Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 48m

“The more we can engage with our partners and alumni across Pennsylvania, the stronger our pathways will be for students and for the preservation of history itself.” —Professor Allen Dieterich-Ward, Shippensburg University

Shippensburg University leads Historic Preservation Workforce Summit

On September 29th, 2025 Shippensburg University lead the inaugural Historic Preservation Workforce Summit in Harrisburg.

news.ship.edu

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 2h

“I am very honored to help endow this scholarship, which was founded by MU alumni. Having grown up on a farm in rural Illinois, I knew what it was like to find the funds to attend college.” —Retired Commonwealth University-Mansfield Professor Peggy Dettwiler

Celebrating the Legacy of Peggy Dettwiler

“This is Peggy Dettwiler’s legacy, and it will reverberate throughout eternity,” exclaimed Jason Strunk ’97 as a mass of alumni, students, colleagues, and community members inside Straughn Auditorium…

www.commonwealthu.edu

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 4h

Congratulations to Associate Professor Brian Trout, Educator of the Year at Millersville University:

Accounting Professor Wins Educator of the Year Award - Millersville News

Alumnus and associate professor Dr. Brian Trout was named Millersville's 2025 Educator of the Year for his work with accounting students.

blogs.millersville.edu

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APSCUF @apscuf.org · 20h

"In this sense, our students are all doing primary research in the field, trying to discover those aspects of history that are not in the history books." —Professor Timothy Trussell, Millersville University

Millersville University students discover remains of one of Lancaster's first taverns

Student archaeologists and a professor from Millersville University discovered remains from what could be Lancaster County's first tavern around Marietta.

www.fox43.com

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 22h

Kristen Nicholson, women's lacrosse head coach at Kutztown University, received a 2025 Kristina Quigley Memorial Scholarship from Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association: www.iwlca.org/news_article...

IWLCA Names Miller, Nicholson as 2025 Kristina Quigley Scholarship Recipients

Photos courtesy of Kutzown Athletics and Robert Morris Athletics. Pictured Left: Kristen Nicholson, Right: Renee Miller

www.iwlca.org

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 1d

"The treadmill of technology explains this endless push for outsourcing." —Professor Albert Fu, Kutztown University

jacobin.com/2025/09/univ...

Universities Are Selling Themselves Off Piece by Piece

American higher ed has become a mesh of corporate contracts and outsourced services. From dining halls to student records, private vendors now run many institutions’ most basic operations — atomizing ...

jacobin.com

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 1d

Congratulations to Associate Professor Margaret Mbindyo, inaugural recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Service Award at Millersville University.
blogs.millersville.edu/news/2025/10...

Outstanding University Faculty Service Award: Dr. Margaret Mbindyo - Millersville News

Longtime faculty member Dr. Margaret Mbindyo received the first-ever Outstanding Faculty Service Award for her support of at-risk students.

blogs.millersville.edu

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 1d

“I see the new forensic science program as a way to introduce students to forensic sciences ... and see if this type of work is a good fit for them." —Associate Professor Andrea Palmiotto, IUP

www.thepenn.org/news/iup-exp...

IUP expands STEM opportunities with addition of forensic science major

This fall, IUP’s Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences introduced the new forensic science major. The program focuses on three specializations: applied crime scene investigation,…

www.thepenn.org

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 1d

“Having a facility like this provides a space for the teams to advance their skills, but really, it’s a lab for people to work on those transferrable skills." —Associate Professor Seth Jenny, Slippery Rock University

SRU plugs students into new esports facility – SRU News

Esports aren’t all fun and games at Slippery Rock University. Well, it might be mostly fun and games,…

news.sru.edu

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 4d

"IUP associate head coach Adam Stoner ran the meet with steady authority. ... His presence ensured the meet felt both professionally run and personally warm." —The Penn

SWIM: Alumni meet tradition brings generations together

Legacy carries weight beyond the present moment. On Friday, the IUP swimming and diving teams opened their pool to former athletes for the Alumni Swim Meet, an annual Homecoming ritual.

www.thepenn.org

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 4d

“I say in the beginning of the book that gender is complex, but not so complex that we can’t understand it. Let’s make it simple.” —Professor Emily Keener, Slippery Rock University

Keener illuminates the complexity of gender in new book – SRU News

A Slippery Rock University psychology professor invites readers to see gender in all its depth and diversity through…

news.sru.edu

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 4d

“When I was a kid, my mom would take these night classes at the local community college, and there was a Mastodon skeleton in the lobby, and I would read a book or make drawings… while she was taking her classes. ... ” —Associate Prof. Kristopher Benedict, West Chester U.

Woolly Mammoth: An Artful Exploration of Time – The Quad: Student News Service of WCU

Image Credits: Emily Rutz

wcuquad.com

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 4d

"If you don’t support us, how can we grow?” —Professor Karl Lorenz, Shippensburg University

The anthropology program at SU draws to a close as Professor Karl Lorenz prepares for retirement

The Shippensburg University Sociology and Anthropology Department will undergo a major change following the spring 2026 semester as the only professor of anthropology, Karl Lorenz, will be retiring…

www.theslateonline.com

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APSCUF @apscuf.org · 4d

“This is another reason why I believe that literacy needs to be taught to students, teachers and the general public alike. It’s important to know your source,” West Chester University Assistant Professor Sara Holland Levin tells The Quad: wcuquad.com/6024431/op-e...

AI: Some Things To Consider – The Quad: Student News Service of WCU

wcuquad.com

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 5d

" ... Our collective power carries a responsibility — not only to defend our institutions from sustained political and economic attacks, but to advance a bold, collective vision of higher education as a democratic, accessible and transformative public good." — AFT/AAUP

www.aft.org/HigherEdBene...

Higher Education: Saving Lives, Building Futures, Powering the Economy

www.aft.org

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 5d

"Higher education matters," East Stroudsburg University Professor Bonnie Green says in this advocacy message. Watch the full video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTrK... @aaup.org @aft.org @eaststroudsburgu.bsky.social

Will the U.S. Continue to Lead the World in Higher Education?

YouTube video by AFT

www.youtube.com

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 6d

“Empathy is not agreement; it’s believing in the humanity of other people. We must see each other as fellow human beings.” —Professor Gwendolyn Torges, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Professor Highlight: Dr. Torges cultivates 'civic empathy'

Dr. Gwendolyn Torges has been a political science professor at IUP for 28 years, but her journey to get here brought her across the country and multiple disciplines.

www.thepenn.org

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 6d

"I also tell students that developing relationships with your professors is so important because they are the ones that are helping to guide you." —Associate Professor Christine Pease-Hernandez, Slippery Rock University

Get to know your professors - The Rocket

The transition to college is exciting, challenging, confusing, stressful and eye-opening. Building relationships and finding your place in a new community are two incredibly difficult things to ask…

www.theonlinerocket.com

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 7d

"I am not the least bit surprised that when you have multiple dead bodies in the same body of water showing up, that multiple people in town are going to go, ‘oh, there’s a pattern.'" —Professor Robert Spicer, Millersville University

How news of Houston bayou deaths sparked a serial killer conspiracy theory | Houston Public Media

City leaders have noted 2025 is on track to have fewer dead bodies found in local bayous than last year. Some Houstonians still believe there’s more to the story.

www.houstonpublicmedia.org

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 8d

“By supporting a generation of academically talented students, the project creates a direct pipeline of data science professionals and establishes IUP as a data science hub ... " —Professor John Chrispell, IUP

$2M NSF grant to to launch data science scholarship program

This September, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $2 million to IUP to assist financially challenged students pursue degrees in data science.

www.thepenn.org

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 8d

“Because of ChatGPT, people assume that AI is just a chatbot, but AI is much broader." —Professor Sam Thangiah, Slippery Rock University

Thangiah explains impact of AI and how SRU is preparing students – SRU News

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way the world works — and Slippery Rock University is ensuring its graduates…

news.sru.edu

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APSCUF @apscuf.org · 8d

Mark your calendar for upcoming sessions of Science on Tap, a series led by West Chester University professors.

Science on Tap - WCU of PA

Address: Office of the Dean College of the Sciences and Mathematics Anderson Hall, Room 320 725 S. Church St West Chester, PA 19383

www.wcupa.edu

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APSCUF @apscuf.org · 10d

Leading a session about meet-and-discuss are, from left, Clarion Chapter President Dr. Mark Kilwein, West Chester Chapter President Dr. Chris Stangl, Past Lock Haven Chapter President Dr. Peter Campbell, State Vice President Dr. Kara Laskowski, and Mary Rita Duvall, APSCUF’s head of labor relations.

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 10d

APSCUF labor-relations directors, from left, Sara Miller, Josh Grubbs, and Julie Reese conduct a session about filing a grievance.

APSCUF @apscuf.org · 10d

APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash provides an overview of the State System to kick off the second day of APSCUF’s Leadership Institute.