Penn College News

Five From Penn College Present at National Conference

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Five Pennsylvania College of Technology employees presented sessions recently at the 2007 American College Personnel Association/National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Joint Meeting in Orlando, Fla.

ACPA and NASPA are the two primary professional organizations for student affairs administrators; they sponsor a joint conference every 10 years. The theme for the 2007 conference was "Our Power and Responsibility to Shape Education."

Jill S. Landesberg-Boyle, vice president for student affairs (who is leaving Penn College to become president of Florida Keys Community College); Elliott Strickland, special assistant to the vice president for student affairs; and Chris E. Miller, Penn College Police chief, joined Darby Dickerson, vice president and dean of Stetson University College of Law, in presenting "Powered by the Facilitator Model: The Responsibility to Shape Off-Campus Outcomes."

The Facilitator Model, developed by Robert Bickel and Peter Lake, advocates for a balance between students' autonomy and an institution's responsibility to provide a reasonable level of support and control. The presenters described the experience of applying the model to guide efforts to shape student outcomes at Penn College.

Landesberg-Boyle; Mark A Paternostro, associate vice president for academic services; and Timothy J. Mallery, assistant director of residence life-housing operations coordinator, presented "Residence Hall Power: A Recipe to Save Students on Academic Probation."

The presenters described their experience in helping first-year students on academic probation return to good standing. The session addressed the power a residential coordinator may have in shaping measurable academic outcomes.