Introduction to Business Management Certificate: Michael J. Hannon [Avoca], Dorothy Ann Daniels [Nanticoke] & Christine Rhines [Kingston]

Associate in Business Administration: Marcie Ann Blair [Springville] & Garry R. Musselman, Jr. [Dallas]

Associate in Electrical Engineering Technology: Ernesto Torres [Hazleton]

Associate in Information Sciences and Technology: Caridad Perez [Kunkletown] & Alexander T. Poplawski [Wilkes-Barre]

Associate in Letters, Arts, and Sciences: Megan L. Amico [Falls], Kenneth Bond [Dallas], Robert P. Dick [Forty Fort], Brittany L. Roberts [Wyoming] & Jenna N. Woychick [Shavertown]

Associate in Surveying Engineering Technology: Andrew T. Barnes [Harvey’s Lake], Nicholas R. Frushon [Wyoming], David C. George [Hunlock Creek], Joseph V. Marchakitus [Hunlock Creek], James C. Meyer III [Sarver], Jesse W. Miller [West Wyoming] & Jason S. Solon [Dunmore]

Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice: Joseph Keiser [Roaring Brook Twp], Thomas J. Rogan, Jr. [Wilkes-Barre] & Megan E. Walsh [MountainTop]

Bachelor of Arts in English: Lawrence G. Berti [West Pittston], Sabrina M. Bush [Tunkhannock], Michael R. Calore [Wilkes-Barre], Julie Haller [Dallas], Jessica A. Koch [Forty Fort], Christopher J. Mozeleski [Dallas], Kevin Shewan [Shavertown], Jennifer L. Shubilla [Wilkes-Barre] & Edward A. Vargas Adame [Hazleton]

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism: Michael G. Verbickas [Dunmore]

Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice: Cory R. Blowers [Honesdale], Jacinta A. Bowden [Hanover Twp], Kayla A. Clawson [Lancaster], Abigail P. Collins [Swoyersville], Savannah David [Kingston], Raeford A. Decker [Pocono Summit], Ashley Ferretti [Exeter], Renee A. Fumanti [Old Forge], Frank J. Gawel [Old Forge], Paul Jaskulski [Dickson City], Michael Klucitas [Sarasota, Florida], Laura A. Kremser [Berwick], Katharine A. Lewis [Buck Hill Falls], Nicole Medrano [Selinsgrove], Nicholas R. Mosher [Wilkes-Barre], Molly B. Murphy [Shavertown], Shelby A. Murren [Berwick], Jason Oliver [Nanticoke], Corena S. Prato [Hanover Twp], Ryan P. Richards [Wyoming], Matthew P. Schuback [Old Forge], Amanda L. Semon [Freeland], Kevin A. Space [Eynon], Roger P. Sporre [Little Meadows] & Amy Linn Zdipko [Wilkes-Barre]

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science: Dominic A. Borzell [Falls]

Bachelor of Science in Business: Michael J. Ackley [Sayre], Eric C. Agomuo [Stroudsburg],
Catherine M. Beach [West Hazleton], Kelsey M. Blaskiewicz [Wyoming], Matthew J. Clemons [Canonsburg], Melissa L. Cuesta [Wilkes-Barre], Gregory C. Davis [Dallas], Travis L. Dunlap [Annville], Lindsey G. Howell [Tunkhannock], William P. Langan [West Pittston], Jordan M. Levandowski [Kingston], Sen Lin [Nanning, China], Nicholas R. Martin [Exeter], John W. Michaels [Grampin], Megan A. Millo [Dallas], Kailey N. Peters [Wyoming], Scott D. Summa [Lehman] & Gregory T. Uber, Jr. [Milford]

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice: Joseph Bufalino, Jr. [West Pittston]

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology: Robert B. Bisson, Jr. [Bethlehem], Kyle A. Bragalone [Hazleton], Jeff J. Broody [Hanover Twp], Aaron J. Grisham [Shickshinny], Jason P. Hady [MountainTop], James D. Joyce [Wilkes-Barre], Wyrgy Pamphile [Tobyhanna], Kurt A. Powell [Wilkes-Barre] & Brandon M. Yusinski [Scranton]

Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences and Technology: David S. Bartos [Harvey’s Lake], Timothy J. Clark [Meshoppen], Timothy B. Graham [Dallas], Tyler J. Kerlavage [Hanover Twp], Latroya C. Knight [Hanover Twp], Dipen R. Patel [Scranton], Harriet E. Polites [Wilkes-Barre], Nachiket Y. Raval [Gandhinager, India], Brian Reese [Hughstown], Chad M. Schraeder [Dallas] & Brandon Yachna [Dupont]

Bachelor of Science in Surveying Engineering: Angel Asencio [Lancaster], Brennan D. Coates [Leraysville], Matthew B. Eckenrode [Quakertown], Nathanael E. Fiscus [Atglen], Jessica L. Helman [Julian], Matthew D. Kempenski [Hunlock Creek], Ian G. McAllister [Springbrook Twp], Stephen J. Nealon [Hanover Twp], Michael C. Schubert [Shavertown], Bryce T. Weaver [Ephrata] & Ryan M. White [Royersford]

Dr. Charles Davis, Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor, and the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Student Government Association are pleased to announce the 2012-2013 student recipients of The John R. Murphy Award for Excellence in Leadership & Service, The Martin U. Dougherty Emerging Leader Award, The Eric A. & Josephine Walker Award, and the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Who’s Who in American Colleges & Universities.

The 2012-13 John R. Murphy Award for Excellence in Leadership & Service was awarded to graduating senior and Buck Hill Falls native, Katharine Lewis. Rick Barry, a former Penn State Wilkes-Barre student and Walker Award recipient, made this endowed award possible to honor former Director of Student Affairs, John R. Murphy, who served Penn State Wilkes-Barre from 1967 to 2004. The award was established to recognize a graduating senior whose outstanding qualities of leadership, service, scholarship, citizenship, and character have been directed into programs and service on campus and/or the community that have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well being of the Wilkes-Barre campus and the reputation of the University as a whole. Kate has served as the Student Government Association president for the past year, will be graduating with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Administration of Justice, and plans on attending law school.

The 2012-13 Martin U. Dougherty Emerging Leader Award was awarded to Middletown, New York native, Laura Mann. The Dougherty family established this award in remembrance of their husband/father, Martin, who served on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Campus Advisory Board. Martin’s firm, The Architectural & Engineering Group, Inc., designed the Carriage Room in the campus’ Student Commons, which won the 2003 “Pride of Place” Award from the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. Martin’s son, Dr. Jonathan U. Dougherty will be the Penn State Wilkes-Barre 2013 Commencement Speaker. This award recognizes a student of junior status at our campus who has at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and has demonstrated excellence in scholarship, leadership, citizenship, service and character. Laura is an Administration of Justice major who serves as the campus’ THON chair.

The 2012-13 Eric A. & Josephine Walker Award was awarded to graduating senior and Honesdale native, Cory Blowers. The purpose of this award is to recognize the Commonwealth Campus student whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership and citizenship have been directed into programs and services that have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well being of their campus and, hence, to the reputation of the University as a whole. The award is made annually, at or near the end of the spring term, to a full-time undergraduate student who is completing two full years of freshman-sophomore study at a Commonwealth Campus. Cory has served on the campus Student Government Association and will be graduating with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Administration of Justice.

Each year members of the campus are asked to nominate students for the Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities Award. The criteria for this award is based on scholarship, participation and leadership in academic and co-curricular activities, citizenship and service to Penn State Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding community and potential for future achievement. The 2012-13 Penn State Wilkes-Barre recipients are: Cory Blowers [Honesdale], William Elko [Pittston Twp], Katharine Lewis [Buck Hill Falls], John Lombardo [Wilkes-Barre], Ryan McDermott [Stroudsburg], Amy Novak [Exeter], Jillian O’Connell [Dallas], Isaura Olivares [West Hazleton], and AnnMarie Wempa [Trucksville].

Penn State Wilkes-Barre is the only Penn State campus and Pennsylvania institution to offer an accredited bachelor’s degree in Surveying Engineering. Penn State Wilkes-Barre Surveying Engineering graduates enjoy a 100% employment rate in surveying engineering firms locally and across the country. The Surveying Engineering Open House is an opportunity to learn about the different types of surveying and the dual degree option with Civil Engineering as well as observe and participate in surveying technology demonstrations, meet surveying students, alumni and faculty, and tour the campus.

In preparation for the Surveying Engineering Open House, several members of the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Surveying Society took the spring break opportunity to visit high schools from which they graduated in order to educate students on the field of Surveying Engineering.

“We tried to keep our Powerpoint presentations to 20-25 minutes,” explains Matt Boozer, a junior Surveying Engineering student who led the effort. “We didn’t want to keep the students in the classroom for too long – we wanted them to be able to have hands-on experience with what surveyors do.”

Five local high schools, Red Bank Valley, North East Bradford, Pittston Area, Mountainview, and Lake Lehman, participated in the surveying presentations.

“Preparing for the presentation made me realize that I wish I had heard more about college and career opportunities while I was still in high school,” explains junior Surveying Engineering student Matt Sharr. “If they got nothing else out of the presentation, at least they know there are surveying careers out there.”

Students interested in attending the Surveying Engineering Open House can register online at http://wb.psu.edu/Admissions/admevents, by calling 570-675-9238 or by emailing wbadmissions@psu.edu.

When Harriet Polites graduates in May, she isn’t going to be experiencing the same anxiety that many of her fellow graduates will be going through — the anxiety of the job search.

“I attended the IST Career Fair at University Park in January, after receiving help from Jill [Laing, Career Services Coordinator] and Melody [Goodwin, Career Counselor] on my résumé and practicing my interviewing skills,” explains Polites. “The extra time I took to work with them paid off. I received quite a bit of interest at the career fair and was doing an average of 3 phone interviews a week. I ended up bouncing company names and job opportunities off of my peers and teachers and turned down quite a few offers based on feedback I got.”

Polites then began the interview process once again, this time with Hewlett-Packard.

“HP has been attending the IST Career Fair for a few years now and they told me they like to hire Penn State grads because they keep getting quality employees out of Penn State,” says Polites. “The team I will be working with has four Penn State grads, me included.”

Polites has been hired as a Technology Consultant for SharePoint, which deals mostly with business solutions.

“It’s a little bit of a mixed bag,” shares Polites. “I’ll be working with a little bit of everything in their Herndon, VA office.”

After receiving her associate’s degree from Penn College of Technology in automotive technology, Harriet decided to pursue her bachelor’s in information sciences & technology.

“I was very focused coming into Penn State Wilkes-Barre,” says Polites. “Frouke [de Quillettes, Senior Instructor in IST] knew I had a goal of completing my degree in three years. She kept me on track from day 1 and helped me to realize that in order to achieve my goal I had to be personally invested, because the program is one where you get out of it what you put into it.”

Polites has completed two internships during her time at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, one with Custom Computers in Kingston and the other with the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Information Technology department, and is a big advocate of internships.

“Internships are low-risk situations where you have an opportunity to stand out, to differentiate yourself,” explains Polites. “They give you the chance to find your niche, find out what challenges you, and learn on the fly. The classroom is pure theory but with an internship you get to put what you learn into practice. And it demonstrates to future employers that not only are you able to work but you have a willingness to work.”

Dr. Charles Davis, Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor, and the Pennsylvania State University are pleased to announce local Evan Pugh Senior Award honoree and Penn State Wilkes-Barre student, Megan Millo.

The Evan Pugh scholars are those juniors and seniors who are in the upper 0.5 percent of their respective classes at the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. Candidates are eligible if they have been full-time undergraduate students for at least four semesters prior to selection. The seniors this year have cumulative grade-point averages of 3.98 and above.

Millo, a Penn State Wilkes-Barre senior, will be graduating in May with a Bachelor’s in Business.

“We are exceptionally proud of Megan’s accomplishments – she is an outstanding student who has made wonderful contributions to our campus, in academics, her clubs service, and her work in the greater Wilkes-Barre community,” explains Dr. Davis. “Megan truly exemplifies the spirit of Penn State Wilkes-Barre in the NEPA community.”

Millo was also the 2012 recipient of the Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award. The Walker Award recognizes undergraduate students enrolled at the Commonwealth locations whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship have been directed into programs and services that have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well-being of their campus and, hence, to the reputation of the University as a whole.

Penn State University is committed to equal opportunity and diversity in both its employees and students.

Jonathan U. Dougherty, PhD, Penn State alumnus and Penn State Wilkes-Barre Advisory Board member, will address graduates at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre commencement ceremony Saturday, May 4 at 10:00 a.m. in the campus’ Athletic and Recreation Building.

A native of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, Dr. Dougherty earned his Bachelor of Architectural Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in 1999. He continued his academic career at Penn State earning his Doctor of Philosophy in Architectural Engineering in 2006. Dr. Dougherty is Director of the Corporate Knowledge Center for James G. Davis Construction Corporation in Rockville, Maryland, where he leads the corporate education and knowledge management initiatives of the firm.

Prior to joining Davis Construction, Dr. Dougherty taught in Penn State’s Department of Architectural Engineering for six years. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Dougherty also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Building Construction at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is a sought-after lecturer at many universities and campuses, including Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Dr. Dougherty’s research pursuits include the creation and analysis of online knowledge communities to support student/practitioner collaboration in engineering courses, and his work has been published in the Journal of Architectural Engineering and several conference proceedings.

Dr. Dougherty is a champion of students and lifelong learning, as evidenced by his service to The Pennsylvania State University and the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. As an alumni leader, he is an active member of the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Campus Advisory Board, a Board Member for the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society, and founding Board Member and current President of the Penn State Alumni Society of Architectural Engineers. An advocate of students, Dr. Dougherty serves as chair of the Student-Focused Environment Committee and frequently facilitates student focus groups for the Wilkes-Barre campus, is a practitioner juror for Penn State’s AE Senior Thesis presentations, and mentors fourth-year engineering students. His industry service includes being a Trustee for the Francis L. Greenfield Laborer’s Joint Training Fund of Washington, D.C., serving on the Montgomery College Construction Industry Advisory Committee, working on the Industry Recruiting Taskforce of the Associated General Contractors of America, and serving on both the Membership and the Student Competition Committees for the Architectural Engineering Institute.

In 2012, Dr. Dougherty received the Hayfield Award for Excellence in Service to the Campus from Penn State Wilkes-Barre. He was honored as an Architectural Engineering Centennial Fellow by Penn State in 2010 and received the PSEAS Distinguished Service Award in 2013. Most recently, Dr. Dougherty was named to Engineering News-Record’s 2013 Top 20 Under 40 in the Mid-Atlantic, which celebrates the excellence of young design and constructional professionals in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

An avid Penn State football fan, member of the Nittany Lion Club, and Life Member of the Penn State Alumni Association, Dr. Dougherty resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland. You can connect with him on twitter @JUDougherty.

On Friday, April 26th, join Chancellor Dr. Charles Davis and the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Continuing Education department for their Executive Management Series, co-sponsored by The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Alumni Society, and The Diamond City Partnership. The Executive Management Series is held at the Best Western Genetti Hotel and Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre, beginning at 7:45 a.m.

An Hour with Joe Amato is an inspiring story about succeeding in today’s business world, about entrepreneurial spirit, and about Mr. Amato’s vision and marketing strategies for the newly purchased complex in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Amato, a 5-time National Hot Rod Association Drag racing World Champion, is successful not only on the track but also in business. He began his off-the-track career in the automotive part business before moving into real estate. Join us for insight as to how this entrepreneur turned his life into the success that it is today.

Few drivers in the 50+ year history of the National Hot Rod Association can truly be classified as legends of the sport. But without question, one of the icons of the quarter-mile is Joe Amato. With a stunning 52 national event victories in 99 professional final round appearances, a legacy of five World Championships including an unprecedented three series titles in a row, and making headlines across the country in ’96 with the sport’s first 4.5 second pass, Amato’s name and ever-smiling visage will forever be a part of straight-line racing. It was Joe himself who stopped his meteoric career after two eye surgeries prompted his doctors to advise immediate retirement from drag racing. After giving up the driver’s seat of his top fuel dragster, Joe continued to own and operate Amato Racing, filling the seat of the race car with 2 different rookie top fuel drivers. For the 2000 through 2005 racing seasons, Joe gave the chance of a lifetime, as the pilot of his dragster, to two young men, both great drivers. But after the 2005 season, Joe felt it was time to move on from the professional racing circuit, and concentrate his energies in a new direction. His new passion was a familiar one. Through the early beginnings and successive expansions of his automotive parts and accessories distributor business, Keystone Automotive, Joe was involved in the commercial real estate world. Though no longer involved in Keystone Automotive, Joe now owns and operates multiple commercial properties, through Joe Amato Properties, comprising of over 366,000 sq. ft. of rental space, some prime pieces of vacant land destined for further commercial development. He is also involved in local housing developments, Saddle Ridge and Stone Bridge. Joe’s most recent property acquisition is located in downtown Wilkes Barre, in the heart of the city. This property, now known as City Centre, is comprised of over 80,000 sq feet of commercial space, a large part of which is occupied by RC Theatres, who operates Movies 14, a state-of-the-art theatre complex. All of Joe’s endeavors are a challenge in their own unique way, and the new things that lie ahead for this project provide the excitement that helps to drive Joe to continue to expand his ventures in our local real estate.

Cost is $15.00 per person. New this spring is the option to purchase a table of eight for $100, a $20 savings from the individual rate. Payment in full must accompany your registration form. E-mail, fax, or telephone registration must be accompanied by your credit card information. Five business days' advance notice will be required to cancel a registration and not incur the registration fee. Substitutions for registered participants will be accepted.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre Continuing Education is part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education, serving more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Sandy Race in the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Continuing Education office at sxr50@psu.edu or 570-675-9253.