What is HOINA?

HOINA 2010 Homes Of The Indian Nation

Have you always wanted to go to India? Do you love working with kids?

HOINA (Homes of the Indian Nation) is a set of two homes (boys and girls) in Andhra Pradesh that takes handicapped, abused and orphaned children all over South India and provides them with shel- ter, food, clothing, medical care, education and a caring HOINA family. Both homes were founded approximately 30 years ago by a Penn State alum, Darlene Large.

What do I have to do to go on a trip?

First, submit your application. If you are selected you will be enrolled in a 2 credit GEOG 293H course in the Spring of 2009. The course is de- signed to familiarize students to Indian culture, current events and help prepare students for their summer abroad. After the summer trip, a follow up 1 credit course will be taken in the Fall of 2010 in order to reflect on experiences and to raise further awareness for HOINA .

Application Deadline: December 2, 2009

Contact Matthew Branch: mjb576@psu.edu for further details!

How can I get involved?

Every summer, a group of students from the Schreyer Honors College are selected through an application process to travel to India and work alongside the staff and students at HOINA for approximately 3 weeks.

Wisniewski featured in Sports Illustrated Kids

Penn State center Stefen Wisniewski (Bridgeville) is featured in the November issue of Sports Illustrated Kids. A junior majoring in secondary education, a story on Wisniewski and his typical weekday during the football season appears in the magazine. A 2008 second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, Wisniewski is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Teen Bonus Section that appears inside this month’s SI Kids.

Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/42934/nw2

The priority deadline is November 30th. Earlier than that does not benefit you, but later than that will mean that your application will only be considered after all others submitted prior to Nov. 30th have been considered. You will also hear from PSU before you hear from the SHC. We will mail out notifications in late February.

Admissions to PSU is NOT contingent upon acceptance into the SHC.

Initial Post:

We have just decided on the essay questions for this year’s application. We like to make them available so folks can have time to think about them so they are posted below and are on our website. The actual application will not be available until September 2 and is online, simply indicate on the main Penn State application that you wish to apply to the Schreyer Honors College as well. So, here you go! Drum roll please….

1)    You’re given the power, for one day, to be an invisible observer at an historic event.  Although you will not be able to change the course or the outcome of the event, you will be able to bring back to the present all the insights you gain.  Explain which historic event you would most like to witness, and why you think being an observer at that event would help you make an important contribution to the future.

2)    Recent medical advances have included new techniques that help scientists learn more about how genes work and how they may be linked to disease.  This has led to expanded availability of genetic testing and recent legislation in the US Congress: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=main&bill=h110-493.  If you could be tested to determine the likelihood of developing life-threatening diseases in your lifetime, would you choose to do so?  Why or why not?

3)    The country will see a new president elected this year, with “change” the dominant theme from both candidates for the nation’s top office.  Regardless of your political preferences, what one change would you recommend to our next president, if you had a one-on-one audience with him shortly after his election?

Environmental speaker Jean-Michel Cousteau continues the legacy of his father, the legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, as a world-renowned explorer, environmentalist, educator, oceanographer, and filmmaker. Cousteau founded the Ocean Futures Society, a marine conservation and education organization that serves as a “Voice for the Ocean.” The Society teaches conservation ethics, conducts research, and helps to develop marine education programs.

A prolific filmmaker, Jean-Michel Cousteau has also produced over 70 films, and his work has yielded him an Emmy award, the Peabody award, the 7 d’Or – the French equivalent of the Emmy, and the Cable ACE Award. His first book, Jean-Michel Cousteau’s America’s Underwater Treasures, has also received several awards in independent publishing. Recognized as a voice for the ocean who communicates to a new generation, he continues his quest to “carry forward the flame of his faith” and to educate listeners worldwide on the importance of the oceans and preserving underwater ecosystems.

No tickets are required. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Questions: Please contact the Schreyer Honors College office at 863-2636.

This week I met with those in charge of these changes and we discussed ways that we could try to preserve those aspects of having a dining hall which enhance and build our community. The renovation will happen, but we will have student and SHC representation on the planning committee. The Housing, Food Services, and Residence Life administrators want to work closely with us to make sure that the residential component of the SHC experiences remains strong and very positive. I want to thank them for being willing to work with us and I think that we will be able to create new and engaging community experiences for our students.

Finally, Dr. Stan Latta, the Assistant VP of HFSRL, has given me permission to share with you an email that presents the reasons for this change.

First, let me reassure you that the healthy options that Simmons Dining has implemented over the last 18 months have become an important component in the variety of dining opportunities for our students on campus. Our staff in Residential Dining recognize how popular this option has become and are working on ways to offer a similar menu selection in one of our other dining operations.

Second, the closing of Simmons Dining is a part of a larger plan that began with the closing of McElwain Dining two years ago. We have been working for several years now on a plan to renovate our residence halls, and in particular South Halls. Some of our residence halls are approaching the point where, because of when they were built and their configuration, they need to be renovated in order to continue to meet the needs and requests of our residential students. As an aside, you may be aware that we have just completed the renovation of our 4 residence halls in North Halls and have created suite style housing rather than the traditional double loaded hallways with open bathrooms. As we approach the project in South Halls we recognize that two things will occur; 1- we will lose total bed space on campus as a result of any renovation to the halls in South, and 2- we will lose 250-260 bed spaces each year over a four to five year period as we take the buildings off line to complete the renovation. Because the Housing and Food Services operations at University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses are auxiliary operations, meaning we must generate all of our operating funds from the students’ room and board fees, total occupancy is a critical factor in meeting our budget and keeping room and board costs as low as possible. As we move forward with the plan to renovate, we decided to close both the McElwain and Simmons dining operations since both were already located in a residence hall and convert the area to bed space. This allows us to minimize the loss of residence hall space on campus and still try to meet student the needs of those students who want to live on campus.

Third, plans are underway to renovate the Pollock Dining Commons. In order to continue to meet the changing housing and food service needs of our residential students, the current configuration of the Pollock dining operation must change. We are in the process of selecting an architect to redesign the food service operation in Pollock and the staff in Residential Dining have been researching new concepts and talking with their colleagues at other institutions regarding the development of positive dining experiences for students. We are hopeful that this process will be completed prior to the start of the South Halls renovation project.

While I recognize the loss of both the McElwain and Simmons Dining operations has been frustrating for some students and staff, I hope that you can see that these decisions were part of a larger plan to continue to improve the residential and dining experiences for our students and be sensitive to the room and board fees and the total cost of attendance. I am confident that the healthy concept will continue to remain a part of the dining options we provide and the renovations to both South Halls and the Pollock Dining Commons will only enhance the residential experience for our students.

If you have additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact me directly.

Stanley E. Latta, D.Ed
Assistant Vice President
Housing, Food Services and Residence Life
204 HFS Building
University Park, PA 16802

814-865-5423
sxl1 @ psu.edu

Direct link to the Dr. James A. Pawelczyk ’85g interview.

As a result I awoke to dozens of facebook messages and a few tweets of students in dire panic. At the time we did not know exactly what had happened and clearly students were very concerned about being able to register. A few emails and phone calls later we learned of the error and the Registrar’s office is working to have things in place later today. Registration will begin at midnight tonight. (Delayed only 24 hours.) I want to thank the Registrar’s office for handling this situation in a prompt and professional manner.

That being said, I would like to encourage our students to take a moment to consider whether some of their reactions were appropriate. I understand that those of you who stayed up past midnight were tired and anxious but that is not an excuse for losing civility. Mistakes occur and thankfully this was nothing more than a computer error. Furthermore the rest of the Penn State community will not register for another week so you will have plenty of time work on your schedule.

Learning how to cope with adversity is one of the best skills that anyone can develop. This was, in the broader scope of life, a rather mild challenge and one that will be easily overcome within the next 24 hours. So enjoy the beautiful day, come to our inaugural Founders Day at noon in the HUB and remember what a privilege we have to be a part of one of the best universities in the world and a member of the Schreyer Honors College.

Some history about this fundraising initiative: Over a year ago parents of current Schreyer Scholars approached us and said that while they have been happy to give back to the SHC to help other students they realized that there are likely many other parents in similar financial situations who could help others. So last year a letter went out from one of our parents and the result was over $200,000 dollars raised, including a $100,000 endowment for a Trustees Scholarship. For the 2008-09 academic year, $120,000 was given out to 34 students who had high financial need.

The appeal has gone out again this year with a letter sent from another parent. It is important to note that in neither campaign have students ever been asked to “give up” their scholarship. This appeal is directly to the parents of students who have not applied for financial aid. It is very exciting and encouraging that it in such times of financial difficulties for so many there are those who are in a position to donate who come forward and enable us to support our students.

You can read the entire AP story here.

Penn State seventh in Washington Monthly national rankings

Washington Monthly has once again recognized Penn State for its ability to
prepare students to be valuable citizens. The University is ranked No. 7 in
the publication’s 2009 College Guide and Rankings. Washington Monthly is a
political, inside-the beltway publication that prioritizes its annual rankings
based not only on what institutions do for their students but also what they
do for the nation, based on criteria including social mobility, research and
service. Topping the list were three University of California schools –
Berkeley, at No. 1, followed by U.C. San Diego (No. 2) and UCLA (No. 3).
Stanford, also in California, ranked No. 4, followed by Texas A&M University
and South Carolina State University.

Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/41242/nw1

You can find the rankings on the Washington Monthly site here.

Judy Ozment wants her Leadership JumpStart students to ask themselves if being a good leader means they have to be the boss.

Launched in the fall of 2000, EDTHP 234H (Leadership JumpStart) is an intensive honors course that allows freshmen students to undergo a hands-on learning experience about the qualities that define a leader. Though the course has only entered its ninth year, its reputation as being a valuable learning experience has quickly spread among incoming students, said Ozment, associate dean of the Schreyer Honors College.

The number of students interested in participating in Leadership JumpStart has risen every year since its establishment. This was the first year students on the waitlist were not allowed admittance.

Ozment said this is a result of students spreading word about the class and its effect on them.

“A lot of results are more profound than what I could wish for,” said Ozment. “I want them to be more empowered to be leaders.”