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Here are the faculty and staff activities for April 19, 2012.
Millersville Presents the Annual Excellence and Equity Award
For her distinguished service to the President’s Commission on Cultural Diversity & Inclusion (PCCDI) Dr. Rita Smith-Wade-El, psychology, was presented the Excellence & Equity Award on March 28 during the annual Hazel I. Jackson Lecture, which featured best-selling author Terry McMillan.
Smith-Wade-El was selected for her commitment to student success, equity, diversity and community programs. She has been actively involved in the PCCDI since 1997, serving as commission chair from 2001-2005. Smith-Wade- El’s commitment to student success includes serving as faculty advisor to the NAACP College Chapter. She is the chair of the Frederick Douglass Black Culture Celebration and an active member on the Commission of Cultural Diversity. She was pivotal in the early development of the Undergraduate Research Conference and most recently coordinated a group of approximately 50 students to visit a variety of historical and educational African American landmarks in Atlanta. She is directly responsible for founding the African American Studies minor at Millersville, currently serving as the programs director, and was the catalyst for the development of the Latino Studies Program.
Distinguished Civic Leadership Awards
The fifth annual Distinguished Civic Leadership Awards, presented by Millersville University’s Civic and Community Engagement and Research Project (CCERP), was held on April 12. The 2012 winners included Tabor Community Services, nonprofit; Community Action Program of Lancaster County, nonprofit; Joe Vulopas, founder of AEVIDUM, a suicide prevention group for teens and young adults; Ashley Christman, Millersville University student with leadership roles in the Boy and Girl Scouts of America; Dr. Kimberly Mahaffy, associate professor and director of Latino studies at Millersville University, for her work on the “We Belong” mural project in Lancaster; Dr. Stacey Irwin, associate professor of communication and theatre, for her creation of “Project Green Lancaster”; Dr. Melvin Allen, founder and director emeritus of CCERP, received the lifetime achievement award for his work with Project Forward Leap and CCERP; and “Auntie” Anne Beiler, of Auntie Anne’s, who received an award based on her national and international community contributions. Beiler was also the event’s keynote speaker.
The purpose of the Distinguished Civic Leadership Awards is to publicly recognize notable civic/community contributions on the part of individuals and entities that have had a positive impact locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.
Faculty and Staff Activities
Drs. Leonora Foels and Karen Rice, social work, presented a workshop entitled “Diversity and Social Justice: A Journey of Self-Discovery” at the annual PA-NAME Conference: Transformative Multiculturalism: A Paradigm Shift to Create, Innovate and Engage, which was held March 30-31, 2012, at Millersville University.
Dr. Blaise W. Liffick, computer science, has been reappointed as Commission Member of the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission for 2012-2013. Responsibilities of commissioners include acting as Team Chair for on-site accreditation evaluations of college and university computing programs.
Dr. Ying Wushanley, wellness and sport sciences, recently had three articles published: “Tiger Woods” in Sports in America from Colonial Times to the Twenty-First Century: An Encyclopedia, “Basketball China” and “Yao Ming” in Sports Around the World: History, Culture and Practice.
