Daily Brief

New Exhibition on the "Dengelschtock" Celebrates Pennsylvania Dutch Cooperative Farming Technology of the 19th Century

Exploring the cultural significance and superb craftsmanship of early agricultural technology for the cooperative farming practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch, a new exhibition on the old "Dengelschtock" (sharpening anvil) opens Friday, Nov. 3 and runs through May 24, 2024, in the gallery at the DeLight E. Breidegam Building, Headquarters of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University. The exhibition highlights the cooperative spirit of inter-generational family farming that sustained the region’s culture for centuries through stunning installations of early Pennsylvania Dutch hand tools and their farm contexts.

New Exhibition on the "Dengelschtock"

University Relations

Pawbucks 15% Sale

Save 15% on apparel and gifts today only, in-store and online, excluding other sales and promotions.

KU Campus Store

Kyle Rex, KU Campus Store

Spooktacular Savings

Save on these scary good deals. Selected apparel and gifts include $5 drinkware, $10 short-sleeve shirts, $20 long-sleeve shirts and many more deals. Use this link to shop for apparel and gift clearance, in-store and online, excluding other sales and promotions.

Kyle Rex, KU Campus Store

Charles Moody Retirement Celebration

Please join us at the retirement celebration for Charles Moody to honor 16 years of hard work and service 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, 203 Stratton Administration Center. 

Jennifer Davis, IT

Kutztown University Council of Trustees Meeting

The Kutztown University Council of Trustees will meet Thursday, Nov. 2, in the McFarland Student Union Building.
Committee meetings will begin at 1:30 p.m.:
- Academic and Student Affairs Committee, 323 MSU.
- Finance, Property, and Audit Committee, 322 MSU.
- Human Diversity Committee, 325 MSU.
- University Relations and Athletics and Advancement Committee, 324 MSU.
The Plenary Session will begin at 3 p.m., 250 MSU.

Office of the President

Congratulations Tammy Starner Wert

Congratulations to Tammy Starner Wert M’23, executive assistant to the vice president of University Relations and Athletics, for being named the Assistant to the Provost for General Education. Tammy’s new appointment will be effective Monday, Nov. 6. Tammy has served the division of University Relations and Athletics for more than eight years and has been with the university since 2007. She has been the lead point of contact for the Daily Brief and university operators, among other duties. Beginning Nov. 6, inquiries regarding the Daily Brief (dbrief@kutztown.edu) and University Relations (ur@kutztown.edu) should be directed to the appropriate email addresses. Congratulations, Tammy.

University Relations

Food Drive for Military Families in Need

Will you consider making a food item donation? Keystone Military Families (KMF) provides support to deployed military and their families by sending letters and cards, personal care items, snacks and local favorites to the deployed personnel and logistical, economic support and assistance to dependent families. They shipped 11,000 care packages last year. KMF also operates a food pantry that currently assists more than 100 families per week with food, clothing, baby necessities, pet food and household goods. This support is available to any Pennsylvania veteran or active duty military in financial need. Donations are anonymous. KMF also supports KU students who are military connected with perishable and non-perishable food items. Please consider supporting KMF so they can continue to help veterans in need. The most needed items are listed on the link below or request a food drive list at veterans@kutztown.edu. Even one can of food makes a difference. Thank you for your support.

Veterans Awareness Week

Military & Veterans Services

CEL Cookie Chat: Your Anxious Students and You

Recent surveys have shown that about 35% of students in our classrooms are diagnosed with anxiety. In the next Cookie Chat, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, CEL 6 Rohrbach Library, we will watch a short, six-minute film about college students and anxiety. Lynn Kutch from German Studies, along with Cesar Velasquez from Counseling and Psychological Services, will facilitate a conversation with current first-year students about how anxiety impacts our students and classrooms. The featured cookie will be monster cookies (it is Halloween, after all).

CEL Events

Center for Engaged Learning

Starfish Midterm Progress Survey Available

The Fall 2023 Midterm Progress Survey will be available for faculty in Starfish beginning Tuesday, Oct. 24, and will remain open through Thursday, Nov. 2.  Faculty are encouraged to use the survey to send kudos to students to acknowledge good work, reinforce positive habits and encourage students to finish strong this semester. Faculty can also raise flags of concern for students to indicate a danger of failing, a recommendation to withdraw or a specific academic concern. An important feature of this survey is the ability to indicate if a student has stopped attending (with the date of last attendance entered in the comment field). Every kudos and flag template has the option to add custom content; two options are completely customizable. All message templates can be viewed in Starfish D2L. Please email starfish@kutztown.edu with any questions or to set up a training. 

Cheryl Brattley, The Center for Student Success and Academic Excellence