Daily Brief

Phanor Named to PASSHE Board of Governors

Kutztown University student Mark-handy Phanor has been approved as the newest student member of the Board of Governors for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The motion was passed at the July 11 Board of Governors meeting. The State System is governed by a 20-member Board, which is responsible for planning and coordinating the organization’s development and operation. Phanor is one of three students represented on the Board. Phanor is a junior political science major with dual minors in philosophy and sociology. He is an Honors student from Philadelphia.

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University Relations

Shared Governance

The Shared Governance Task Force and Implementation Team were hard at work restructuring shared governance to make it more streamlined and efficient. Some committees were changed to advisory committees, some were merged and some updated their bylaws/memberships. The current list of Shared Governance committees can be found online.

Shared Governance

Lisa Frye, President, University Senate

Call for Programs: Gender and Sexual Minorities Conference

The eighth annual Gender and Sexual Minorities (GSM) Conference will be held Oct. 2-4. This year’s theme is Authentically You. "We all deserve the right to live our lives genuinely, completely and honestly." This includes the exploration of authenticity related to gender identity, sexual identity and all forms of expression of self. How we strive to live authentic work, personal, family, cultural and political lives, without sacrificing our full sense of self or beliefs, and the intersections of our identities. We encourage professionals from a wide variety of fields to submit a presentation proposal by Wednesday, Sept. 4. This year’s GSM Conference sessions will be held over three days. We hope this will allow KU students and faculty to attend and support sessions that best meet their schedules. We are so proud of the growth and quality of this conference and how the community has embraced our educational initiatives. This Spring 2025, we will celebrate 20 years of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center opening its doors to the campus. We have much to celebrate; we also have much work to do. Submit proposals on Engage. Contact lgbtqresourcecenter@kutztown.edu or price@kutztown.edu with questions.

Engage

Diane Biehl, LGBTQ+ Resource Center

Staffing Change - Office of Student Assistance

The Office of Student Assistance provides ongoing support, guidance, connections and referrals for KU students, as well as consultations with faculty, staff, parents and students when they are concerned or have questions about a student. The Assistant Dean of Students leads the office staff. There is an active search to fill this position. Susan Mangold has moved to a role in Counseling and Psychological Services. Jessica Hainley will assume the duties of KUBIT and the KU Care Team while the search is underway. As always, referrals can be sent using an online form. Email studentassistance@kutztown.edu or call 610-683-1396. The current staff includes:

- Residential Student Assistance Coordinator, Jessica Hainley, M.Div., M.Ed. Jess focuses on our residential students and coordinates programming efforts to support all KU students. Jess will continue this work during the search for an assistant dean with an office in 119 Stratton, after which she can be reached at 610-646-5808 in 311 Deatrick Hall.

- Student Assistance Coordinator, Jessica Urenko, LMSW. Jess works with all students with a focus on off-campus students. Jess coordinates classroom presentations about Student Assistance and support resources on- and off-campus. Jess can be reached at 610-646-4131 in 119 Stratton.

- Student Assistance Coordinator for Special Populations, Nadia Daher, MSW, LSW. Nadia directs the day-to-day operations of our PROFS program that supports independent students who have experienced foster care and those identified as homeless or unaccompanied youth. Nadia also serves as the student advocate for the newly formed Academic Exceptions Committee, which combines undergraduate and graduate exceptions in one committee. Nadia can be reached at 610-683-4169 in 109E Stratton.

Student Assistance

Dr. Stephen Rupprecht, Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students

Faculty and Staff Starfish Drop-In Sessions

Please drop in for Starfish training, questions or just a refresher. Whether you are returning to KU looking to review or learn more about Starfish features, or are new to KU needing to set up your profile, consultation hours and more, this opportunity is for you. To see available times or register for a session, please click here or visit the Starfish website. You can request an alternative date and time if you are unavailable during the offered dates and times.

Starfish

Nancy Brynildsen, Student Success and Academic Excellence