Abington students discovered the fundamentals of the design process from art instructor H. John Thompson (second from left). They created a replica of a World War II warship famous for its unusual camouflage and launched it into the campus pond.
ABINGTON, Pa. — Penn State awarded promotions to 11 Penn State Abington faculty members for commitment to academic excellence last week.
Eight faculty earned tenure and promotion to associate professor:
- Friederike Baer, history
- Jacob Benfield, psychology
- Steven Bloomer, biology
- Lisa Chewing, corporate communication
- Matthew Fury, mathematics
- Les Murray, biology
- Fran Pahlevani, mathematics
- Pierce Salguero, Asian history and religious studies
Jake Benfield (left) develops innovative devices such as using "The Walking Dead" TV show to teach psychological phenomenon involving neuroscience, leadership, group processes, and trauma.
Three faculty earned promotion to full professor:
- Kevin Cannon, chemistry
- Shruti Gupta, marketing
- Manohar Singh, finance
Shruti Gupta, professor of marketing at Abington, left, researched consumer behavior in India during a recent sabbatical.
The University named Linda Patterson Miller a Distinguished Professor of English at Abington. Miller spent the 2011-12 academic year as the Penn State laureate, sharing her expertise in communities throughout the state. The title recognizes a select group of professors with exceptional teaching, research and service accomplishments.
Binh Le, associate librarian at Abington, earned the University Libraries Diversity Award. He spent the last academic year as a prestigious and highly competitive University Administrative Fellow and as an Academic Leadership Program Fellow through the Committee on Institutional Collaboration.
Penn State Abington education majors partner with schools in economically challenged areas to distribute books and assist in classrooms. Instructor Ann Martinelli said supporting elementary students holistically leads to better learning outcomes.
The Abington College Faculty Senate presented awards to:
- Karen Weekes, English, Outstanding Teacher (tenure-track)
- Ann Martinelli, education, Outstanding Teacher (instructor/lecturers)
- Liliana Naydan, English, Outstanding Advisor/Mentor
- Pierce Salguero, Asian history and religious studies, Scholar Award
- H. John Thompson, art, Distinguished Faculty Service
- Rabbi Howard Bogot, Jewish studies, Special Recognition Award
