Division of Undergraduate Studies logo with the Penn State mark

2013-14 Annual Report

Calendar at a Glance

Throughout the year, students, staff, and administrators within the Division of Undergraduate Studies accomplished notable goals, earned recognition for scholarly and academic achievements, and initiated projects and programming to benefit students as well as inform advising policies and practices at Penn State and beyond.

 

2013

February

  • Global Engagement seminar available online
    • The Division of Undergraduate Studies recently hosted a scholarly professional development seminar on "Fostering Student Global Engagement through Academic Advising" and video recordings of the Nov. 30 sessions, along with presenter materials and program details, are now available at http://dus.psu.edu/advisers/global_engagement.html. [more]

March

  • Molly O'Malley, Orian Navat, and Katherine Rosko earn the 2013 Division of Undergraduate Studies Award for Exploratory Students
  • Shivam Hemnani receives the 2013 Joyce Buck Division of Undergraduate Studies Award

April

  • Jeff Sechler joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

May

  • Victoria Garwood, Penn State Greater Allegheny Registrar receives University-wide award
    • Victoria Garwood, Penn State Greater Allegheny campus registrar was honored by Penn State University President Rodney Erickson on May 10 as a recipient of the University Staff Advisory Council Award for 2013. (more)
  • Gail Kamon, DUS programs coordinator, College of Engineering, retires

August

  • Smith appointed Penn State's associate dean for advising and the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies
    • Penn State has appointed David R. Smith as executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) and associate dean for advising, effective Sept. 1. (more)

September

  • Twelfth annual professional development conference on academic advising (Sept. 18)
    • "Updating the Advising Toolbox: Understanding the Complex Needs of Today’s Students” is the theme of the 12th annual professional development conference on academic advising, scheduled to take place Wednesday, Sept. 18, at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. [more]
  • Business Majors Night (Sept. 25)
    • The division hosted Penn State's fourth annual Business Majors Night for students interested in learning about University Park majors that focus on business. Students heard from representatives in the Smeal College of Business as well as the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Communications, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, Health and Human Development, Information Sciences and Technology, the Liberal Arts, and Eberly College of Science.
  • Tanja St. Pierre joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

October

  • DUS Open House: Parents & Families Weekend (Oct. 5)
    • Division advisers and Leadership Council members visited with parents and families of DUS students interested in learning about how advisers work with students, teach them to navigate University policies and procedures, and recommend co-curricular experiences.  
  • Redesigned Undergraduate Advising Handbook
    • The Division of Undergraduate Studies launched a new look this week for Penn State’s 35-year-old Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which now offers an accessible and responsive structure, new features and a contemporary, user-friendly interface. Located at http://handbook.psu.edu, the redesigned handbook … [more]
  • Katherine Garren joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

November

  • Sarah Ware joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

2014

January

  • Linda Higginson, assistant dean for advising, retires (Jan. 1)
  • Spring into Success! (Jan. 20 and 21)
    • Partnering with Penn State Learning, Career Services, the Libraries, and Counseling and Psychological Services offices, DUS sponsored “Spring into Success!” to provide students at academic risk with resources and contacts that can provide guidance and support as needed. Students experiencing or approaching academic difficulty (typically students with CGPAs below 2.5) received individual invitations/encouragement to attend.

February

  • MajorQuest: New look and features introduced
    • The Division of Undergraduate Studies released a newly designed version of MajorQuest last week to help Penn State students find majors that relate to their areas of interest. The new site at http://dus.psu.edu/students/majorquest introduces an improved interactive tool … [more]
  • Wendell Schwab joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

March

  • Lei Chen and Megan Roth earn the 2014 Division of Undergraduate Studies Award for Exploratory Students
  • Monica Hunter receives the 2014 Joyce Buck Division of Undergraduate Studies Award
  • Tim Radio earns Excellence in Advising Award
    • Timothy Radio, Division of Undergraduate Studies programs coordinator at Penn State Mont Alto, and Robert Rioux, Friedrich G. Helfferich Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering, have been selected to receive the 2014 Penn State Excellence in Advising Award. [more]

April

  • Diane Leos earns 2014 Staff Diversity Recognition Award
    • During annual ceremonies on April 15, Penn State's Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) awarded the 2014 Staff Diversity Recognition Award to academic adviser Diane Leos in recognition of her longstanding advocacy of student success and selfless contributions to Penn State's programming for diverse student populations. [more]

May

  • Academic Advising Portal launches
    • The Division of Undergraduate Studies recently introduced the Academic Advising Portal as Penn State’s new online gateway to academic advising information, tools and resources. The portal, at http://advising.psu.edu, replaces Advising @ PSU as the University’s one-stop, searchable source of academic policies and procedures and will help students locate what they need to plan and manage successful educational experiences. [more]

June

  • MinorQuest introduced
    • Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies launched a new online tool this summer to help students find academic minors that match their interests. MinorQuest at http://dus.psu.edu/students/minorquest guides students toward minors that focus on specific areas of study. [more]
  • Alyssa Bumbaugh joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

July

  • Kellie Scofield joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

August

  • International Student Ice Cream Social (Aug. 16)
    • As a welcome to the University, new first-year international students were invited to the Penn State Advising Ice Cream Social  on Saturday, August 16, 2:00–4:00 p.m., in front of Grange Building at University Park. Hosted by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, academic advisers from different colleges greeted students, answered questions, and helped to scoop Creamery ice cream for all.
  • LIz Agler, Courtney Karmelita, and Brian Petrosky join Division of Undergraduate Studies staff

September

  • Division of Undergraduate Studies hosts College Fair (Sept. 3)
    • Penn State’s first annual college fair takes place on the University Park campus from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, in East Halls (Johnston Commons). The fair will offer prizes, giveaways and information about majors as well as opportunities for new students to begin thinking about ways to relate their interests to what they can study at Penn State. [more]
  • Division of Undergraduate Studies staff retreat (Sept. 5)
    • Staff members convened at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center for team building, cross-cultural communications, and a service project.
  • Business Majors Night (Sept. 25)
    • The Division of Undergraduate Studies will host Penn State’s fifth annual Business Majors Night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in 110 Business Building, for students interested in learning about University Park majors that focus on business. [more]
  • Study Smarter, Not Harder (Sept. 23 and Oct. 15)

    • In collaboration with the College of Science, DUS co-sponsored “Study Smarter, Not Harder” help sessions for students seeking improvement or clarity in processing information at the college level, preparing for exams, and meeting academic expectations.

October

  • Thirteenth annual Professional Development Conference on Academic Advising Academic
    • “Advising Smarter: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications for Student Success” will take place 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. [more]
  • DUS Open House: Parents & Families Weekend (Oct. 11)
    • Parents, families, and students attended an open house in Grange Building during Parents & Families Weekend to meet academic advisers and students from the DUS Leadership Council. Advisers answered questions about the Penn State experience and discussed how students work with advisers to choose and qualify for majors.

November

  • Debby Pyatt joins Division of Undergraduate Studies staff