News
ploog receives internatioanl achievement award
Randy Ploog (’96 Ph.D. Art History), coordinator of international programs for the College of Arts and Architecture, has received the 2006–07 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award for staff. This award recognizes individuals at Penn State who make extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the international mission of the University.
According to one nominator, Ploog is the “internationalization champion” for the College of Arts and Architecture. “I cannot imagine anyone having more impact on broad-ranging international efforts than Randy Ploog,” the nominator wrote.
As coordinator of international programs, Ploog is the college’s liaison with Penn State’s Education Abroad office and serves on two Education Abroad advisory committees. He advises students on study-abroad programs and consults with faculty and unit heads regarding the creation of new programs for the college. Through classroom visits and a variety of promotional events, Ploog makes students in the college aware of the educational benefits of an international experience.
In 2003, Ploog chaired the committee charged with designing the college’s international arts minor. He is now the advisor for the minor and currently teaches its foundation course. Because he strives to use the arts to pique students’ interest in other cultures, he requires students in his class to attend performance events.
Ploog has organized college-related activities, such as recitals and exhibitions, for International Education Week and Penn State’s Global Connections. He also recently advised the Dialog Forum, an inter-faith student association, on two events on campus: a performance by the Whirling Dervishes and a concert by Omar Faruk Tekbilek, an internationally renowned world music group.
Ploog has chaired sessions at regional and national conferences of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators. He will chair a session on the teaching of culture through the arts at the NAFSA annual conference in late May. –FWM
University of florida administrator to assume dean post
Barbara O. Korner, currently associate dean for academic and student affairs in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has been named dean of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture, effective June 1. She replaces Richard W. Durst, who left in July 2006 to assume the presidency of Baldwin-Wallace College. Yvonne Gaudelius, associate dean for undergraduate studies and outreach in the College of Arts and Architecture, has been serving as interim dean.
“I’m thrilled to lead and serve the excellent faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State,” Korner says. “They have built robust programs in the design, visual and performing arts. Together we will continue to develop collaborative and cutting-edge opportunities for students who will lead the way for arts-based research, education and outreach in the 21st century.”
According to Rodney Erickson, Penn State executive vice president and provost, Korner’s proven leadership skills and diverse experience will help to continue the strong positive momentum of the college, which already enjoys national recognition for the quality of its programs. “Her track record for collaboration across university disciplines and with the greater community will enhance the experiences and opportunities available to Penn State students,” he adds.
Korner has been at the University of Florida since 2000, including a year’s service as interim dean of the College of Fine Arts. She has been responsible for a broad portfolio of programming, including curriculum development for undergraduate and graduate education, student recruitment and retention, academic advising, strategic and fiscal management, fundraising, and an array of partnerships with other universities and communities in the Gainesville region.
At the University of Florida, Korner is professor of theatre and has maintained an active role as a performing artist and teacher in solo performance work. She previously served as dean of fine and performing arts at Seattle Pacific University and chief of staff to the chancellor of the University of Missouri–Columbia, in addition to positions at Ohio University and Mid-America Nazarene College.
Korner, whose research focuses on ethnic women’s voices, holds an interdisciplinary fine arts doctorate from Ohio University, a master’s degree in theatre performance and bachelor’s degree in theatre production. She has directed and performed in numerous theatre/touring shows featuring women’s historical voices, and has published a book (Hardship and Hope: Missouri Women Writing About Their Lives) and papers on women’s writings and other topics. She has also presented many workshops and seminars during her career. Korner is a member of several professional organizations, and currently is co-director of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Leadership Institute for theatre faculty, chairs and deans. –AMM
music education e-portfolio update
The music education e-Portfolio initiative at Penn State, which began five years ago as a tool to showcase graduating music education students to prospective employers, has quickly gained momentum and was even praised by the University Learning and Assessment Committee in a recent report to the Board of Trustees.
According to Norene Ferris, coordinator of the music education student teaching program, and Linda Thornton, assistant professor of music education, the e-Portfolio process now emphasizes assessment FOR learning rather than assessment OF learning.
The process was initially developed to showcase a student’s work to prospective employers, but it has now become a tool in preparing the students for a life in teaching.
While education e-Portfolio programs at other universities tend to use a standard format to demonstrate how students fulfill requirements for certification, Ferris notes the Penn State music education faculty has opted to keep the process flexible and personalized, thus allowing students to be more creative with technology and better illustrate their personalities and goals. “Forcing the students to conform to a set ‘package’ seems contrary to the nature of themselves as artists,” says Ferris.
Some students have made unexpected connections through their e-Portfolios. Nathan Reed, who student taught during spring 2007, included a study guide for a piece of music in his e-Portfolio. He later discovered that the composer linked from his own Web site to Reed’s e-Portfolio, citing the study guide as a tool to aid students preparing that piece of music. “The community involved with e-Portfolios is unexpected and encouraging for our direction in the future,” notes Ferris.
For more detailed information on the music education e-Portfolio program, visit www.artsandarchitecture.psu.edu/news/2007/mar/19_musicefolio.html. –FWM
