learning experience that might be particularly appealing to a generation "that is more digitally inclined," she said. Allen Partridge, director of IUP's Applied Media and Simulation Games Center, said his students are providing technical and support work as Moore and Chiarulli design their projects. He serves as chairman of the school's Second Life coordination committee. The university started its Crimson Island site on Second Life during the summer, Partridge said. Partridge said he was skeptical at first about the educational benefits of Second Life. "I wondered, 'Is this more distraction than benefit?' " he said. "As I got in world and saw students' reactions, I became a big convert." He said the site will help students become comfortable with navigating 3-D worlds, which he anticipates may have applications in many different fields. "I think it has tremendous potential as a learning tool," he said. "Virtual world adds dimension to communication, learning," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Oct. 9, 2007

Laurel: To cooperative academic advancement. Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County Community College have inked a new agreement, allowing WCCC students to transfer with ease to the IUP campus. As a result, students who complete their associate degrees in specific disciplines at WCCC may enroll at IUP as juniors and continue work toward their bachelor's degrees. That's a darn good incentive for students to continue their education. Editorial, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Oct. 5, 2007

 

September 2007

Students majoring in Westmoreland County Community College's most popular programs will now be able to transfer the credits to Indiana University of Pennsylvania with junior status in an articulation agreement signed last Thursday. The agreement will allow students studying business, criminal justice, elementary education, general studies, hotel/motel management, nursing and psychology at the community college to earn associate degrees then enroll in IUP with advanced standing to earn bachelor's degrees. The agreement also will allow community college students who have earned at least 12 credits and who meet the university's admission requirement to enroll part time at IUP. IUP President Dr. Tony Atwater and Westmoreland college President Dr. Steven C. Ender also signed another agreement offering community college criminal justice students the option of completing their bachelor's degree studies in criminology at Indiana's Monroeville Center. "WCCC students can move to IUP programs," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 27, 2007