Daily Brief

President Hawkinson in Harrisburg with KU Alum and Speaker of the House

President Hawkinson traveled to Harrisburg Thursday, Feb. 16, for the State System Board of Governors meeting. As part of his visit, Hawkinson visited the State Capitol to meet KU alum and current Speaker of the House Mark Rozzi '96.

University Relations

Employee of the Month

Now is the time to submit your nominations for the February 2023 Employee of the Month.

https://fs7.formsite.com/kutzuniv/EOM/index.html

Alexis Martin, Human Resources

Candidate on Campus Today

Candidate C for the position of Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs will visit campus today, Wednesday, Feb. 22. The Search Committee invites students, faculty and staff to the open session with the candidate at 11 a.m. in 135 Rickenbach Learning Center. We value the input of the KU community and ask that you please attend the open session if you are able.

Lorin Basden Arnold, Provost

LAS Dean Search

Open Forums will be held 2 p.m., in 145 of the Boehm Science Center on the following days:
- Candidate A: Monday, Feb. 27.
- Candidate B: Wednesday, March 1.
- Candidate C: Friday, March 3.
CV’s will be posted in advance on the LAS Search Website.

LAS Dean Search Committee

Come to Ignite Kutztown

Ignite Kutztown will take place 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, 135 Rickenbach LC. We have many exciting speakers lined up. If you aren't familiar, Ignite is a speaking event following a particular format - speakers have 5 minutes and 20 slides which advance automatically. Speakers this semester include Jonathan Shaw on "Crusty Death Metal," Jennifer Forsyth on "Non-Shakespearean Renaissance Drama" and many others. Please join us for a fun event.

Emily Cripe, Communication Studies

Faculty First Thursday Presentation

Assistant professor, Marco Ehrl will present Political Crisis Communication via Anti-Fake News Initiatives: The Role of EUvsDisinfo for narrating Russia’s War in Ukraine, 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 2, 120 Sharadin Arts Building.
Presentation Information: Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine is different from other political crises in Europe’s recent history in that it constitutes an existential threat to European policy, identity, and system narratives toward Russia. As one of the key political functions of crisis narratives is to (re)legitimize political order and restore the political symbol and value systems, it is difficult for Europe’s existing peace and prosperity and shared-value narratives to legitimize energy dependencies and Europe’s hesitancy to act geopolitically and militarily. Presented at the 2022 National Communication Association Conference and under review with the "Journal for Communication Studies," this study uses a qualitative content analysis to examine 84 reports from the EUvsDisinfo website regarding Ukraine from April 8, 2021, to September 29, 2022, to explore changes and continuities in narrative ratios across different crisis phases. The study draws our attention to the importance of communicating motives at the level of system narratives, identity narratives, and policy narratives to suggest direction and desirability for political crisis resolutions.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=610885741046993&set=a.247792937356277

Joselyn Wynter, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Lunch & Learn Series

"Beginning Spanish for the Workplace" focusing on retail and general office needs will be taught by Karen Rauch, Ph.D. The cost is $150 and KU employees receive a 10% discount. Enrollment is limited to 15, so register early here to start learning Spanish. There will be ten sessions via Zoom, noon to 12:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays beginning March 13.

Extended and Lifelong Learning website

Lori Lentz, Office of Extended Learning

How to Record and Produce Your Own Podcast

This workshop will teach individuals how to record, edit and publish their own podcast and will be taught by KU CTM alum Connor Gregory. The cost is $50 and you can register here. Please contact Lori at 610-683-4478 with any questions.

Extended and Lifelong Learning website

Lori Lentz, Office of Extended Learning

The New FDI Thanks the Campus Community

The New Frederick Douglass Institute would like to thank the campus community for the abundance of support for our open house. Dr. James Jackson facilitated a beautiful convocation that taught audiences the symbolic meanings of ritual in the African diaspora. Dr. Richard Benson (The University of Pittsburgh) delivered a powerful lecture on MLK's legacy of activism post-March on Washington. Finally, faculty, staff and students celebrated Black literature during the African-American Read-In. Kutztown University's participation in this national event has been registered with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Upcoming events at FDI include the Education as Freedom Project, Douglass Debates and a trip to the Smithsonian Museum of African American History in April. If you and/or your students are interested in earning volunteer or fieldwork hours, please drop by our office in the MCC or email fdouglass@kutztown.edu.  

Amber Jean-Marie Pabon, Frederick Douglass Institute

McKee Puts Stamp on PSAC Championships with 200 Backstroke Title

Gracie McKee left no doubt in winning her first PSAC gold medal Saturday, Feb. 18. The senior led start-to-finish in the 200-yard backstroke and gave the Kutztown University women's swimming team its first event champion since 2010. McKee capped an outstanding week in York with her third medal of the meet and fifth in two career PSAC Championships with Kutztown. With a bronze in the 100 butterfly and silver in the 100 back, the Boyertown, Pa., native's sights were squarely on gold. McKee, last year's runner-up and school record holder in the 200 back, is the first individual champion for the Golden Bears and coach Tim Flannery since Stephanie Jeppesen won the 200 breaststroke in 2010.

https://kubears.com/news/2023/2/18/womens-swimming-mckee-puts-stamp-on-psac-championships-with-200-backstroke-title.aspx

Sports Information