March 26, 1999
SHIPPENSBURG PROFESSOR RECEIVES TEACHING AWARD
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
A psychology professor at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is the second recipient of the Suzanne Brown Excellence in Teaching Award presented by the Pennsylvania Society for Teaching Scholars (PASTS).
Dr. Kenneth France, long-time editor of the Psi High Newsletter and the first recipient of the Salute to Teaching award at Shippensburg University in 1990, won the award named for the former associate vice chancellor of the State System of Higher Education.
France is a “highly organized, academically challenging and resourceful teacher,” wrote Dr. Mary Dugan of Immaculata College in a letter supporting his nomination. Dugan works in the chemistry department at Immaculata and is associate chair of PASTS.
The Psi High Newsletter helps encourage high school students to become interested in the field of psychology. France has served as editor of the newsletter for more than 20 years. He also has written two textbooks on psychological intervention and has conducted numerous workshops and has written various articles on effective forms of college teaching.
Outside of his regular classroom, France has trained suicide prevention trainers for the Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research at Shippensburg since 1988. He has trained nearly 100 individuals who each year offer suicide prevention training to hundreds of staff members in youth development centers, secure treatment facilities and youth forestry camps.
The Suzanne Brown Award was established to recognize the former System official for “her steadfast commitment to teaching and learning in higher education throughout the state of Pennsylvania.” It is presented annually to a faculty member based on criteria that include demonstrated influence in getting students interested in their field of study, development of effective teaching methods and “outstanding performance as a classroom teacher.” To be considered for the award, a teacher must be nominated by a member of PASTS, which includes graduates of the Summer Academy for the Advancement of College Teaching.
The State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, offering more than 215 undergraduate and more than 100 graduate degree programs. Nearly 350,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh.