News

• RMU's Department of Athletics will join the Horizon League next fall. In the Horizon League, the Colonials will compete in men's and women's soccer, volleyball, women's cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field, men's and women's basketball, men's golf and softball. The football team will join the Big South as an associate member next season. Read more here and here.

• Four special education majors, Zoe Kubitz, Mackenzie Timco, Breanna Vereshack and Anna Yurchak, were recipients of $5,000 scholarships on behalf of the RMU Trees Network. This network has been established to create a system of interconnections for families of children or young adults with intellectual disabilities.

• Three accounting majors were recently given national and state-wide accolades. 

  • Keyshawn Andress won the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts national scholarship

  • Nathan Mickey and Mikayla Mason are among the 2020 Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accounts state-wide merit scholarship winners

• RMU's BSN, MSN, DNP and postmaster's PMHNP certificate programs and tracks have all been re-accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). These actions by the CCNE Accreditation Board come after the fall 2019 on-site evaluation in Scaife Hall.

  "This achievement reflects the dedication of the faculty and staff who work tirelessly to make RMU nursing the very best," says Nadine Englert, associate dean of  the School of Nursing, Education and Human Studies. "Accreditation by CCNE is also an indication of the support of our university leadership team."

• Last week the Minuteman forgot to mention two RMU faculty members that co-authored articles with Karen Paulett that were published at the International Association for Computer Information Systems. In addition to Gary Janckenko, part-time faculty of CIS, and Frank Hartle, assistant professor of criminal justice, Paullet worked with RMU's Natalya Bromall, associate professor of CIS, and Diane Igoche, assistant professor of CIS.

  • Paullet, K., Nakama, D., Bromall, N., & Igoche, D. (2020). Broadening Participation of Rural Community College Transfer Students in STEM Degrees and Careers, Issues in Information Systems, Vol. 21, Issue 1, pp. 69-73, 2020

  • Janchenko, G., Paullet, K., & Hartle, F. (2020). Introducing the Deep and Dark Web Into Higher Education Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study, Issues in Information Systems, Vol. 21, Issue 1, pp. 141-146, 2020

• Congratulations to Sylvia Pamboukian, associate director of the University Honors Program, on receiving a National Collegiate Honors Council Portz grant. The project, titled “Accessibility and the Honors Communication Skills (HCS) Program” will revamp the university’s honors communication skills program. The grant is valued at $1,400.

• Vice President and Director of Athletics Chris King announced Wednesday that Bryan Delsite has been named head coach of the women's cross country and track & field programs. Named new head rowing coach was Carol Schoeneker, who succeeds Nelle Stahura. Stahura has been promoted to associate athletic director for compliance and student athlete development. 

• A total of 15 student-athletes from the rowing team were named 2020 scholar athletes by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA). Additionally, 22 members of the women's hockey team were named to the All-Academic Team by College Hockey America.

• All employees are invited to join the Colonial Coronavirus Corps—a group of volunteers composed of RMU students, faculty, staff, retirees and friends who stand ready to help the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) do the important work of contact tracing. No medical or health background is required. The work does not require any face-to-face contact. The training includes a free online course by Johns Hopkins University, a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) course, and training on the state risk management solution and mass notification system (SARA Alert). 

Editor's Note  -- The Minuteman now on its summer schedule, publishing every other Friday. The next Minuteman will come out on Friday, July 3.