Daily Brief

Watch: Hawkinson Announces Upcoming Retirement as KU President

The President of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson, announced his upcoming retirement at the university's 2024 Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration, Friday, Aug. 23. Hawkinson, the 12th president of KU, said he would step down next summer (2025, date to be determined). He will have completed 10 years as president at that time. President Hawkinson’s full public retirement announcement can be viewed online.

University Relations

A Heartfelt Thank You to the KU Campus Community and Donors This Summer

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible support you have shown our students over the summer break. Early this summer, I reached out for help, and your response has been nothing short of extraordinary. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to ensure that no student went hungry this summer. Your contributions made a significant impact:
- A total of $1,775 in grocery store gift cards were donated, allowing every student to receive several gift cards throughout the summer.
- We made several trips to the Friend, Inc. food bank to gather essential supplies.
- Perishable and non-perishable food items, bedding and even Folk Festival tickets were donated, brightening our students' days.
- Additionally, I received weekly donations of delicious meals such as pastas, meatballs, tacos, lasagnas and more, which provided consistent nourishment for our students.
- The PA Hunger-Free Grant at Kutztown University provided 100 meal tickets for students to use in the South Dining Hall this summer.
- PROFS generously provided 50 additional meal tickets to further support our students' needs.
Our office became a hub of support, with students visiting regularly for meals. On average, each student visited about seven times, with some students coming by as many as 16 times throughout the summer. Your contributions directly ensured that these students had access to the food they needed. Thank you notes from students reflect the profound difference your generosity made in their lives. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your unwavering support. You have shown what it truly means to be a community. I am deeply proud to be a part of such a compassionate group of individuals.

Nadia Daher, Office of Student Assistance/PROFS

New Student Accounts Baby

The Office of Student Accounts is blessed to welcome Jericho Stone to our family. Sarah Stone '20, Student Accounts Tech and Residency Coordinator, and her husband Jesse Stone '20 welcomed baby Jericho Monday, Aug. 12, 2024 (ironically, her actual due date). We must be honest - he is absolutely adorable. Well wishes for the Stone family can be sent to the Office of Student Accounts, 225 Stratton, to be shared with them as they enjoy some quality time as a family of three.

Office of Student Accounts

UPC/UTC Informational Sessions

UPC/UTC will hold three informational sessions on the following dates/times: 11 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Sept. 10; 11 a.m. to noon, Thursday, Sept. 19; 3-4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9. Please use the Zoom link to attend.

Nicole Johnson, UPC Chair

Departmental Deposits

Effective Monday, Aug. 26, all departments making deposits at the Office of Student Accounts must submit this deposit slip, completed in its entirety for proper accounting to occur. The new system will not accept a deposit without all three items (Cost Center, Fund Center and GLA). Deposits submitted without this slip or lacking all three cirtical items needed will be delayed in processing and crediting of the funds, until all items are shared. Questions about these needed accounting items can be directed to accounting@kutztown.edu. Thank you and have a great semester.

Student Accounts

Wendy Pursell, Office of Student Accounts

Disability Services Office: Informational Tables

Disability Services Office (DSO) staff will host informational tables in the Old Main Concourse/Lobby 9:30 a.m. to noon, Aug. 26-27, to answer any questions or concerns that faculty, staff or students may have regarding disability services and/or campus accessibility. Please feel free to stop by if you are available and have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to schedule a training session with the DSO. Faculty and staff can also schedule a training session with the DSO by completing the DSO Training Request Form.

Disability Services Office

McKenzie Hollenbach, Disability Services Office

New CEL Journal Post

Welcome back! Please take a few minutes to visit the KUtztown exCEL faculty journal to read our first post of the 2024-25 academic year. This month, we are featuring Dra. Leslie C. Sotomayor II, Frederick Douglas Institute (FDI) Scholar and assistant professor in Art Education, who proposes finding intersections where decolonization, borderlands and culturally relevant and sustaining practices converge with Universal Design of Learning (UDL). Also, be sure to check out all of our posts from the 2023-24 academic year.

Center for Engaged Learning

Center for Engaged Learning

Academic Department Chairs and Secretaries List

The updated Academic Department Chairs and Secretaries list has been uploaded to the Provost, Academic Affairs website under Resources and Forms/Faculty and Staff Resources.

Academic Department Chairs and Secretaries

Anne Imschweiler, Office of the Provost

Disability Services Office: Accommodation Letters

A friendly reminder that students may send electronic Accommodation Letters to assigned fall course professors via the Accommodate Portal. All faculty on campus can access their Accommodate Faculty Portal using this link or the link on the DSO webpage. A faculty quick start guide is available within the Faculty Accommodate Portal under the “Resources” tab, found on the left-hand menu. If you have not already done so and would like to schedule a training session with the Disability Services Office, please click here to complete the DSO Training Request Form.

Disability Services Office

McKenzie Hollenbach, Disability Services Office