DuBois – Students in the Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) programs at Penn State DuBois connected with businesses in their field at an internship fair recently held in the student union, and sponsored by the campus HDFS Club.  Nearly 50 students attended, and representatives from a dozen local businesses and organizations seeking interns were present.  Those companies ranged from area probation departments, to mental health agencies, and child behavioral organizations. 

Both two and four year HDFS programs at Penn State DuBois require internships, and according to senior instructor and HDFS Club advisor Sally Vavala, those internships can benefit both students and local organizations. 

"We're indebted to these organizations for providing these opportunities to our students, but we also want to provide the organizations with good interns who can help them with their essential functions," Vavala said.

Crystal Vicklund, a primary counselor for Pentz Run Youth Services in DuBois, and a recent Penn State DuBois HDFS graduate, agreed.  Vicklund represented Pentz Run in its search for interns at the internship fair.  She said, "Interns are extra eyes and hands, and they're nice to have in almost all areas of what we do.  We have had interns take on grant writing, and other big projects that really matter.  They're not doing trivial things."

Lacey Hackett, student and president of the HDFS Club, said the internships help students network and could potentially connect them with future employers.  Most of all, she said, the internships provide the ultimate learning experience.  "They give us first-hand experience, so we'll have that by the time we graduate, and we'll know what we're getting into when we start a job. 

For more information on internship fairs, career fairs, and other opportunities at Penn State DuBois, call 375-4764.

DuBois – Penn State DuBois Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) Ben Park has received the George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching.  Named for the seventh president of Penn State, the university presents the award each year to faculty members who have made substantial efforts to develop excellence in undergraduate teaching.

To be considered for the award, faculty members must have a full-time appointment at Penn State, a tenure-line appointment, undergraduate teaching as a primary responsibility, and a minimum of three years undergraduate teaching experience at Penn State. 

When discussing his philosophy on teaching, Park believes connecting with students, and showing them how their work will impact others, are keys to success.  "Teaching to me involves sharing the joy of learning, and helping students come into contact with new knowledge, understanding and capabilities," he said.  "My ultimate desire as a teacher is that my students are awakened by knowledge, to discover who they are and understand what they are capable of doing to improve their own lives and the world in which they live." 

In addition to teaching at Penn State DuBois, Park is also the coordinator of the Gerontology Minor Program, the chair of the International Students and Programs Committee, and a member of the Diversity Team.  He has conducted extensive research on human behavior, including self-destructive and suicidal behavior. Park's writing has been published in numerous academic publications, and he has given lectures on his research at multiple locations in the United State and Internationally. 

The Camp Out will end the canned food drive the HDFS Club plans to run during the first part of October. 

"We want to make sure families in our community have something to eat this winter," said HDFS Club member Brenda McGarvey. "This will be the perfect ending to our canned food drive."

The collected food items will be donated to food banks in DuBois and Brookville.

Anyone wishing to make a donation may drop by the Campout on campus on October 16 from 3:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. and on October 17 from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. 

DuBois – Students at Penn State DuBois are giving back to the community by donating supplies, and their time, to an area shelter.  The Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) Club has donated painting supplies to Haven House of DuBois.  Additionally, members of the Student Government Association (SGA) have volunteered to do the painting at the shelter.

"One of the most important things the HDFS Club focuses on is community service," said club president Brenda McGarvey, who noted that the club secured the painting supplies through a donation from the DuBois Wal-Mart. 

Haven House manager Kelli Williams said the shelter is available to people who have become homeless due to circumstances that are out of their control.  She said many of her guests include victims of fire or natural disaster, and people who have lost their homes due to foreclosures caused by job loss.  Williams said staff at Haven House work with these guests to help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible, so that they can move on to their own home once again.

"We want to revitalize the house and keep it at its best for our guests," Williams said.  "Maintaining a good atmosphere really helps them."

SGA member Aimie Nestlerode said 11 student government representatives volunteered to do the painting at Haven House.

"I just believe that groups like SGA should do things like this for the community," said Nestlerode.  "Plus, it builds character."

DuBois - In 2006, there were over 10,000 suicides in Korea, According to the World Health Organization.  Ben Park, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) at Penn State DuBois, wants to know why.  He spent last year in Korea looking for answers.

“My principal purpose, while I stayed in Korea, focused on collecting primary data to further my research on self-destructive behaviors,” Park said.  “In particular, my objective was to obtain personal notes that will enable me to better understand the act of suicide and motives behind the suicide behavior.”

Answers did not come easy, however.  Park explained, “In the Korean cultural context in which suicide behavior is associated with a great deal of stigma I was able to obtain only a few personal documents. Instead, I was able to find seven suicide attempters who were willing to participate in my in-depth interview project.”  Once these interviews are transcribed and translated, Park said, they will be studied in hopes of finding a link between developmental problems and behaviors of self-destruction.

Park also distributed a survey, which asked participants about things like their reasons for living, attachment to one’s body, and identity development.  He was able to collect 249 completed questionairs.  With this information Park said he’ll make a cross-cultural comparison with the same type of data that was collected in Isreal,  in collaboration with a colleague.  He’ll also examine the link or the lack of connection to one’s cultural or ancestral heritage to suicidal ideation.   The results will likely be published in papers and scholarly reports.

While performing this research, Park had the opportunity to make several presentations on his work at Korean universities and medical centers.  He also taught graduate and undergraduate courses to both native Korean and international students at several different institutions, as well as helped to organize events to educate the public about suicide.

“I am pleased with what I have accomplished during my sabbatical year,” Park said.  “I believe that the broadened and deepened cross-cultural knowledge I obtained from my experience teaching in Korea will improve my teaching ability and enhance the quality of education I provide to my students at Penn State. I also expect that I could make further contributions to the local community here in the U.S. due to the experience I had in Korea.”

Park expects to produce a series of publications based on this research.

Breakey takes University senate committee chair

Laurie Breakey, Senior Instructor in Business Administration, has been appointed chairman of the University Senate Curricular Affairs Committee beginning this academic year.

As chairman, Breakey oversees the review of course and program proposals. The committee is currently tasked with course abbreviation uniformity and piloting the Angel online course system.

In her second four-year term as a university senator, Breakey is also chairman of the general education review sub-committee and serves on the Alignment of the Business Curriculum Committee, whose goal is to establish a homogenous curriculum for the first two years of each of Penn State's five business degrees. This model will then be adapted to other academic programs university-wide, Breakey said, and will provide a more consistent educational structure for students as they move throughout the university system.

Breakey was also named by the DuBois Education Foundation as the Penn State DuBois Educator of the Year for the 2004-2005 academic year, a distinction she also held in 1998-1999. Breakey and her husband, Mark, live in Clearfield.

Hufnagel chairs University senate committee

Pam Hufnagel, Assistant Professor of Education at Penn State DuBois, has been appointed to her third term as chairman of the Penn State University Senate Committee on Committees and Rules. As chairman, Hufnagel oversees the appointments of all senators to their committees and assures that the representation on all Senate committees is balanced. The committee is also charged with upholding the university constitution

Dr. Hufnagel has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Rochester (with a minor in Religious Studies), a master’s in human growth and development from the University of Delaware, and a doctoral degree in cognition from the University of Delaware, with a minor in research and evaluation.

In addition to teaching some HDFS courses, Dr. Hufnagel also teaches courses in Education and Psychology and serves as the campus representative for the College of Education, the faculty advisor for the Student PSEA, and the campus coordinator for America Reads. Hufnagel and her husband, Hank, live in Clarion.