Noteworthy

Director of Strategic Clinical Partnerships Jane Oeffner authored an article published in Impact, the Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Her article, entitled “Show Imposter Syndrome the Red Light” examines imposter syndrome, gives strategies on how to overcome it, and how leaders can help others combat it. 

Oeffner is an APTA Private Practice member and currently serves on the editorial board for Impact. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/staff-member-published-apta-publication

Assistant Professor and Co-Coordinator of Creative Writing Jessica Guzman has been selected as a Periclean Faculty Leader by Project Pericles, a national group of colleges and universities committed to furthering and promoting civic engagement in higher education. 

Periclean Faculty Leaders create and teach courses across various disciplines that tackle large-scale issues such as climate change, public health, voter engagement, and many more. This award comes with funding dedicated for use in creating and implementing a new course, which will be implemented in the Spring 2023 semester.  

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/writing-faculty-named-periclean-faculty-leader

Widener has been awarded over $99,000 from the Pennsylvania Education Department (PDE) in an effort to expedite the process for students to become special education teachers through partnerships between universities and local school districts.

Led by Assistant Teaching Professor Briana Bronstein, Widener will offer an accelerated teaching certification program in special education which can be completed in 18 months, including student teaching. This program is geared towards working professionals, with remote courses being offered in the evenings, as students also engage in ongoing field experiences within the partner schools.

In addition, Widener is building new partnerships with Melmark and Elwyn, and strengthening existing relationships with the Chester-Upland School District to offer their staff tuition benefits and scholarships to attend Widener to complete the updated course curriculum in special education. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/widener-receives-funding-support-expedited-curriculum-special-education-teachers

Wolfgram Library's Jill Borin, librarian and head of archives and distinctive collections, and Kayla Van Osten, affiliate librarian and assistant archivist, have co-authored a chapter in the book Managing Crises in the Academic Library: Past, Present, and Future, which features library professionals as authors from all institution types and sizes. 

Borin and Van Osten’s chapter is titled “Mold Mitigation during a Pandemic: Accessible Strategies for Archivists.”

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/library-staff-co-author-book-chapter

Assistant Teaching Professor of Biology Catherine Safran, with the help of nursing student Taylor Wise ’25, presented a poster at the 2023 Annual Conference of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The poster, titled “The Implementation of Structured Office Hours as a Central Component of Student Success in A&P courses,” is based on Wise’s experience in anatomy and physiology (A&P) courses and using resources such as faculty office hours and peers to improve her academic performance. The observations concluded that students who utilize office hours will have improved performance in A&P classes and can act as group leaders to help their peers succeed as well. 

In addition to presenting, Safran was awarded the HAPS John Martin Second Timers Award, which recognizes HAPS members for repeated attendance and commitment to the organization’s annual conferences. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/biology-faculty-presents-poster-human-anatomy-and-physiology-conference-receives-award

The university is pleased to announce that Eric Kniskern, director of recruitment and diversity enrollment initiatives at Delaware Law School has been honored with the 2023 Julie E. Wollman Endowed Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

The award was made possible as part of a $100,000 gift to the university by Wollman, the immediate past president of Widener, and her husband Dan L. King. It annually recognizes an employee who advocates and effects change at Widener in support of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, by going above and beyond their job responsibilities.

Kniskern began his career at Widener’s campus in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 24 years ago, where he served as director of admissions for the then-Widener University School of Law. 

In his time working on the Harrisburg campus, Kniskern was instrumental in bringing Safe Space workshops and trainings, dedicated to supporting the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community, to staff and faculty there. He positioned the campus to host the annual meeting Law School Diversity Professionals in 2011, through a competitive process in which schools all over the country were vying for hosting privileges. Kniskern also advocated for and secured prayer space for Muslim students.  

At Widener University Delaware Law School, where he has worked since 2016, Kniskern has built on his previous efforts to support DEIB. He was an early champion for gender-inclusive restrooms on the Delaware campus and routinely works to enhance application and recruitment processes with the goal of attracting a diverse and qualified incoming class. In addition, he has advocated for the elimination of criminal history questions from the law school application process to attract and better serve justice-impacted applicants. He researched the practice extensively and presented case studies to the faculty enrollment committee, which led to a law school plan to eliminate criminal history questions beginning with the fall 2024 application process.

Widener Chief Diversity Officer Michelle Meekins-Davis announced Kniskern as the Wollman Award recipient on May 1, at a university-wide town hall meeting for faculty and staff. 

“Eric’s dedication to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging has had a measurable impact on all three of Widener’s campuses,” Meekins-Davis said. “He is a leader who demonstrates a consistent commitment to making Widener a place where all students know they belong and can be their true selves. We are fortunate to call him a colleague and he is richly deserving of this recognition.”

Kniskern lives in Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania with his partner of 21 years, Kevin, and their two cats, Meep and Rocco.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/30625/

Widener University’s Department of Criminal Justice has signed an agreement with the Municipal Police Academy at Delaware County Community College to expand opportunities for Widener criminal justice undergraduates. 

The agreement will allow students to take one semester of their junior year and study at the Municipal Police Academy before returning to Widener to complete their degrees and be ready for immediate hiring after graduation. 

Students who participate in this program will leave the Municipal Police Academy having completed their Act 120 basic training, which is required for all municipal police officers in Pennsylvania. Once this training is completed, students are eligible for work as police officers in the state.

“We are so excited about this partnership,” said Professor of Criminal Justice Lauren Shermer. “Students often ask what they can do to set themselves apart from others, and this is such a great opportunity for our students who want to pursue law enforcement to be immediately employable upon graduation.”

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/criminal-justice-signs-agreement-municipal-police-academy

Pennsylvania State Senator John Kane visited students at the Widener Child Development Center (WCDC) for reading and fun. Senator Kane read to students and played with them on the playground as art of a series of visits to various schools and child development centers coordinated through First-Up, an organization dedicated to ensuring children have the best education possible through empowering and training educators and families. 

During the visit, Senator Kane met with WCDC Director Alicia Vaux and representatives from First-Up to discuss the national teacher crisis and what more can be done to better support the early childhood education community. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/pa-senator-john-kane-visits-widener-child-development-center

John Suarez, associate professor of electrical engineering, received a grant from the Manufacturing PA Innovation program funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The project, titled “Capacitive and Infrared Sensing for Precision Chemical Analysis of Polar Compounds,” will build upon preliminary work completed by Probes Unlimited, Inc. (PUI) to design, prototype, rigorously test, and manufacture a precision sensor for monitoring the quality of cooking oil. Suarez will lead a research team to conduct the necessary research and development to assist PUI in developing the capacitive sensor with the required characteristics as well as investigate the viability of infrared sensing technology in this application.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/engineering-professor-awarded-manufacturing-pa-innovation-program-grant

Kiara Allison, Title IX coordinator and equal opportunity officer, testified before Pennsylvania's Senate Democratic Policy Committee regarding domestic violence. Her testimony addressed the types of education and programs that students receive regarding sexual violence including domestic and dating violence, the effects of sexual violence on students including financial impacts, and made suggestions on how to address the problem of sexual violence on colleges campuses. Her testimony also advocated on behalf of increasing funding to local rape crisis and domestic violence centers and to continue the support of the state's Its On Us PA initiative led by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 

Allison's testimony can be viewed online here (starting at 1:37:50). The testimony can be found under the video headline "Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention, May 22, 2023."

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/title-ix-coordinator-testifies-state-senate-committee

Widener University recently presented the William David Eckard, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to Courtney Kelly, executive director of undergraduate admissions, and Jeanne Nolan, lead coordinating support specialist for the Institute for Physical Therapy Education.

The award, presented May 1 by President Stacey Robertson at the final university Town Hall meeting of the academic year, annually recognizes two longstanding employees for their commitment and outstanding service to the Widener community. William David Eckard III, former long-time vice president of administration and finance at Widener University and a 1966 graduate of Pennsylvania Military College, established the honor in memory of his father, William David Eckard, Jr.

The $3,000 cash award helps promote and reward excellence at Widener. Recipients must work for the university on a full-time basis for at least 10 years and consistently demonstrate an outstanding level of service. Nominations come from peers across the university.

Kelly began her career at Widener working as associate director of transfer admissions and worked her way up to the lead executive director role in undergraduate admissions, where she has transformed the department by mentoring early-career professionals. She is known across the university as a collaborator who has built partnerships in every department. She lives in Wallingford, Pennsylvania with her husband Patrick and their children Dylan and Lucas.

“Courtney is universally admired for her skill, compassion, and commitment to excellence,” Robertson said. “She is relentlessly enthusiastic and a terrific change agent.”  

Nolan has provided administrative support at Widener for 27 years in numerous areas, including the Dauntless Battalion ROTC program, the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology, and currently as lead coordinating support specialist for the Institute of Physical Therapy Education, housed in the College of Health and Human Services. She lives Glenolden, Pennsylvania with her husband Mike. They are the proud parents of a grown son, Michael Nolan and his wife, Nikki Nolan. 

“Jeanne’s commitment to the PT program is unwavering,” Robertson said. “She is a partner in our purpose, contributes 100 percent every day, and exudes joy in her work. Her positive demeanor and encouraging support lifts all of us.”
 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/30595/

Sachin Patil, professor of chemical engineering, was invited to serve as the guest editor for a special issue in the peer-reviewed journal Pharmaceuticals. Titled “Alzheimer’s Disease: Small-Molecule Modulators of Novel Therapeutic Pathways,” this special issue is dedicated to gathering novel Alzheimer’s disease mechanisms, with a particular emphasis on targeting these mechanisms using small-molecule drugs. 

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Amanda DiAlessandro '22 '23, a two-time graduate of Widener's mechanical engineering program, presented research at the 2023 National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Wisconsin in April. The poster, "HVAC Design of a Performing Arts Center to be Located in Sidney, Australia," was co-authored by DiAlessandro and teammates Jacqueline Loeliger, Jamal Badamassi, Tristan Fish, Michael Hutchinson, and Madeline Reynolds and showcased findings collected during the team's senior project. 

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Pamela McCauley, a renowned scholar, educator, university administer and entrepreneur, has been named dean of the School of Engineering. McCauley will assume the role on July 1 following the retirement of Fred Akl, who led the program for more than two decades. 

McCauley comes to Widener after serving as associate dean for Academic Programs, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University since 2020. She is an internationally-recognized industrial engineer whose research accomplishments include the development of fuzzy set theory-based mathematical models, human engineering, ergonomics and biomechanics as well as engineering leadership and women’s leadership in STEM. In her role as associate dean, McCauley has overseen the college’s academic programs, promoted innovation and entrepreneurship within the college and the university, and led and implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the college. 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. McCauley join the Widener community and lead our esteemed engineering program,” said Provost Andrew Workman. “Throughout her extensive career she has demonstrated herself as an innovator, entrepreneur, researcher, educator, and advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging both in the engineering field and the greater academic community. She will be a tremendous asset in enhancing the Widener student experience by bringing extensive research and entrepreneurial experiences to her role and championing student-faculty research opportunities. Her remarkable record of service to the professional and global scientific community will position the engineering program and the university to continue expanding its commitment to experiential service learning and community engagement.”

“I am honored and excited to join Widener’s vibrant community,” said McCauley. “The university’s engineering program has a remarkable legacy of innovation. Engineering changes the world, and Widener students and faculty are cultivating bold ideas in a space where students from diverse backgrounds know they belong and contribute unique perspectives. I am excited to lead the program and build on this success, guided by my years as an industry professional, engineering scholar, and university leader.”

McCauley has developed an impressive catalog of research backed by funding from some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions including NASA, the U.S. State Department, and The National Science Foundation. In 2012, McCauley was selected as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and presented her funded research on human factors and ergonomics in disaster management. In additional to scholarly accomplishments, McCauley is the author of more than 100 technical papers, book chapters, conference proceedings and the best-selling ergonomics textbook, “Ergonomics: Foundational Principles, Applications, and Technologies.” 

McCauley brings more than 25 years of entrepreneurial experience to Widener and has led numerous small businesses. Throughout her career McCauley has been a tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion in engineering and higher education, particularly for females and students from groups who are under-represented in STEM. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/pamela-mccauley-named-next-dean-school-engineering

Widener University’s ROTC program celebrated its 2023 Commissioning Ceremony in Alumni Auditorium on Wednesday, May 17 with 26 cadets taking the oath of office as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army.

Eleven Widener students were among the cadets commissioned. The group of 26 hailed from five area universities and all trained through the Dauntless Battalion unit at Widener, where they engaged in the hands-on, intense military training that has prepared them for successful careers. Family members pinned the new rank to their dress uniforms, and each officer shared a silver dollar with the individual they selected to give them their first salute – a military tradition.

The 11 officers who earned their undergraduate degrees from Widener last week, and the military careers for which they prepared, included:

• Joshua Aarsen, field artillery
• Othniel Degahson, field artillery
• Emily DeOrio, nursing
• Jacob Fisher, armor
• Kevin Fitzgerald, field artillery
• Jeffrey Miekley, field artillery
• Madison Murphy, transportation
• Meghan O'Donnell, adjutant general
• William Rodgers, aviation
• Hannah Specht, nursing
• Vincent Starkey, adjutant general

The program speaker was three-star retired Lieutenant General Tony Ierardi, the uncle of West Chester University graduating cadet Stephanie Ierardi. He advised the new officers to acknowledge and reflect upon the responsibility that they hold to their country, their units, and the soldiers that they may one day lead. 

“The army and the nation are counting on you to do what’s right even when you may find yourself in the most challenging circumstances,” said Lt. Gen. Ierardi. “Be faithful to the institution and always serve the army, the constitution, and the people of the United States with integrity and honor.”

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Widener University awarded August-Wilhelm Scheer, PhD with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa at the 2023 commencement ceremony for the School of Business Administration and the Center for Graduate and Continuing Studies held on May 10.

Scheer is a scholar, innovator, and educator in the field of business process management, and his works on the subject have been widely published. The advancements he has made have shaped business operations on a global scale, and he has been instrumental in evolving enterprise modeling and the future of work. 

In his address to graduates, Scheer imparted words of wisdom and advice. He emphasized that being part of a team has been imperative for him as he advanced through his career and personal life. 

“The performance of a team is the sum of the individual contributions; however, the team members must fit together to produce an overall result. For this, it must be made up as far as possible of heterogeneous members whose characteristics and skills complement each other well,” said Scheer. 

He elaborated with examples throughout history, demonstrating that he believes a good team needs visionaries, analysts, characters, and diplomats in order to thrive. He concluded with encouraging graduates to take a leap of faith, even when they may not be certain of the outcome.  

“Many inventions and discoveries, such as penicillin, were made by accident. But they would not have been made if inventors had not begun their journey into uncharted territory… Have a vision for your journey and stay excited,” he said.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/widener-university-awards-honorary-degree-global-thought-leader-and-innovator-dr-august-wilhelm

Widener University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has helped countless business owners in getting their businesses off the ground, and counseling them as they grow. Recently, the SBDC helped a client, Felicia Doggett of Metropolitan Acoustics LLC, secure the $50,000 Women’s Entrepreneur Grant from JVS Fund Philadelphia. 

Doggett worked her primary consultant, Bill Pearce, to connect with SBDC technology entrepreneurs and partner solutions. The team at the SBDC helped to coach Doggett through every step of the process including a 10-minute presentation to the JVS Fund committee. 

“Bill has been so helpful. He introduced us to several solutions and opened many doors… It was great to have someone like Bill and the SBDC behind him to bounce ideas off of and answer questions,” said Doggett. 

The funding will help Doggett and Metropolitan Acoustics LLC advance their new SenSV™ device, a revolutionary remote laboratory monitoring platform that measures vibration, audible sound, and ultrasonic sound for the environment of laboratories like microscopy and animal housing labs. It’s important for labs to be able to measure how sounds such as traffic, HVAC, and more can impact their research. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/small-business-development-center-helps-client-secure-50000-grant-develop-new-sound-measuring-device

John G. Culhane, professor of law and co-director of the Family Health Law & Policy Institute at Delaware Law School, recently published the book "More Than Marriage: Forming Families after Marriage Equality." The book explores how the march toward marriage equality spun off a number of other legal statuses and investigates how the law has expanded and where it falls short. Filled with relatable, in-depth interviews giving a voice to the millions of Americans building family structures outside the protections of marriage—whether by choice, necessity, or exclusion. Culhane proposes an updated legal status that offers flexible and portable benefits for a diverse range of commitments and needs.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/delaware-law-professor-publishes-book-impact-marriage-equality-has-families

Professor of Chemical Engineering Sachin Patil and a team of student-researchers published a paper in the journal Computational Biology and Chemistry titled, “Discovery of small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 antagonists through combined virtual screening and experimental validation.” The paper presented an integrated drug discovery approach leading to identification of a novel PD-1/PD-L1 antagonist that may serve as a starting point for further optimization into potent, small-molecule cancer immunotherapies. The team included students from Widener's chemical engineering and computer science program, as well as Computer Science Professor Jeffrey Rufinus and technician John Stoddart. Michelle DiFrancesco '18, a chemical engineering graduate, served as the student team leader and study first author. She is currently continuing her cancer immunotherapy work at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a leading global biopharmaceutical company. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/engineering-professor-interdisciplinary-student-team-publish-cancer-immunotherapy-discovery

Assistant Professor of History Jordan Smith has been chosen to attend the 2023 Legacies of American Slavery Faculty Seminar hosted by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Smith’s field of research covers a variety of topics stemming from the enslavement of individuals of African descent. From seventeenth- and eighteenth-century rum production through to the historical impact of slavery on the area now known as Chester. He brings this work and much more into his classes as well as into the community to educate others on this deep history.

The seminar is part of the larger “Legacies of American Slavery” project spearheaded by the CIC, which aims to address the history of slavery with faculty and students from CIC member institutions in various ways. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/history-professor-attend-summer-seminar-legacies-american-slavery