Mont Alto opens academic year with Founders Convocation

Campus leaders welcome new students into Penn State family
Penn State Mont Alto Founders Convocation Faculty Procession

From left, Drs. Francis Achampong, Somjit Barat and Michael Doncheski lead the faculty during the 2015 Founders Convocation.

Credit: Debra Collins

Academic regalia, welcome speeches, recommendations and encouraging words opened Penn State Mont Alto’s 2015-2016 academic year during the annual Founders Convocation ceremony in the Multipurpose Activities Center on Aug. 22.

Penn State Mont Alto students Marissa Bubbenmoyer and Taryn Sloat opened and closed the ceremony with the singing of the national anthem and the Penn State Alma Mater, respectively.

Diane Chamberlin, director of enrollment, presented the incoming class. She said, “Whether you are here as a 17-year-old, first-year student or as a 45-year-old adult returning to school for the first time in what seems like forever, a Penn State education will provide you the opportunity to have personal and academic success. A Penn State degree will open doors to new and exciting experiences throughout your life.”

She said the class is a “melting pot of diversity, coming from all lifestyles and family heritages.”

Students from the class hail from California, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, Pennsylvania, China and Peru.

“While many of you are strangers to each other today, you are officially Penn State family from this moment forward,” she said.

Serving as the 2015 Convocation speaker was Thomas Glumac, retired senior instructor in physical therapy and recipient of the 2015 Martha A. Fisher Award for Excellence in Teaching. He asked the students to be engaged learners and to accept the responsibility of taking an active part in their education.

Welcoming the class was Joshua Gallagher, student government president and Dr. Francis Achampong, chancellor, who stressed that Penn State Mont Alto faculty and staff are committed to the students’ success. Dr. Somjit Barat, associate professor of marketing and coordinator of International and Intercultural Programs, introduced members of the faculty and described the meaning of academic regalia.

Dr. Michael Doncheski, director of academic affairs, closed the ceremony by asking the students to ascribe to the Penn State Values, take full advantage of University resources, attend class and ask for help when needed, and, finally, “Have fun!”