Faculty and Staff
Information technology specialist at the HelpDesk, Don Randolph keeps items on his desk that remind him that persistence pays off. Don keeps tavern puzzles on his desk. The object of these puzzles is to disentangle the cast iron pieces, which can be very much like solving technology problems at the HelpDesk. Don knows the preferred…
With the Thanksgiving holiday only a day away, I am thankful to share that on Thursday, Penn State’s accreditation was reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). With the news of the lifted ‘warning,’ Penn State President Rodney Erickson shared, “While the excellence of our educational programs was never in question, it…
Amy Dietz advises World Campus students in the Human Resources and Employment Relations Master of Professional Studies program. Having earned several Penn State degrees while working a full-time job at Penn State, Amy can identify with students’ challenges. We asked her to share some of her experiences and advice for students. You have a long…
Kim Tweedy, student communications specialist keeps a fun item on her desk that reminds her of a favorite hobby. Kim has been playing the bass for four years and was even in an all-female rock band. When she saw this bass-rocking Barbie at the toy store, she knew she needed it for her desk. Barbie’s…
Joe Stariha has a unique perspective of the World Campus HelpDesk experience—because he sees it from both sides. He graduated from Penn State World Campus in May, 2010, with an Associate’s Degree in Information Sciences and Technology, and was hired as a HelpDesk technician in October, 2011. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in…
Ashley Pipe, production specialist with the quality assurance team for Penn State World Campus Learning Design, keeps an important item on her desk to remind her of family. When Ashley was three and her sister was two months old, her parents ventured across the continent in a van from Alaska to Pennsylvania. As a family of four, they made the trek in only…
Instructional designer Penny Ralston-Berg keeps an old, dented cloth tape measure on her desk. It belonged to her great-great-grandfather, Charles Thomas Courson. Over the years, her grandpa Charley worked in construction, did yard work and maintenance for the doctors in town, donned a suit to work at the local bank, and even dug ditches for…
Multimedia specialist, Nikki Kauffman, has some very special people at her desk. Photos of her children including her son, Jude, who has an auditory processing problem, fill her work space. Learning about his challenges has enabled her to apply new techniques to online learning such as designing course videos, interactive components, and other features that…
Academic adviser Tim Balliett holds a special item that is new to his desk. This holiday season he received a model sailboat from a friend to thank him for teaching and reminding her how to adjust her own sails as she navigates the storms and waters of her own life’s journey. [contact-form 8 “On My Desk…
Matt’s “Peanut Counter.” Academic adviser Matt Rupert has many amazing things in his office. The one that gets the most attention is a piece of art that he calls the “Peanut Counter.” As soon as he saw it, he understood the joke since he has an economics and political background. He had such a good laugh…