Students from six local school districts were recently honored for their progress in kinesiology. A ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 8 at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.

Students from Albert Gallatin North, A.J. McMullen, Brownsville, Connellsville, Geibel, and Laurel Highlands middle schools gathered with friends and family to receive certificates recognizing their physical achievements as Penn State Fayette Kinesiology Students of the Month.

The following students were recognized:

• Justine Brown – Brownsville Middle School
• Lindsay Coville – Albert Gallatin North Middle School
• Luke Kuhns – Connellsville Middle School
• Anthony Marsiglia – Brownsville Middle School
• Grace Nowicki – Geibel Middle School
• Ellen Sepesy – Ben Franklin Middle School
• Haley Sutton – Laurel Highlands Middle School
• Jacob Swartz – Laurel Highlands Middle School
• John-Luke Tlumack – Geibel Middle School
• Madison Wiltrout – Connellsville Middle School
• Madison Yankulik – A.J. McMullen Middle School

Jes Hutson, instructor in kinesiology, says, “Our committee was very happy to get this new program up and running, where middle school students are recognized and honored for physical activity and wellness.”

Front row, from the left: human development and family studies professor and committee member Jo Ann Jankoski, Justine Brown, Haley Sutton, Lindsay Coville, Ellen Sepesy, and committee member Dawn Walker; second row, from the left: kinesiology instructor and committee member Jes Hutson, Madison Wiltrout, Luke Kuhns, Madison Yankulik, Anthony Marsiglia, Jacob Swartz, and committee member Katie Semans; third row, from the left: Grace Nowicki, John-Luke Tlumack.

William K. Jackson was honored as the recipient of the 27th “Outstanding Fellow of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus” award on May 9 at the Uniontown Country Club. The award was presented by Penn State Fayette Chancellor Dr. Francis K. Achampong at a special meeting and ceremony of the Advisory Board of Penn State Fayette.

The “Outstanding Fellow of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus” was established in 1985 by two local businessmen. Their intent was to honor a community leader whose support of the campus had been so exemplary as to warrant special recognition by the advisory board and the campus’ administration, faculty, staff and students. Penn State Fayette does not grant honorary degrees, so the Outstanding Fellow Award is the highest honor the campus can bestow. The recipients of this award possess the qualities that truly epitomize the phrase, “Penn State proud.”

“It is a pleasure to recognize Bill Jackson, who has been a long-time friend of the campus and an Advisory Board member since 1992. His generosity of time and resources has been greatly appreciated over the years. I want to personally extend my congratulations and best wishes to Bill on this much-deserved award,” said Achampong.

A 1973 graduate of Brownsville Area High School, Jackson continued his education at Penn State University, spending two years at Penn State Fayette before transferring to the University Park campus. Jackson graduated with a bachelor of science in agricultural business management in 1977.

After earning his degree, Jackson joined his father, uncle, and cousin in the family business, Jackson Farms, which was established in 1955 and is located in New Salem, Pa. Today, Jackson is in partnership with his brother-in-law, Kerry Harvey, in the business which has grown and evolved over time to include nearly 900 acres in Redstone and Menallen Townships.

Jackson is an active member of the community. He has been president of the Fayette County Fair Board since 1996 and is a board member of the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council and the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, we well as a member of the Advisory Board of Penn State Fayette. In addition, he serves on the boards of AgChoice Farm Credit ACA based in Mechanicsburg, Pa., which he chaired from 2009 through 2012, and the AgFirst Farm Credit Bank headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina.

Families, friends, classmates, and colleagues of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus gathered in the Main Arena in the Community Center on Saturday, May 4, for the 43rd Annual Commencement ceremony. Robert E. Eberly, Jr. was the featured speaker at the ceremony. He shared a number of thoughts and insights with the graduates. In part, Eberly said, “Never be afraid to have a dream, and to nurture it and work towards its fulfillment.” He also noted the importance of loved ones when embarking on a lifelong journey: “Never forget to make time for your own families. Your careers are vital, of course, and giving of your spare time to charitable endeavors and your community is commendable, but in the grand scheme of things, family is paramount. It is what endures and gives the deepest meaning to our lives. I am reminded of that every time I return to this campus.”

On Friday, April 26, the 47th annual Student Awards Banquet was held at the Uniontown Holiday Inn. Over 225 students, staff, faculty, and guests joined to recognize the achievements made by students at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus over the 2012-13 academic year.

The Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award, named in honor of the late Penn State President and Mrs. Eric Walker, was presented to Matt Spaw. The award was established in 1971 to recognize a full-time undergraduate student who possesses outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership and citizenship in programs and services that have positively influenced students and contributed to the campus and its prestige.

The Dennis Hippo Memorial Award, in honor of Dennis Hippo, a member of Penn State Fayette’s first graduating class who was killed in action in Vietnam, is awarded to one male and one female full-time student each year. The recipients must exemplify the attributes of Hippo in the areas of leadership, campus and community involvement, academic persistence, service and altruism. This year’s award recipients were Ryan Hart and Alicia Williams.

The Scholastic Excellence Award recognizes students who compete in a written and oral academic research presentation. This year’s finalists were Kelsey Conn, Troy Hellen, and Ronald Simon. Hellen was the award recipient.

The complete list of student award winners includes:

• Leadership Awards
  • Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award: Matt Spaw
  • Dennis Hippo Memorial Award: Ryan Hart and Alicia Williams
• University Awards
  • Freshman President’s Awards: Hang Cheng, Tara Cope, Crystal Fordyce, Carly Gruss, Laura Marinos, Tanner McFarland
  • President Sparks Award: George Haggerty
  • Evan Pugh Scholar Award: Emily Marchewka
• Academic Awards:
  • Administration of Justice Award: Wendy Pennington
  • Associates in Business Award: Ellen Jean McCloy
  • Bachelors of Science in Business Award: Aaron Sabatula and Lindsay Walt
  • English and American Studies Award: Brittany Gallagher
  • Human Development & Family Studies Award: Noelle Winkler
  • Kinesiology Award: Nathan Kiliany (Fall), Joe Belan (Spring), Rebecca Henckel (Spring)
  • Philosophy Award: William Addis
  • Physical Therapy Award: Esther Blizman
  • Thelma Sandy Award in Nursing: Christopher Ohmer (Fall), Moriah Kromer (Spring), Anna Sparks (Spring)
• Campus Awards
  • Scholastic Excellence Award Winner: Troy Hellen
  • Port Family Public Service Award: Darrin Hogue
  • Joanne Genova Sujansky Memorial Leadership Award: Rachael Franks, Matt Spaw
  • Drozd Family Humanitarian Assistance and Community Service Award: Emily Marchewka
  • Club of the Year Award: The Lion Players
  • David J. Leone Memorial Leadership Award: Matt Spaw

On Wednesday, April 24, a memorial service and plaque ceremony were held for the late Lawrence A. Hunchuck, mining instructor at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. The ceremony was held in the Coal and Coke Heritage Center in the lower level of the library at Penn State Fayette.

Lawrence “Larry” Hunchuck graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor of science in Mining Engineering, and later from the University of Pittsburgh with a master’s degree in Mining Engineering. Upon retirement after 30 years in the mining industry, he decided to share his knowledge by becoming an instructor at Penn State Fayette.

Members of the campus and community joined together to share memories and stories of Hunchuck’s impact on their lives. Speeches were given by Dr. Francis Achampong, Chancellor; Robert Lowery, mining instructor; and Joseph Hann; lecturer in business.

The memorial plaque was presented by mining student Darrin Hogue and was accepted by Elaine H. DeFrank, oral historian of the Coal and Coke Heritage Center. Closing remarks were made by Lawrence’s wife Mary Hunchuck and his brother John Hunchuck.

“Teaching the mining classes kept Larry busy and happy. He thrived on interaction with the coal companies, Dr. Achampong, and the faculty, staff, and students here at the Fayette campus. He truly made every day count,” said DeFrank during her acceptance of the plaque.

Hunchuck passed away January 10, 2013 of injuries resulting from an automobile accident.

In honor of the 44th anniversary of Earth Day, students at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus engaged in a cleanup project along a local highway.

A group of 16 Penn State Fayette students enrolled in an “Energy Conservation for Environmental Protection” course spent their class time walking along Route 119 next to the campus. In 45 minutes, the group collected 30 bags of litter in just two-tenths of a mile. The effort was led by professor David Meredith, program head from Building Environmental Systems Technology.

“I’ve been celebrating Earth Day since the first event in 1970,” said Meredith. “Since my class was scheduled to meet on that day, we wanted to do a service project to help the community and have some fun in the process.” Meredith’s course is an overview of energy and its environmental effects for non-technical majors like business and liberal arts.

“This course allows students to get a feel for what they can do to save energy and improve their local environment,” said Meredith. Dr. Meredith teaches in the associate degree program in building engineering technology that prepares graduates for careers in green building design and construction, and the energy and sustainability industries.

Achampong has served as chancellor at Fayette since November 2010 after being appointed interim chancellor in March of the same year following the unexpected death of former chancellor Emmanuel Osagie. From 2002-10, he was director of academic affairs at Mont Alto, where he also held the rank of tenured professor of business law.

"It has been an honor to serve Penn State Fayette,” Achampong said. "It is a difficult decision to leave this campus and the wonderful students, faculty, staff and local community. We have accomplished many great things here. But I am excited to return to Penn State Mont Alto, where I spent eight years working with so many others to strengthen the campus' academic profile. Dr. Gnage has set Mont Alto on a great course, and I look forward to leading the campus community through new opportunities and challenges. This is truly a joyous homecoming."

An interim chancellor for Penn State Fayette will be announced in the near future.

During Achampong's time at Fayette, the campus made significant progress towards its $3.5 million goal in For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, with $3 million raised to date.

To tackle enrollment challenges facing western Pennsylvania campuses, Fayette adopted a strategic approach under his leadership by focusing and increasing recruitment efforts, enhancing its web presences, strengthening student support services and partnering with database vendors.

Fayette increased its profile as a community resource under Achampong's direction, hosting numerous large events drawing thousands of visitors to campus and the region. The campus also served as a forum for discussion of pressing societal issues such as crime and child abuse.

In his previous role at Mont Alto, Achampong was the Franklin County campus' chief academic officer, overseeing programming, including program planning, development, assessment and accreditation, faculty recruitment, mentoring, evaluation, promotion and tenure and other wide-ranging areas of academic responsibilities.

"Dr. Achampong is an outstanding leader with broad knowledge of the University and the Commonwealth Campuses," said Madlyn Hanes, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses. "His experience in higher education and strategic planning has been critical in guiding Penn State Fayette during the past several years. He is successful at building external relationships and has been well received by the broader community. His proven leadership and deep familiarity with Penn State Mont Alto make him an excellent choice to oversee the campus and lead it into the future."

Before his position at Mont Alto, Achampong served as interim dean of the School of Business at Norfolk State University from 2001-02. For three years from 1998 to 2001, he was head of the Department of Entrepreneurship, Finance and Marketing at Norfolk State and from 1992 to 2002 was professor of business law and insurance at that institution. Before 1992, he was an associate professor at Norfolk State for seven years.

Achampong holds a doctorate in law from the University of London and a master of laws degree from Georgetown University.

He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1986 and the Virginia Bar in 1988, and was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990. He completed Harvard Graduate School of Education's program in Management and Leadership in Education in 2008 and was selected as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow in 2008-09.

At Fayette he has been actively involved in the local community as a member of the Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board, the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council Board and the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce Board. He serves on multiple University-wide committees, including the Campus Academic Review Coordinating Committee, University Budget Planning Task Force, Middle States Steering Committee, Standing Joint Committee on Tenure and the University Access Committee.

One of his final duties as Fayette chancellor will be to host the Penn State Board of Trustees' meeting July 11-12.