Summer Greetings,
To say these are difficult, or uncertain, times feels trite and understated. Instead, I'd like to say that Spring Semester 2020 was a moment in time when the whole world, including WCU, was tested and many things were revealed. I am proud to be part of a community that responded quickly, effectively, and with compassion to each new challenge.
President Fiorentino was among the first in our area to act on the COVID-19 pandemic and closed the university to students in early March. Our faculty immediately began to transition to a virtual delivery mode, and in spite of all the complexities, students were able to complete the semester with nominal loss to their academic standing. As we worked our way through a series of virtual graduations and arrived at the Memorial Day holiday, our country experienced another moment of truth. The protests around the death of George Floyd opened yet another door to a greater awakening. As a university, our leadership once again responded with a timely and compassionate message encouraging each of us to "...
build bridges of cultural competence, empathy, and understanding in all corners of our communities." In concert with the president, I extended my thoughts to the CHS faculty and staff inviting them each to examine their own privilege and look to our mission statement to "instill and uphold the components of cultural competence." I believe in our staff and faculty, and their willingness to increase their understanding of the experiences of others and to take action.
As we move through the summer, the administration is working tirelessly to make WCU a safe and inclusive space for Fall classes to resume. There will be many difficult decisions to make, but rest assured that the safety and well-being of our students, staff and faculty will be paramount in all of our decisions.
Now, please take a moment to review a few of the unique events that kept us connected throughout the semester, and the Golden Ram spirit that keeps us all moving forward into the future.
Stay well,
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Scott Heinerichs, Dean, College of Health Sciences
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Though it wasn't a traditional graduation ceremony, each of our departments celebrated their graduating seniors in unique, but meaningful ways.
Congratulations Class of 2020!
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Click the mortar board to see some of our graduate celebrations!
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In addition to our virtual graduations, we also created virtual celebrations for student honors. We missed our Scholarship Breakfast, but we were no less proud of the dozens of hard working students that earned scholarships and awards. On April 5, we virtually celebrated over 60 CHS students with induction into
Alpha Eta, the National Honor Society for Allied Health. Take a minute to view the link below to see ALL of the CHS students who were honored.
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Winner Creativity & Beauty
Connie Schrey, Nursing
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Winner Inspirational
Emily Duvall, CSD
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Winner WCU/CHS Theme
Megan MacDonald, Nursing
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Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus pandemic and its powerful impact on our campus, we did not have a commencement ceremony for Spring Semester 2020. Even so, our graduates continued the tradition of decorated mortarboards, and we sponsored our 2
nd
contest. The entries were delightful, and the Selection Committee – representatives from the College of Health Sciences staff – did not find the determination of the winners easy. In the end, three winners reigned supreme in this colorful celebration of a remarkable achievement – graduation. Best wishes to everyone who submitted a photo for consideration, and congratulations to our winners and to those who received Honorable Mention.
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When the COVID-19 virus came to West Chester, our students, faculty and staff pulled together to help out. A few of our outreach efforts included the Nursing, Kinesiology, and Sports Medicine departments donating PPE to local health care providers, and our Nutrition department donating food and healthy snacks for hospital workers. There were a variety of efforts, both large and small, to work alongside members of our community to lend a hand.
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Center for Contemplative Studies
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As our campus closed down, the
Center for Contemplative Studies
worked quickly to make their programming available online, and accessible for anyone interested in learning and using mindfulness techniques– a practice perfectly suited for these stressful times. The community response was very positive!
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In February, the CHS sponsored the first “
Explore CHS
” event!
We welcomed prospective undergraduate students admitted to three of our academic departments – Communication Sciences & Disorders, Health, and Nutrition– and their families to the Sturzebecker Health Sciences Center to experience what our College has to offer. Faculty members shared a poster session and delivered 15-minute “mini-lectures” on topics related to their research or clinical practice interests, and students and their families then visited exhibits from our varied CHS student associations and interacted with our student leaders. Overall it was a great success!
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CSD
Communication Sciences & Disorders
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The National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is the student branch of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a national professional association for Audiologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Speech-Language-Hearing Scientists. Every year, local chapters of NSSLHA can earn national honors. Gold Level Chapters must meet criteria related to membership recruitment, community outreach, legislative advocacy, philanthropic fundraising, and local/national communication. Our WCU Chapter of NSSLHA has now earned Gold Level honors for the 7
th
consecutive year! Congratulations to our Chapter of NSSLHA, and thanks to their advisor – Dr. Patricia Swasey Washington, a former national NSSLHA Advisor Honors recipient – for her many contributions to the quality of the CSD student experience at WCU.
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Our CSD grad students provided much needed support to Adjunct Faculty and CHS Advisory Board member Colleen Reynolds, M.A., CCC-SLP and her colleagues at Phoenixville Hospital.
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WCU Speech and Hearing Clinic is currently providing tele-therapy to 35 patients with communication differences and disorders and their caregivers, beginning Monday April 6. The first-year MA students and their supervisors successfully adapted the new modality to provide therapeutic services via Zoom. The patients and caregivers as well as clinic supervisors are very satisfied with the quality of services and the students’ professionalism.
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Health Department Faculty members Ramona Stone and Zeinab Baba surveyed their students in March to see how the COVID-19 pandemic was impacting them, and how we might better support them during the campus shutdown. The results of the survey were interesting and the Powerpoint summary has been converted here for your review.
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The Kinesiology Department, in conjunction with the WCU Digital Media Center, produced an impressive video that highlights the remarkable work happening here in our Human Performance Lab. Check it out!
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Every Wednesday evening at 6, by some remote means such as FaceTime or Google Hangouts, thirty WCU students teach and modify physical education on an individual basis for 30 children in the community who have disabilities. Three additional WCU students go “on” with their families between 4 and 6 p.m., as well. The West Chester University students’ efforts are part of a community service-learning portion of a course they are currently taking entitled “Health and Physical Education 206: Adapted Physical Education & Health for Students with Disabilities.”
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We're GOLDEN!
WCU is one of only 77 universities and colleges around the world to be honored as a "Gold Campus" by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine
®
initiative for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. EIM On Campus calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community. Events like
Exercise is Medicine Day
have helped WCU earn the gold level designation. Congratulations to advisor Melissa Reed, and a group of very committed students, for this honor– and thanks for compiling the video showing what we were all doing at home!
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Sadly, we lost a friend and WCU faculty member in April. Marjorie Kathleen "Kat" Ellis passed away April 8. Kat taught Adapted Physical Education in our Kinesiology Department, but recently went on to serve as the director of ASL and Deaf Studies Program in the Language and Cultures Department. Her students were her love and her legacy and she will be missed by many on our campus.
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The Nursing department continued their climb to the top of the heap! The chart to the left shows the ranking of the WCU Nursing program among 1229 programs in our jurisdiction. Because of our 100% student pass rates on the NCLEX-RN exam,
WE ARE NUMBER 1!!
Congrats to the faculty and students!
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Kathleen Tobelmann and Andie DeChirico, Sustainable Food Systems Management students, were awarded $750 by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programa for their "Top-Carrot Pesto," a food product they developed in their Farm to Table Food Preservation class! Congrats!
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Students in the Athletic Training Club created their own newsletter this spring to tell their story. They did a great job! Check it out here!
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The Spo
rts Medicine Department has postponed their 50th Anniversary Celebration,but are working on an alternative way to recognize this important benchmark. Details to come.
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College of Health Sciences | West Chester University | 610-432-2825 | www.wcupa.edu/chs
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