Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

Liberal Arts Voices: Episode 33 “The Paterno Fellows Program Experience: Kaitlyn Randol”

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In episode 33 of the bi-weekly Liberal Arts Voices podcast, Kaitlyn Randol discusses her experience as an undergraduate student in the Paterno Fellows Program. 

Kaitlyn did not apply to the Schreyer Honors College in her initial application to Penn State. However, she talks about how the Paterno Fellows Program provided an excellent opportunity for her to perform her way into the Schreyer Honors College.  Kaitlyn explains some of the academic requirements involved in this program, as well as how it allows students to distinguish themselves in areas traditionally associated with the liberal arts: ethics, service, and leadership; excellence in communication; and international and intercultural awareness.

One of the requirements of the program is to complete a study abroad or internship experience.  Kaitlyn spends some time discussing her transformative year-long study abroad experience at the University of Oxford.  She talks about how she had to adjust to the different education model at Oxford, which is structured around a tutorial system where students meet with a faculty member (or tutor) throughout the semester instead attending traditional classes. Kaitlyn talks about how this writing and research intensive system prepared her for her senior research capstone project at Penn State.  Kaitlyn explains how her thesis, focusing on “Just War Theory” in modern theology, allows her to combine her majors in Religious Studies and Political Science, as well as her minor in Philosophy.

Liberal Arts Voices: Episode 33 “The Paterno Fellows Program Experience: Kaitlyn Randol”

To subscribe to Liberal Arts Voices through iTunes, click here.

We encourage all of our listeners to write to us with comments, questions, or suggestions at laus@la.psu.edu. We may even respond to these comments on the next episode of Liberal Arts Voices.

Join PFP’s New THON Org!

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Hello! Meghan Gillies and I are hoping to start up a THON organization for Paterno Fellows and aspirants.

This is a great way to get involved with a life-changing cause and meet other Paterno Fellows.

If you aren’t aware what THON is check out their website (www.thon.org/) and you’ll find all you need to know. But basically, THON is the world’s largest student run philanthropy and  raises money for kids with pediatric cancer. This year we raised over $9.5 million For The Kids!

If you are interested in joining e-mail both of us at dlm5322@psu.edu and mag5418@psu.edu. This isn’t binding, we are just trying to get an idea of who’d want to get involved.
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Happy Valley to Capitol Hill

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Cruising along the PA Turnpike around 7:30 last night, my stomach lurched as we passed the signs: Altoona I-99, 1 mile ahead. Altoona I-99, exit on right. We whipped past the signs, beyond Indiana and Somerset, New Stanton and Greensburg. There was still time to turn north, I thought, to go back home: Penn State University. Instead, I was hurtling southward, towards Washington, D.C. after my friends had returned, after classes had started, and well after I could start a new semester at Penn State. But after that one small pang of regret, the thrill of excitement ran up my spine. D.C.! I will spend the spring in our nation’s capital, interning and studying at Georgetown University. I am writing now at my wide white desk overlooking the rainbow row houses on O Street, a block away from Healy Hall, Georgetown’s Old Main. This semester I’ll check in with LAUS, describing a semester spent between studies at Georgetown and an internship with Sen. Gillibrand (D-NY) on Capitol Hill.

To begin, my name is Erin Morton, and I am a junior majoring in International Politics and History from Pittsburgh. I became a Paterno Fellow in January of last year, and I am a Paterno Ambassador and student coordinator for the Special Olympics 5K Beaver Stadium Run. I am also a Lion Ambassador and Schreyer Student Advancement Team member. My closet, desk, and headboard here are decked out with blue and white. I just can’t help myself! However, I did invest in some Hoya grey and blue, and will definitely cheer the Hoyas at basketball games this spring!

My internship is with the Democratic Senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand. I’ll be in her office on Capitol Hill three days a week, taking classes the other two days and at night. The program at Georgetown is designed for students to intern three days a week, and our class schedules are built around that core. I hope to discuss some of the activity on the Hill as I get acquainted with the culture. I hope you had a great syllabus week, and good luck this semester!

Liberal Arts Voices: Episode 20

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Paterno Fellows Program Director Jack Selzer and Paterno Fellow Lauren Perrotti join Liberal Arts Voices for our twentieth episode.

Dr. Selzer and Lauren discuss their impressions of the Paterno Fellows Program Reception Ceremony held on January 10, 2011 to officially recognize the liberal arts students who have performed their way into the Paterno Fellows Program and the Schreyer Honors College. In particular, the group reflects on the speeches given by Mr. Joseph Paterno and English major Ginnelle Sroka.

Dr. Selzer also takes some time to explain more about the Paterno Fellows Program. Specifically, the Paterno Fellows Program is a partnership with the College of the Liberal Arts and the Schreyer Honors College designed to enable students to distinguish themselves in areas traditionally associated with the liberal arts: ethics, service, and leadership; excellence in communication; and international and intercultural awareness. Lauren talks about how her involvement in the program has transformed her educational experience at Penn State.

Lauren, who is also the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council Philanthropy Chair, discusses the events LAUC has in store for the spring semester, including an academic major speed dating night! Check back in with our LAUS Announcements blog for more information on these upcoming events.

Liberal Arts Voices: Episode 20

To subscribe to Liberal Arts Voices through iTunes, click here.

We encourage all of our listeners to write to us with comments, questions, or suggestions at laus@la.psu.edu. We may even respond to these comments on the next episode of Liberal Arts Voices.

Paterno Fellows Recognition Event in Review

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Hello Fellows and Aspirants! Hopefully you all had a great break and are beginning some amazing semesters. I would first like to thank all of the Fellows and Aspirants who were in attendance during the recognition event last Monday on the behalf of the entire Advisory Board. I thought that the turnout was very impressive and that the overall proceedings went quite smoothly and hopefully you all felt the same way. In case you missed it (for classes or otherwise), I will give you a quick recap of what happened.

Throughout the event, our musical guest, “Irreconcilable Differences,” which consists of six members of the Penn State history faculty, played a variety of songs including the Alma Mater. Following their initial performance, Associate Dean Long welcomed everyone to the event and explained what it signified–a transition into a program founded upon honor and integrity. Next, Dean Welch presented Joe Paterno with the Sparks Centennial Medal which he was unable to receive at the fall of 2009 College of the Liberal Arts Centennial Reception because of his coaching duties. Ginnelle Sroka, a Fellow and Advisory Board member, gave a wonderful speech about the opportunities that the program has allowed her to take advantage of. The Paternos were then presented with their own sweatshirts, which matched the ones that all entering Fellows received. Next, Associate Dean Upneja of the Schreyer Honors College spoke about the admittance of the Fellows into the Honors College and what really makes an honors student. Finally, after a short closing from Dean Long, all in attendance enjoyed refreshments and some one-on-one time with the Paternos.

I feel as though this event exemplified some of the best qualities of the College of the Liberal Arts and the amazing endeavors of its students. It was definitely a night worth attending. Hopefully such attendance and enthusiasm will be present at the various events that the Advisory Board is planning for this semester. More details about these will be available to you in the coming weeks but I am surely excited for them. Hopefully I will see you there.

In the meantime, take a look at some photos from the Paterno Fellows Program Recognition Ceremony.

Sweet Success, Sweet Fellowship.

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Success without honor is an unseasoned dish: it will satisfy your hunger but it won’t taste good.” It’s a quote after my own heart. Honest and catchy- and even more profound when spoken by the same man who first said it.

Joe Paterno stepped into the academic area to celebrate along with the deans and staff of the Liberal Arts and Schreyer Honors Colleges the first annual Paterno Fellows Program Recognition Ceremony. This past Monday, 211- yep, I counted- students were raised from the status of “aspirant” to “fellow.”

‘Fellow’ is a funny word. According to my American Heritage Dictionary -let me pull this off my shelf now- it means more than “a member of a learned society” or “a[n] [under]graduate student receiving financial aid for further study.” For us, those definitions are obvious, but perhaps not obvious enough. ‘Fellow’ is synonymous with associate, comrade, partner. This struck me as I stood amongst the applause and the assembly of gray hooded sweatshirts (thank you, by the way). As diverse as we are, in our varied disciplines and dreams- we are still working for a common reason. Whether in a field study in Kenya or in a research lab on campus, we are working in unison to better ourselves, our futures, and that of this university.

The success we celebrated earlier this week may have been as delicious and as varied as the desserts on the side tables. But it’s all the same food group. One that, to me, tastes an awful lot like fellowship.

Welcome back

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Welcome back to all Liberal Arts students.  I extend a special welcome to around 100 new students who are beginning at UP in Liberal Arts.  I hope all of you will have a wonderful and productive semester, and will find some time to participate in the College’s on-line and in person community. I am pleased that our Liberal Arts Undergraduate Student Council is sponsoring participation in ‘Thon this year, and that is certainly a wonderful opportunity to get involved.

The College has made great progress this year. Our development team continues to be very successful in raising funds to support the College and our students, through scholarships and funds to support activities such as internships and study abroad.  The Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows program continues to thrive, with record numbers of new freshmen taking “the Paterno Challenge.”  Most of the departments rated by the National Research Council received very high ratings last semester, testifying to the quality of our faculty and programs.

I’ve also been following a visible sign of progress, the construction of the addition to Moore building.  While we were focused on finishing the semester and then on holiday between semesters, workers at the construction site continued to build.  They constructed the steel structure on the west side of the building and poured the floors. To make sure the cement dried and cured properly, the addition was encased in a blue and silver wrap so the inside could be heated to 50 degrees. Soon workers will begin to enclose the west side of the structure. Meanwhile, on the east side, the steel structure is now being hung. So far, the project is on schedule.

Announcement: First Annual Paterno Fellows Program Night of Recognition

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Hello Paterno Fellows and Aspirants! As you may have read already, this January will mark the First Annual Paterno Fellows Program Night of Recognition. This has been the focus of the Advisory Board’s efforts for the past few months and it is finally coming together. This short event will include what I like to call the Penn State student triple threat: free Paternos, free stuff, and free food. Seriously, what else do you need? As of right now (and it looks pretty concrete), both Joe and Sue Paterno are expected to be there and we will be recognizing JoePa with his College of the Liberal Arts Centennial Medal which he unfortunately did not receive last year because of his coaching duties. Also in attendance will be College of the Liberal Arts Deans Welch and Long, Schreyer Honors College Dean Brady, and President Spanier, as well as other Paterno family members. With this star-studded cast, every Paterno Fellow and Aspirant should be excited to attend on January 10th in Heritage Hall. Is there any better way to make all of your non-PFP friends insanely jealous?

Also included in your visit to this amazing night will be a sweatshirt to commemorate this ceremonious transition into the program. And what’s better, it is completely free of charge! However, this cannot be given to you without a little help from every Fellow. In the next few days, Fellows will be receiving an email which will ask you for the size of the sweatshirt that you would like to receive in January. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you respond to this as soon as possible when you actually receive it. Without this information we will have no idea what to order and therefore, we will not be able to order one for your individual preferences. So again, please respond to the sweatshirt size message in a timely fashion. Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact any of the Advisory Board members and be sure to read Dr. Selzer’s original post. Oh, and be sure to tell your friends about this if they are unaware of it (and while you’re at it, have them bookmark this page for future readership). Have a great end to all of your semesters and good luck on any finals that you have! See you all on January 10th in Heritage Hall.

Advisory Board Updates

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Hello Fellows! I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but here I am again. This past Tuesday, Dr. Selzer, Christine, Ginelle, Brian, Danielle, Olivia, Doug, and I met to discuss some very exciting events and ideas about the program for the coming months. This post is meant to function more as minutes on our meeting because, while we have some great events in the works, we don’t have official plans yet. I felt that it was necessary to clue you all into what we’re thinking about.

As of right now, we’re planning to coordinate five different events for all Paterno Fellows Program participants (this includes you too, Aspirants). While I am not at the liberty to say exactly what these events are, I will tell you a little bit about them. Our first event will be taking place very soon (November, actually) and those details will be sent to you very soon. This is going to be more of a leisure event, something that will bring you back to your childhood even. The rest of the events, however, are being planned for the Spring 2011 semester.

The second event of the year will be more of a recognition event for those that have been accepted into the Paterno Fellows Program (but attendance will be open to Aspirants as well). For this we are planning to have an item of recognition, which will not be a stuffy award or plaque, but something you can actually use. And of course, no recognition event would be complete without food, so be on the lookout for that and be sure to put it on your calendar! The last three events to be held before May will consist of a play (for those who like comedy), a musical (for those who like plays, but prefer to have music with them), and a forum of sorts (for those who aren’t really “artsy”). Again, these events are still in the works, but I will say that you have definitely heard of the musical before; it’s based off a famous book (or infamous depending on how you look at it).

This is really where my new information ends and your excitement should begin. I know that none of this information really told you anything, but that’s something to look for in the next few weeks because we are excited for the events that we’re planning, as should you. Please keep following this blog for more information about the mysterious events that I have described which will be coming soon and for your eyes only.

Finally, I would like to ask you to keep telling your friends about this blog and the other Liberal Arts blogs (LAUSatPSU, LAUS Announcements, and The Education Abroad Experience). Check out what’s happening within the College of Liberal Arts and what LAUC is planning and doing (the tab is found in the top right-hand corner of the page). As a Liberal Arts student, expand your knowledge about the college and opportunities available exclusively to you by reading these blog entries. You never know what you may find!

Meet the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board

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Here begins the official posts of the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board by yours truly, Nathan Hollister. I would like to introduce you to the Advisory Board, but first I think a little bit of an explanation is in order.

Right about now I’m sure that you’re thinking: “What is the Advisory Board?” “What does it do?” And finally, “why do I care?” So let’s take these questions one at a time. First of all, the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board is a group of nine students in all levels of the Paterno Fellows Program; some are current Fellows, while others are Aspirants. We have members from every age group and multiple majors within the College of Liberal Arts. But most importantly, we are students, just like you.

As a part of the Advisory Board, it is our job to listen to the concerns of our Paterno Fellows classmates and bring them to the attention of Dr. Jack Selzer, Director of the Paterno Fellows Program. And who better to talk about your needs and concerns with the program that will be so influential in your Penn State career than people in your classes, in your major, or maybe even in your building? We are your liaisons for feedback to the program and we gladly want to hear from you and in return we will let you know what is going on in the program. This is the exact reason why you should seek out one of the Board members if you have a grievance or suggestion for the betterment of the Paterno Fellows Program (hopefully you will have more of the latter than the former, but we’re really here for both). We are also in charge of creating events for Fellows and Aspirants alike, as a way to meet people in the same program that you are, or maybe even in the same major. We hope to have events planned within the next month, so be on the lookout for that; we’re looking into some pretty exciting events, both of the educational and social nature.

Now for some introductions… Below you will find information about each of the Board members (in no particular order), including contact information so you can get in contact with us. We look forward to hearing from you about anything regarding the Paterno Fellows Program.

Nathan Hollister
Year: Sophomore
Major(s): Spanish and World Languages Education, focusing in Spanish and ESL
From: Montrose, PA in northeast PA, about an hour above Scranton
Email: njh5083@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Huge fan of How I Met Your Mother and many other television shows, Member of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (which you can join as a Liberal Arts student), Looking to study abroad.

 Caity Embrey
Year: Senior
Major(s): International Politics and National Security, Minor: Media Studies
From: Carlisle, PA currently, but has lived all over as an Army Brat
Email: cme5074@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Vice President of Silver Wings, a civilian-military community service club (ask her for more information), Loves old movies and baking, Two years of experience on Advisory Board.
Nachuan Chen
Year: Freshman
Major(s): Philosophy with a possible double in Marketing
From: Beijing, China
Email: nvc5074@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Member of World Taekwondo Federation, International Student

 Ginnelle Sroka
Year: Junior
Major(s): English and Sociology
From: Philadelphia, PA
Email: gls194@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Studying abroad in Florence, Italy in the spring
Danielle Mackintosh
Year: Sophomore
Major(s): Crime, Law, & Justice and Sociology
From: Chalfont, PA, in Bucks County
Email: dlm5322@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Loves music, Favorite bands include Brand New and Circa Survive, Involved in THON (through Morale last year)

 Olivia Hoover
Year: Freshman
Major(s): Psychology, Minor: Spanish
From: Small town near Harrisburg, PA
Email: orh5010@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Wants to study abroad, Likes to read and spend time with family and friends, Football fan
Caitlin Ogram
Year: Junior
Major(s): Psychology (neuroscience option), General Science, and Religious Studies
From: Unionville, PA
Email: cmo168@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Original member of Advisory Board, Co-founder of Psych Squad (open to all majors), Research Assistant for Hillary Neuropsychology Lab, Loves autumn, Attempts yoga

 Brian Prewitt
Year: Freshman
Major(s): Crime, Law, & Justice
From: Hyde Park, NY
Email: brp5121@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Percussionist, Sports fan (including baseball, basketball, and the ever popular, football), Son of two alumni, Fountain of Penn State football knowledge, Golfer, Favorite sports teams include the Yankees and the Jets
Christine Theberge
Year: Junior
Major(s): Communication Sciences and Disorders and Spanish
From: Drexel Hill, PA
Email: mwt5073@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Trilingual, Black belt

 Douglas Smith
Year: Freshman
Major(s): CAMS and International Politics
From: Columbia, MD
Email: das5559@psu.edu
Fun Fact: Huge Baltimore Ravens fan, Wants to study abroad in Italy or Greece

So there it is: the Paterno Fellows Advisory Board. Please contact any of us with any questions or concerns about the program and we will be able to make your voice heard with Dr. Selzer. And finally, as the blogger for the group, it will be my goal to get as many readers as possible, not only for the Advisory Board, but also for the rest of the bloggers on the Liberal Arts Blog. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, even tell that kid that sleeps in your 8 AM about this blog. This is your way to learn about and contribute to a program that will give you so many opportunities as a student. Also look for my future posts to learn about how you can get involved with the Paterno Fellows Program and what we as a Board are planning for you.

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