Clarion University is taking its “Confident in Our Commitment to Education” campaign on the road as part of the Road Scholars Tour, May 12-14. Dr. Karen M. Whitney, president, and Dr. Ronald Nowaczyk, provost and academic vice president, as well as Clarion faculty and administrators, will visit seven high schools in Clarion, Venango, Butler and Allegheny counties.
“This tour will be an opportunity for Clarion to talk with and listen to administrators at area school districts,” Whitney said. “We want to hear about the challenges schools face and what we can do to help. The primary area of discussion will be about the quality of teacher preparation.”
The tour will include meetings with administration teams at the following school districts: Butler, Clarion Area, Clarion-Limestone, Mars, Quaker Valley, Upper St. Clair and West Mifflin.
Groups from each school district will give a short presentation on the challenges they face.
“We hope to learn more about how we can help the people and communities in the area with thoughtful, open discussion and mutual problem-solving,” Nowaczyk said.
The team will also meet with Intermediate Unit 3 and Intermediate Unit 2 administration teams and the director of the Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality.
The tour will complement a current campaign that includes billboards, newspaper ads, television ads and related marketing that began earlier this year. The latest television ad features alumnus Dr. Patrick O’Toole (’79), superintendent at Upper St. Clair School District and 2012 Superintendent of the Year by Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.
The following Clarion faculty will join the president and the provost as part of the tour: Dr. Peggy Apple (education), Dr. Cahndice Matthews (education), Dr. John McCullough (education), Dr. Karl Sprenger (education), Dr. Amy Conner Love (special education and rehabilitative sciences), Dr. Rich Lane (English) and Dr. Colleen McAleer (speech pathology).
The following administrators will also be a part of the tour: Ann Jamison (assistant to the president), Ray Puller (interim dean, College of Education and Human Services) and Juanice Vega (assistant to the dean, College of Business Administration).
Clarion University is the high-achieving, nationally recognized, comprehensive university that delivers a personal and challenging academic experience.