Tag: education

Retired faculty members add perspective to Behrend’s 75th anniversary celebration

Published on by Behrend BlogLeave a comment

By Robb Frederick, Associate Director, News & Information

Penn State Behrend

Behrend faculty, 1968-69

The yearlong celebration of Penn State Behrend’s 75th anniversary has been an opportunity to reflect on the growth of the college and the contributions of those who helped make Behrend what it is today.

With help from Rod Troester, associate professor emeritus of speech communication, we have collected stories and life lessons from retired faculty members who remember a very different Behrend. Here are some of their reflections:

“I never looked at my time at Behrend as ‘work.’ I felt comfortable slipping into my office in the evening or on weekends in my slippers, often bringing my dog, Ginger, with me for company.

bob-tauber-emeritus (Copy)

“I took advantage of the swimming pool and the ski slope behind the Otto Behrend Science building. I recall my daughter, Rebecca, then just a youngster, proudly coming over from the swimming pool to my office and informing me that she was able to swim two lengths of the pool. This entitled her to be on the forward deck of our sailboat.

“I loved teaching, and doing so at Behrend. I found it a joy to go to work each day.”

~ Robert Tauber, professor emeritus, education

**************************

“I remember traveling with Dean Baldwin and students to the College English AssociationGreg Morris (copy) conference in Pittsburgh, where we shared an elevator with John Updike. We also went to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, where we saw Christopher Plummer perform the title role in ‘King Lear”; and to the PEN International conference in Toronto, where I had a conversation about melons with Arthur Miller in an open-air market.

“None of this would have happened without the help of the terrific Behrend community of faculty, staff and students.”

~ Greg Morris, professor emeritus, American literature and English

**************************

“I was hired in 1968. My husband, Ben Scott, taught in the Physics department. He was hired the same year I was and retired in 1988.Mary Chisholm (copy)

“I was a chemist. During my 36-year tenure at Behrend, I saw the college develop from a two-year feeder institution to University Park to a flourishing, four-year campus.

“I retired in 2004. I stay in touch with the chemists, and with a few other faculty members in the School of Science.”

~ Mary Chisholm, professor emerita, chemistry

**************************

“I was hired in 1970. That makes me second-generation Behrend Center faculty, but first-Dan Frankforter (copy)generation Behrend College faculty. I was part of the crowd of newbies hired that year to staff the four-year majors that were to make Behrend a baccalaureate-granting institution.

“There was little to work with at the time. Some of us joked that launching the college was like an old Mickey Rooney—Judy Garland movie: ‘Gee, kids, let’s put on a show in the barn.’ But Behrend provided a wonderful and unique opportunity for a career. In an age of academic retrenchment, Behrend bucked the trend and gave us a shot at a much more exciting and fulfilling project. It’s growing success is an achievement well worth celebrating.”

~ Dan Frankforter, professor emeritus, history

The Music Man Takes a Bow: After 25 years, Dr. Gary Viebranz, will retire in June

Published on by Behrend BlogLeave a comment

By Heather Cass, Publications Manager, Penn State Behrend

PXL_20240416_235733498
Dr. Gary Viebranz, professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles, at Penn State Behrend.

Music is as close to time travel as humans can get. Hearing a particular song can transport you to your early childhood dancing in the kitchen with your mom, to your first solo drive after getting your license, to your high school prom, to the day you buried a loved one.

“Music is a visceral thing that can actually cause changes to our body chemistry,” said Dr. Gary Viebranz, professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles, which includes jazz, concert, and pep bands. “It can make us happy or provide an outlet for pain or grief. Some songs are forever burned into our memories. I can remember songs that I played when I was seven years old.”

And, yes, he has been making music since he was a child. Viebranz got his first instrument—a paper-headed drum set—for his fourth birthday. By six years old, he was playing the trumpet.

“It came somewhat naturally to me, and I practiced a lot because I enjoyed it, so work ethic was easy for me to find,” he said.

Fortunately, he had parents who encouraged his musical inclinations as he grew up in Strongsville, Ohio.

He knew early on that he wanted to be a music teacher. For several years after college, he taught music at the high school level in the Cleveland area. A return to graduate school opened his eyes to the possibility of teaching college students.

“Crazy as it can be at times, teaching at the collegiate level is much calmer and more predictable than public high school,” he said.

He joined Behrend in July 1999 and will retire in June, after his twenty-fifth year. We sat down with Viebranz to learn more about music education, his career, and his post-retirement plans.

Can anyone learn to play an instrument?

Yes, but it takes more persistence than some people want to put into it. It’s never too late, though.

How many instruments can you play today, and what is your favorite?

Tuba, baritone, trombone, and bass guitar. Tuba is my first love and my go-to.

Is there an instrument you want to learn in retirement?

There are things I’d like to play around with, like my theremin, which is an electronic instrument that you don’t actually touch, and I’d like to get back to playing bass guitar again.

Not everyone who participates in a band wants to be a musician, so why do you think students make time for it?

The point of music education isn’t to have a career in music. It’s to spawn creative thinking and to make something abstract into something you can hear and feel. Also, it can serve a lot of purposes in a person’s life. It can be a way to escape or grieve or relax or find joy or relieve stress.

What is your most memorable teaching moment?

To be honest, it wasn’t a positive one, but I think it’s worth sharing. In a general education music class, I shared something interesting that was outside the curriculum of the class and said, “That won’t be on the test, though,” and a student asked, “Then why are you wasting our time?” I was shocked by the idea this student had that because something wouldn’t be on the exam, it wasn’t important or worth knowing.

What other changes have you noticed in teaching for twenty-five years?

It’s become harder to find inroads into students’ mindsets, to widen the focus and have them entertain the idea that there is not always a single solution or result, but that there can be many ways to achieve an expected result.

One of your most popular classes was about the Beatles. What did you cover?

We studied everything from pre-Beatles to Beatlemania and on though the group’s breakup. They recorded thirteen commercial albums, which made it easy to set up the course by covering one album each week through the semester.

Music at Noon, which you also directed, is one of the college’s most enduring musical traditions. How did you get involved?

The program had been going on for ten years when I came to Behrend. Several years later, I said I would do it for a year, and here we are. It’s been going strong for thirty-four years. I have been involved for seventeen of them.  And, yes, it will continue after me.

Are there any Music at Noon performances that stick out in your memory?

In their own way, they have all been memorable. You have to live each concert in the moment. One of the unique things about the program is that it draws an all-ages audience, from Erie City elementary school children to college students to older community members.

What would people be surprised to find on your Spotify playlist?

Well, you might be surprised to know that I don’t have Spotify. That said, I have eclectic musical tastes. I’m open to listening to anything, and I don’t worry about labels. Of course, I enjoy the music of my youth, things that were popular in the mid- to late-1980s, the most.

What will you miss most about Behrend?

The people: Many students, staff, and faculty members become like family.

PXL_20240417_000812930
Dr. Gary Viebranz, professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles, conducting his final Concert Band performance at Penn State Behrend in April 2024.

VITAL STATS AND PARTING THOUGHTS

Family: Wife, Mari; Daughters, Sofia, 26, and Elizabeth, 23.

First concert: “My older sister took me to see John Denver at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, when I was young.”

Perfect song: “I don’t know that perfection exists because it’s an arbitrary measure. Perfect presents itself in the moment when the right song comes on at the right time.”

A song he will always sing along with: “’Jar of Hearts’ by Christina Perri. I love to blast it in the car and harmonize along.”

Non-music hobbies: “I love to bike, kayak, and travel.”

Retirement plans: “My wife is still working, and she loves her job, so I’ll be in Erie for the foreseeable future. There are some passions I’d like to revive, like singing, bowling, and fishing.”

PXL_20240417_000904316

Standout Seniors: Meet Hannah Olanrewaju (Mechanical Engineering)

Published on by Behrend BlogLeave a comment

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2024 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and all that they have learned and accomplished here at Behrend. Over the next several weeks, we will introduce you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have engaged in college life in a big way, conducted valuable research, pioneered innovations, and overcome challenges during their time at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Hannah Olanrewaju:

Hannah Olanrewaju 5

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hometown: Erie

Scholarships: D. Schreyer Renaissance Scholarship, Gerald Bayles Memorial Scholarship, Bunton Waller Scholarship, Mead Family Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, Chancellor Award Scholarship, and Society of Distinguished Alumni Trustee Scholarship.

On choosing Behrend: Penn State has always been a large part of my family: All my immediate family as well as two uncles have chosen Penn State. I always wanted to follow in their footsteps and felt that Behrend was the campus that best fit my needs because of the size, location, and great engineering programs.

On choosing her major: I chose to pursue mechanical engineering because it allows me to combine my academic strengths with my creativity through a broad study of topics and applications. The variety of skills I have learned allow for career flexibility, which gives me the opportunity to better explore my interests.

Her proudest accomplishment at Behrend: During the fall semester of my junior year, my term GPA fell to a 3.02, which is below the Schreyer Honors College requirement of a 3.40. The following semester, I worked diligently and earned a 3.54 for the spring of 2023. During this time, I had to prove to myself that I could overcome my academic obstacles and doing so has been my proudest accomplishment during my time here.

Campus involvement: I was a Lion Scout campus tour guide and a peer mentor for a group of five students in the STEM Leaders Program. I was also a member of the Schreyer Honors College and the Behrend Honors Program.

Awards and recognitions: In my first year, I received the Division of Undergraduate Studies Award.

What makes her unique: I love exploring different styles of music and playing instruments. From elementary to high school, I played the upright bass in the school orchestra. Currently, I enjoy playing the piano and the ukulele.

What you might be surprised to know about her: I can conversationally speak and understand Mandarin. My mom is Taiwanese, and she taught my sister and me the language when we were young.

Advice for first-year students: Get involved! The more you engage with campus life, the more likely you are to make friends, define and then refine your career goals, experience leadership opportunities, and have fun. Also, it really helps to do your homework early enough that you have time to ask the professor questions if you need to. Lastly, it is important to find a balance of school, work, and fun.

Parting thoughts: I would like to thank my mom, sister, stepdad, and friends for supporting me during college. I truly could not have done it without them!

After her graduation in May, Hannah plans to work in her field, and possibly pursue a Master of Business Administration degree.

Political Science student published in Wall Street Journal

Published on by Behrend BlogLeave a comment

By Heather Cass, Publications Manager, Penn State Behrend

Eric O - WSJ contributor
Eric Oelhaf, Penn State Behrend Political Science major.

While at Penn State Behrend, Eric Oelhaf, a senior Political Science major, added something to his resume that few college students can claim: His work has been published in The Wall Street Journal.

In fact, he has had three pieces published in the WSJ’s “Future View” column, in which they invite undergraduate and graduate students to offer their opinion on current topics from Twitter’s rebranding to the future of the NFL to foreign policy to ChatGPT.

Oelhaf’s published essays address the topics of American support for aid to Ukraine; the U.S. border crisis, and why people don’t trust scientists anymore. He is in good company with students from such institutions as Brown University, Harvard University, and West Point Academy.

We talked with Oelhaf, a State College native, to learn more about why he wanted to contribute, how he got published, and what he has gained from the experience.

How did you learn about “Future Views”?  

Dr. Maggie Shum, assistant professor of Political Science, mentioned it in a class that I took with her in the fall semester. Though it’s known to be a conservative publication, The Wall Street Journal said it was trying to provide a diversity of viewpoints in this feature.

Did you immediately contribute?

No. I looked at it as a national writing competition and decided that I was only going to contribute if I had something unique to say. I felt that would improve my odds of being selected. I was surprised that they printed the first one I submitted, which was the piece on the border crisis. The second one was the piece on why people don’t trust scientists.

Then you submitted one about aid for Ukraine?

Yes. That one was a strategic choice. I wanted to dispel myths that are prominent in conservative information spaces about the costs of sending aid to Ukraine. Of course, the reason to support Ukraine is that it’s the right thing to do. Russia has historically tried to eradicate the Ukrainian language and identity from existence since the times of the Russian Empire. And languages are a particularly important part of European political philosophy.

Does the newspaper edit the pieces?

The one on the border crisis is nearly identical to what I submitted, and those are really my thoughts on the matter. There was light editing on the Ukraine piece. But the trustworthiness of scientists’ piece was heavily edited. Looking back on that, I realize that was my fault.

How so?

I had tried to have a more in-depth discussion than what the 250-word-limit would allow, and I didn’t end up making a clear argument in what I originally submitted. The editor then rewrote some of it operating under the assumption that I was trying to critique the behavior of just the authority figures, which I wasn’t. It was a misunderstanding that I know now I could’ve prevented.

What has been the response to your work?

It’s interesting to read through the comments. I’ve learned that people will complain about anything unless your reasoning is airtight or in line with what they believe. I was called an elitist for providing context on the border crisis. Sometimes, readers will even complain that they are listening to college students, despite clicking on a column clearly labeled “Future View.”

What have you learned by reading the feedback?

It seems the current American news consumer is addicted to anger, and the media is more than happy to feed that addiction.

What other topics interest you?

I care most about what is happening in Ukraine and, as a result, I’m concerned about the current state of Congress. I’m also interested in artificial intelligence and the ways in which it’s being handled by our government.

What would people be surprised to know about your generation regarding politics?

My generation seems to care about efficacy to a greater degree than older ones. We want our politicians to be good at what they do. We don’t want them to continually take half measures on humanitarian crises cause by our allies, nor do we want them to spend six months trying to pass a budget.

What do you want to do after college?

I like foreign relations, so I may pursue a career in government in that field. I would certainly take a job in journalism, too, if I had the opportunity.

Oelhaf’s published pieces

Did you know?

Penn State faculty, staff, and students have access to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal at no cost through the Student News Readership Program. To take advantage of this program, you must register using your Penn State email. Learn more at Penn State’s Student Affairs website.

Standout Seniors: Meet Alexander Jackson (Mechanical Engineering)

Published on by Behrend BlogLeave a comment

Penn State Behrend’s Class of 2024 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and all that they have learned and accomplished here at Behrend. Over the next several weeks, we will introduce you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have engaged in college life in a big way, conducted valuable research, pioneered innovations, and overcome challenges during their time at Penn State Behrend.

alexander johnson2

Today, we’d like you to meet Alexander Jackson.

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hometown: Cochranton, Pennsylvania

Scholarships: Defrees Family Foundation Endowment, STEM Leaders Program Scholarship, Behrend Excellence Award, Commonwealth Campus First Year Award.

On choosing Behrend: While I was job shadowing in high school, I learned that many engineers in northwestern Pennsylvania graduated from Penn State Behrend. As I talked with more people and broadened my connections, I realized that Behrend graduates were all over the world, working for some of the biggest companies. This gave me the confidence to put my trust in Behrend.

On choosing his major: Mechanical Engineering is a broad major that has allowed me to learn about many different industries and find the best career path for me. I also like that mechanical engineers can have an impact on the world through the design, manufacturing, testing, and implementation of new technology and innovations.

Proudest accomplishment at Behrend: I’m proud of the internships and career opportunities I’ve obtained. I’ve met and worked with some incredible people and clients. I’ve also visited major tech companies and talked with engineers who are pushing the limits of engineering. These experiences are rewarding.

Campus involvement: STEM Leaders Program, Behrend Engineering Ambassadors, Men’s Volleyball player, Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

Awards: Evan Pugh Scholar Award, President Sparks Award, National College Athlete Honor Society, Academic All-Conference, Men’s Volleyball Sportsmanship and Leadership Award, Men’s Volleyball MVP.

Highest priority for the coming years: My highest priority is to continue to learn. Learning doesn’t stop when we walk across that stage at graduation. A desire to learn and grow fuels innovation and creativity.

Sports rank high, too: Outside of work and school, I’m very passionate about sports! I’m a huge Pittsburgh fan (Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates), and enjoy playing and watching all kinds of sports. I love to be active.

Advice for first-year students: Surround yourself with a good group of people because the friends you hang out with will have a great influence on you and your goals. But don’t worry if you don’t find this group right away. As you go through school, you’ll meet others who share your interests and match your energy.

Parting thoughts: I’d like to thank all the faculty and staff members at Behrend. They deserve a lot of credit for the contributions and impact they have on generations of students. So I’d like to give a shout out to all the employees who keep Behrend up-and-running every year.

After graduation, Alex plans to work as a design engineer in the Rotary Wing Group at Parker LORD in Erie.