Daily Brief

Experience Family Fun and Folklife Demonstrations at Christmas on the Farm

Christmas on the Farm features live music in the barnyard, traditional crafts, folklife demonstrations, hearth-cooking, live animals, children’s activities and more. Indulge your interest in regional folk culture 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center’s Christmas on the Farm 2024: a celebration of the holiday season and Pennsylvania German Christmas traditions. Located on the historic Sharadin Farmstead, 22 Luckenbill Road, Kutztown, the event is free, fun and educational for the whole family.

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University Relations

KU Presents Outreach and Event Coordinator

Please welcome Olivia Sica as the part-time Outreach and Event Coordinator for KU Presents. Sica will assist in the planning, implementation and ongoing operations of KU Presents with focus on duties such as artist and season subscriber liaison, community and educational outreach, event marketing assistance, pre-show and special events planning. Sica earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Muhlenberg College and begins at KU the week of Dec. 2.

Sandy Green, Interim Director of KU Presents

President's Open Hour

Faculty, staff and students are invited to stop by with President Hawkinson during his open hour at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, 301 Stratton Administration Center. President Hawkinson welcomes your thoughts, concerns and suggestions regarding KU. If you are planning to stop by, please call the Office of the President at 610-683-4101 to RSVP.

Sarah Wert, Office of the President

Community Marimba Fall Concert

Join the members of MarimBerks for their fall concert 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research. KU faculty, staff and students can access one free ticket by logging in for tickets with their MyKU login.

Tickets

Wells-Rapp Center for Mallet Percussion Research

Jazz Ensemble I Concert

KU Jazz Ensemble I, winner of Downbeat Magazine's Student Music Awards, will present a concert of big band music at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, Schaeffer Auditorium. Big band music from across the history of jazz will be presented. Free and open to the public. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Kjos at kjos@kutztown.edu.

Department of Music

Retirement Reception for Business Services Director Elizabeth Pflugler

Please join us 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, 223 MSU, to celebrate the career and accomplishments of Elizabeth Pflugler as she embarks on her well-deserved retirement. Let's come together to show our appreciation for Elizabeth's 30 years of dedicated service to KU. We look forward to seeing you there.

Matt Delaney, VP for Finance and Facilities

University Curriculum Committee Meeting

The University Curriculum Committee will meet at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, via Zoom. The link can also be found on the UCC Document Submissions SharePoint page and the meeting agenda.

Brian Meares, University Curriculum Committee

AFSCME Local 2234 Toy Drive

AFSCME Local 2234 is proud to announce a toy drive in support of the Children's Home of Reading. We are asking for donations of new, unwrapped toys to help bring joy to children in need this holiday season. The Children's Home would also greatly appreciate any clothing, art supplies or gift cards in the amounts of $20-30. The deadline for the donation is Monday, Dec. 9, and can be received by Tracy Reidenhour in 210 Sharadin, Chris Ferris in 223 Boehm and Tish Manwiller in 225 Stratton. Thank you for your support.

Letitia Manwiller, AFSCME Local 2234

Employee of the Month

Now is the time to submit nominations for Employee of the Month. The nomination form can be found online. Let us know about the amazing work everyone is doing at KU.

Human Resources

Plant Taxonomy

The following students will be on a Plant Taxonomy class field trip to Longwood Gardens 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2. Please excuse them from any missed classes and allow them to make up any missed work. Thank you. Jacob Baker, Josephine Coddington, Ashton Datko, Elijah Delacruz, Elijah Feenstra, Erin Foley, Margaret Friedman, Clara Gutkind, Elizabeth Landis, Henry Leardi, Valerie Leith, Andrew Martin, Fiona Moriarty, Veronica Nieves, Caitlyn Polter, Emma Remaley, Annmarie Sanderson and Lily Whetsell.

Carol C. Mapes, Biology

Sabbatical Leave Committee Letter and Guidelines 2024-25

The sabbatical leave committee has updated the sabbatical guideline for this year's application. Please check the APSCUF KU website for the letter, guidelines, application and rubrics for faculty who wish to apply for a sabbatical leave for Fall 2026-Spring 2027.  Please read the file carefully for information regarding the sabbatical leave application. Note that applicants need to verify their eligibility by having the Provost's Office review their years of service and include the verification of eligibility in their applications. The following materials are required for your sabbatical applications:

• Signed verification of eligibility form the Provost's office;
• Signed application form (available on APSCUF KU website. Signatures are required from the applicant, your department chair and your dean);
• Written sabbatical proposal;
• Updated C.V.;
• Seven additional back-to-back photocopies of the application.

APSCUF KU Website

Yun Lu, Sabbatical Leave Committee

Admissions Senior Classroom Visits

Undergraduate Admissions will be offering admitted seniors and transfer students the opportunity to participate in Kutztown University classes in Spring 2025. The atmosphere of our academic spaces are increasingly more important in the college decision and we would love to feature real KU classes for every major. To all faculty, if you would like to participate in this program, you can register your class at this link. Please feel free to contact Ryan Murphy at rmurphy@kutztown.edu with any questions.

Ryan Murphy, Undergraduate Admissions