East Stroudsburg University

Last spring, when the United States was preparing to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, East Stroudsburg University Dr. Sam Quainoo's public policy and administration class had a spirited discussion about the pros and cons of that controversial move.

Different majors, different goals, different stages in life. But mother and daughter Maria Ortiz-Cintron, 46, and Victoria Cintron, 22, from East Stroudsburg, have been in sync all the way through their college careers. Both will receive their ESU bachelor's degrees on December 15, Maria in communications and Victoria in Spanish. Both are Dean's List students who have won academic awards. And both are focused, motivated and determined to excel.

The East Stroudsburg University community welcomed students, faculty and staff to kick off the holiday season by signing ESU's Giant Holiday Card, a tradition now in its seventh year.

Musical pieces featuring variations on song-like forms will be highlighted in Songs for an Olden Season, the winter concert of East Stroudsburg University's Concert Band, Sunday, December 9 at 3 p.m. in Cecilia S. Cohen Recital Hall of the university's Fine & Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets, East Stroudsburg. The performance is open to the public at no cost.

Three graduate students studying biology at East Stroudsburg have each been recognized for their research. All three students work at ESU's Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory.

Karl O. Bohnenberger, a graduating senior majoring in physics from East Stroudsburg, Pa., was selected from a pool of student speaker candidates to serve as East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania's undergraduate student speaker for the winter commencement ceremony on Saturday, December 15, at 9:45 a.m. in Koehler Fieldhouse. Undergraduate student speaker candidates must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average entering the fall semester; a demonstrated record of service to the university community and a record of citizenship and cooperation; demonstrated evidence of meaningful extra/co-curricular involvement and must be in good academic standing.

Working is a musical that tells "the story of everyman and everywoman out there today!" explained William Mutimer, guest director of the November 14-18 production by East Stroudsburg University's Theatre Department. Based on the best-selling oral history by Studs Terkel, the book's subtitle, People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, describes the focus of the musical which paints a fascinating picture of the core human truths that transcend professions.

Dr. Daniel Greenstein, the fifth chancellor of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education, visited East Stroudsburg University on Friday, November 2 to talk to constituents about the opportunities and challenges facing the University and the State System. Chancellor Greenstein toured the ESU Innovation Center and met with ESU President, Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D.; vice presidents, academic deans, student leaders, faculty and staff leaders, and the ESU Council of Trustees. Chancellor Greenstein also held an open forum with the campus community and the community at large. Pictured: Dr. Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education meets with student leaders at ESU. First Row, left to right: Abigail Soto, Judaha Amoroso, Darian Cruz, and Francina Phillips. Standing, left to right: Levi Murphy, Dr. Daniel Greenstein, and Wendell Smallwood.

ESU students were recognized by the University's Council of Trustees (COT) during its public meeting on Thursday, November 29 for their quick action to provide both CPR and AED intervention to an individual who experienced sudden cardiac arrest during a workout in the Mattioli Recreation Center on September 11, 2018. The individual in need of medical attention was John Tobin, the evening help desk coordinator for computing and communications and husband of Dr. Doreen Tobin, vice president of student affairs. The immediate action of the students enabled EMT personnel to transport John to the hospital where he fought bravely for nearly two weeks before his passing on September 24. COT Chair Pat Ross '67 took the opportunity to personally thank the students and applaud their training in CPR and the use of AED equipment. Ross also applauded the University's recent decision to invest in additional AED equipment throughout campus in collaboration with the Gregory W. Moyer Defibrillator Fund organization.

East Stroudsburg University students who believe they have a great idea for a new business, or a goal to grow a business they've already started are encouraged to participate in the eighth annual Student Business Plan Competition sponsored by Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

Chelsea Bacon, a junior art + design major is the illustrator of a new children's book "The Colorful World of Emily: The First Day of School." Bacon will be at the author's book launch on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 1- 3 p.m. at Pocono Arts Council, 18 North Seventh St.

Students and faculty from East Stroudsburg University's departments of special education and rehabilitation and sport management are joining forces to put together the 2018 Monroe County Special Olympics Fall Invitational. The Special Olympics has been celebrated on ESU's campus for over thirty years. This year, an expected 400 athletes will come to campus to experience the games and events prepared for them by students in both departments. The Monroe County Special Olympics Fall Invitational will take place at East Stroudsburg University on Sunday, October 7, 2018 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Events will be held at Eiler-Martin Stadium, Koehler Fieldhouse, Mitterling Field, and the Koehler Fieldhouse quad, all on ESU's campus.

Stage II, East Stroudsburg University's student theater organization, selected Scott Z. Burn's contemporary drama, The Library, for their October 4-7 production because the group wanted to produce a play that would spark discussion.

As part of National Suicide Awareness Month East Stroudsburg University will welcome Send Silence Packing (SSP) to campus on Monday, September 24. Send Silence Packing is a nationally recognized traveling exhibition of hundreds of donated backpacks, representing the magnitude of college students lost to suicide each year. The backpacks will be on display from 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. on the Shawnee Quad. The rain location for this exhibit is Koehler Fieldhouse.

Jeremy Ketterer is a member of East Stroudsburg University's band, and he's on the Brian Hodge bandwagon. Hodge, hired as assistant professor of theatre at ESU, will also serve as ESU's band director.

East Stroudsburg University student Maureen Nseyep Patty is working for the state Department of Health as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

Geographical maps can give people the lay of the land and road maps tell them how to get to where they want to go. Now East Stroudsburg University has launched a project creating maps that show the places people in the Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg area care about.

Under a bright blue sky, more than two dozen students and faculty from China kayaked the Delaware River from the Kittatinny Point Visitors Center to Portland, Pa., guided by East Stroudsburg University students and staff last week.

Seven recent ESU graduates have gone through the rigorous application process, been invited to serve as cultural ambassadors in Spain and are very interested in attending beginning in September.

Two students represented East Stroudsburg University at the Leadership Institute for Undergraduate Women. The institute provides a forum for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to nurture the leadership potential of women students. The Institute was held at the Mount Asbury Retreat Center in Newville, Pa. June 3-7.

Six psychology students at East Stroudsburg University were recently inducted into Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology, during the psychology department's Biannual Research Forum held on April 24 in the Niedbala Auditorium of the Hoeffner and Science Technology Center. Psi Chi holds the distinction of being the largest student psychological organization in the world, having over 700,000 members. Its mission is to promote excellence in scholarship and to advance the science of psychology. The ESU chapter was founded in 1980 and since that time, hundreds of students have become members. Renee Boburka, Ph.D. and Irina Khusid, Ph.D., both associate professors of psychology, are the faculty advisers for this organization.

An East Stroudsburg University professor and his students are deeply involved in a project to ensure clean drinking water across four states by preserving 13,500 square miles of rivers and streams.

Three East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania students were selected to attend a program which seeks to help prepare and empower young women to be future leaders in the political process. The students attended the National Education for Women's (NEW) Leadership Pennsylvania institute at the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pa. from June 3 - 8. The NEW program is a six-day, concentrated curriculum for female students attending colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania. Participants learned about networking, public speaking, the need for women's leadership in the political process and participated in skills-building workshops.

East Stroudsburg University's Sport Management Club was the winner of Pocono Raceway's third annual Pocono College Tour. Four regional universities competed in the sports marketing contest to help promote the first NASCAR race of the season at Pocono Raceway. Teams developed marketing plans, completed surveys, worked with local businesses and planned an event to host Pocono Raceway for a day on their campus.

Once again faculty members at East Stroudsburg University are taking advantage of the summer months to give their students a hands-on learning experience that is different from anything they'll experience in the classroom.

A total of 1,621 students have been named to the Dean's List at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) for the Spring 2018 semester of the 2017-2018 academic year, according to Joanne Bruno, J.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. Students eligible for the Dean's List are those who have attained a 3.50 quality point average or better and are enrolled full-time. The letter grade "B" earns 3 quality points per credit, and the grade "A" earns 4 quality points per credit.

East Stroudsburg University's women's rugby sevens squad is set to join 15 club teams from across the country at the 2018 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship in Philadelphia this June.

The East Stroudsburg University Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, hosted its 43nd annual science honors banquet on April 27 at the Stroudsmoor Country Inn in Stroudsburg, Pa. At the banquet, Sigma Xi honored students from seven departments within the College of Arts and Sciences.

ESU students Zach Waldman and Samuel Neely won first place at the second Lehigh Valley Collegiate Business Pitch Summit on April 26. Their company Falchion Systems is an endpoint cybersecurity organization that protects companies' networks from social engineering attacks. The two computer science majors from Mechanicsburg, Pa., are taking poor user behavior out of the equation when it comes to computer security. With Falchion Systems' software, Bulwark, even if a computer user downloads harmful malware, it won't infect the operating system.

East Stroudsburg University student Raquel Sosa has been elected president of the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) of Active Minds, Inc. Sosa, a junior majoring in psychology from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., is also president of ESU's chapter of Active Minds. Active Minds, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization that empowers students to speak openly about mental health and combats stigma surrounding mental illness through different events and program initiatives. The SAC is comprised of 20 student leaders from the entire Active Minds chapter network of over 400 chapters. The SAC's primary role is to contribute the student voice to Active Minds' efforts and to advise national staff in the areas of student engagement, fundraising, program planning, and promotion. As the SAC president, Sosa will sit on the board of directors for the national organization and attend and participate in board meetings in Washington, D.C.