Once nicknamed “butterball,” Robert Sweetgall today has other names. The real Forrest Gump. The Pied Piper of walking. The only person to have walked all 50 states – 11,208 miles – in 365 consecutive days, Sweetgall will present the healthy living workshop “Motivation to Move,” Tuesday, June 19, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Penn State Harrisburg. The event is free and open to the public.
Peter Idowu, Penn State Harrisburg assistant dean for graduate studies, was presented with The University of Toledo’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) 2012 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award at a ceremony on April 19, 2012.
Each year, the university’s EECS department gives the award to recognize the achievements of an alumnus “who has been especially successful either in private business or in professional employment.”
The 2012 Keystone Health Promotion Conference, hosted by Penn State Harrisburg, will explore all areas of health and personal wellness for health promotion professionals, and will feature three nationally known keynote speakers.
When M.B.A. student Brandon Rogers recently returned from a study tour to China, he summarized the value of international study for students. “Penn State would do well to continue leading such trips,” he said, “especially considering the profound impact it had on not only my business perspective of the second largest economy in the world but on the way we all, whether Chinese or American, are still looking to create a better life for ourselves and our families.”
Penn State Harrisburg honored graduate and undergraduate students for accomplishments in academics, service, and leadership at the 2012 Student Awards Convocation April 15. A ceremony was held in the college’s Capital Union Building.
Penn State Harrisburg has received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to attract and retain academically talented students of under-represented groups into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors. The grant, with additional funding from the college, will provide annually 19 renewable scholarships averaging more than $8,000 each to qualified students with financial need.
Educational opportunities have been expanded for students with disabilities at Penn State Harrisburg. An anonymous Penn State Harrisburg graduate has joined with the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation to create the college’s first scholarship for students with disabilities. The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation Endowed Trustee Scholarship at Penn State Harrisburg will assist students with financial need and will mean greater access to higher education for undergraduates.
During the 2011-12 academic year, 27 Penn State Harrisburg students were inducted in the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society. Dr. Catherine Surra, director of the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, and Dr. Patricia Ahrens, assistant professor of education, also were inducted into Penn State Harrisburg’s Sigma Alpha Chapter.
Forty-five students from Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Business Administration recently were inducted in Beta Gamma Sigma, an international honors society that recognizes students in the top 10 percent of baccalaureate and top 20 percent of graduate programs at schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.
