Noteworthy

Widener’s School of Nursing has been named a top 10 best nursing school in Philadelphia by The College Application, who provides rankings and advice on many topics relevant to current and incoming college students. 

Widener is recognized as 10th on the list, which is compiled using program offerings, NCLEX-RN pass rates, alumni salary data, student ratings, and more as considerations. Widener’s simulation lab is noted in this recognition as it allows students to get hands-on training in many real-world scenarios. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/school-nursing-named-list-top-10-nursing-schools-philadelphia

Associate Professor of Social Work Robin Goldberg-Glen, along with social work student Jessica Mereshensky ’24, and Stephanie Cole from the PA Department of Aging, presented at the 2023 Generations United Global Intergenerational Conference in Washington, D.C. 

The team's presentation, titled "For Whom Does Service Learning Really Serve: Intergenerational Benefits for Reducing Loneliness and Isolation," highlighted their experience as part of a semester-long service-learning course at Widener completed in partnership with the PA Department of Aging.

As part of the course, students are paired with an older adult who may be at risk for social isolation. The students and older adults often form deep bonds through regular conversations, and some students have created lasting connections that have continued beyond the end of the course. Having completed the service-learning course herself, Mereshensky went on to become a leader for the next semester’s class of student participants alongside Goldberg-Glen.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/social-work-faculty-and-student-present-service-learning-work-global-conference

Two student groups have won competition categories in the Make:able Challenge contest presented by PrintLab, a 3D printing curriculum developer based in the United Kingdom, and Autodesk, a software developer for architecture, engineering and construction headquartered in San Francisco. The projects represented collaborations between students at the graduate and undergraduate levels, who are enrolled in widely different areas of study. The challenge attracted an international group of competitors.

Occupational therapy students Tina Lee and Jamella Fagan and robotics engineering student Dylan Hermann ’25 won the “Best Showcase of Iterative Design” portion of the competition for students over age 18. Their Dexterity Mate creation is an adaptable utensil and chopstick holder designed specifically for Lee’s father, who lives with Parkinson’s Disease, to assist him with mealtime. 

In addition, the creation by occupational therapy students Emmily Zerr and Liliana Pokropski and robotics engineering students Ronald Carr and Aidan Wilson won the “Best Showcase of Customization” for inventors over age 18. Their Spork creation was also a feeding utensil, designed to assist Carr’s brother, who has a malformed hand and was not helped by universal cuff devices. Their solution was customized to the specific shape and size of the client’s hand.

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Widener University’s School of Nursing has been recognized by the National League for Nursing as a Center of Excellence in the area of advancing the science of nursing education. This is the third time Widener has received this recognition.

Nine nursing education programs across the country and the academic spectrum of higher education in nursing, as well as leading teaching hospitals and clinical sites, have been named Centers of Excellence, with Widener being the only recipient in the category of advancing the science of nursing education for 2023. Formal recognition of the award will take place at the 2023 National League for Nursing education summit in September.

“Widener is dedicated to educating the next generation of nurses by creating the evidence to support innovation in nursing education. Recognition for advancing the science of nursing education demonstrates our commitment to ensuring student success through scientific inquiry,” said Anne Krouse, dean of the school of nursing.  

Since 2004, the National League for Nursing has encouraged nursing programs to apply to become a center of excellence based on their ability to demonstrate in concrete, measurable terms sustained excellence in faculty development, nursing education research, student learning and professional development, and academic progression in nursing. Historically, many programs have achieved recognition in multiple categories or once designated, have maintained their center-of-excellence status through multiple award cycles. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/widener-nursing-named-2023-center-excellence-national-league-nursing

Associate Professor Kate Goodrich, Inesha Ellis ’20, Allison DeHaas ’20, and Rebecca Senski ’19 have had their paper entitled “False Advertising with Fermented Scents: Floral Mimicry in Pawpaw (Asimina triloba: Annonaceae) Pollination” published in the July/August 2023 edition of the International Journal of Plant Sciences. 

The team, in collaboration with Professor Jade Savage at Bishop's University in Quebec, Canada, investigated the pollination of Asimina triloba to identify sources of floral mimicry in pollination.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/biology-faculty-and-alumni-publish-research

Assistant Professor of Nursing Jawanza Bundy has been recognized in the graduating cohort from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Diversity Leadership Institute, a program which empowers academic nursing leaders with strategies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the field of nursing and nursing education.  

Each graduate of the 2023 cohort learned high-impact DEI strategies that can be implemented in their own classrooms, and completed a capstone presentation. Bundy’s capstone, titled “Color Blocking: Creating a Colorful Canvas of Culture Across the Campus,” takes into account Widener’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging when looking at existing research and creating a plan of action to be implemented in the School of Nursing. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/nursing-faculty-graduates-aacn-diversity-leadership-institute

Jane Oeffner has published a co-authored article in the May 2023 issue of the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Impact. The article, “Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle’: Teaching Soft Skills in the Clinical Setting,” examines the “soft skills” needed as a clinician and how to best develop and maintain them. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/staff-examines-soft-skills-new-publication

The Widener University Board of Trustees has appointed rising junior nursing major Maritza Garcia ‘25 to the student seat on the board. She will serve a two-year term.

As the student trustee, Garcia, 20, of Bensalem Township joins the prestigious governing body entrusted with the institution’s long-term success. The board monitors and oversees critical aspects of the university, including educational quality, financial strength, mission, and the student experience. She will provide a critical voice to her fellow board members about what it is like to be a student in the Widener community.

Garcia is a strong student who has excelled both inside and outside of the classroom. Her accomplishments include serving as a resident assistant within the Office of Residence Life and becoming a certified peer educator through this position. She also re-established the Latinos Unidos student organization, which had been dormant at Widener – seizing an opportunity to provide a greater sense of belonging for students who identify within the Hispanic culture and community at the university. She serves as the group’s president.

An aspiring neonatal intensive care nurse, Garcia is a C.R.E.W. leader in the Office of Student Engagement. Students who hold the position, which stands for the Committee Responsible for Enhancing Widener, serve as guides for helping acclimate new students to Widener and are instrumental in the university’s summer registration and orientation processes. 

In addition, she serves as a pride mentor in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and pride service site leader with the Center for Civic and Global Engagement. Outside of Widener, she works as a barista shift lead at Starbucks and a shift operation manager at CVS Pharmacy.

Garcia will attend her first board meeting in October. She fills the student seat that had been held by Ijjae Hill ’23, who earned her bachelor’s degree in visual and performing arts in May. 

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Yahaira Turner, a Master’s of Social Work student, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Gwendolyn A. Smith Award for Community Service for her work as a behavioral health social worker in the Emergency Department at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. 

This award is given to a current Crozer Health employee who makes significant contributions to the community through their time, talent, actions and dedication. 

Yahaira has committed over 20 years of service to Crozer Health devoted to working with often overlooked and underserved populations including those experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, and mental health challenges in Chester and throughout Delaware County. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/msw-student-honored-community-service-recognition-crozer-health

Professor Mark Nicosia, who teaches in the School of Engineering, has been named vice provost of the university. The position is dedicated to developing and executing academic innovation through strategic priorities and initiatives. The role oversees academic program development and revitalization, curriculum and policy, faculty development, teaching and learning, assessment, and academic affairs personnel. With Provost Andy Workman, he will hold responsibility for the administrative, academic and financial operations of the academic and student affairs divisions. 

Nicosia, who has been serving in the vice provost role in an interim capacity, has taught in the School of Engineering since 2005. He is actively involved on campus, has deep knowledge of the university, and has held multiple important leadership positions. He served on the Faculty Council Executive Committee for six years, including four years as faculty chair and two years as chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee.

His appointment becomes effective July 1.

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Widener hosted a group of 13 high school students from the ACS Athens school in Greece over a week in June for an intensive residential leadership training program. The students stayed in Boettner Hall and studied leadership with Hal Shorey, director of Organizational Development Services and the PsyD/MBA dual degree program, during the day. They participated in evening leadership activities and spent a day touring Philadelphia. 

The leadership course was custom designed for young leaders who will transform the world and the groups and people with whom they work. Students were able to learn about their own leadership styles and how to broaden and build their abilities using state-of-the-art tools and interactive exercises. Students engaged in a series of self-assessments with facilitated feedback of their transformational leadership, emotional intelligence and interpersonal and critical-thinking abilities.

Widener formalized a partnership with ACS Athens in 2016 that provides educational opportunities for students who attend ACS Athens, including summer programs like this one. ACS Athens provides a rigorous high school program and is attended by Greek students, international students and students who are American citizens – including many who have spent their lives in Greece.

A graduation and certificate ceremony was held Saturday, June 24 as the program concluded. 

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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. 

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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.  

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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.

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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