Valley Views

Community Collaborations

Nursing Degree Program Announced

In April, LVC announced it would launch a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). The program will feature clinical experiences with partner organizations, including Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital, among others.

The College received initial approval from the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing to offer the degree beginning in Fall 2022. Prospective first-year undergraduate students can apply starting this summer. The new degree expands the College’s health professions offerings, which include athletic training, clinical mental health counseling, communication sciences and disorders/speech-language pathology, exercise science, sport performance, applied kinesiology, clinical exercise physiology, and physical therapy.

“LVC has an excellent track record of preparing highly skilled and compassionate healthcare professionals,” said Dr. James M. MacLaren, LVC president. “Our new program will address our region’s nursing shortage. LVC nurses will be inclusive, interculturally skilled, and committed to treating each patient as a unique individual.”

Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders

Students in the College’s Communication Sciences and Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology Program provided teletherapy sessions for patients this year during the inaugural opening of LVC’s Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders. Student clinicians work with clients aged 18 months to 33 years. The clinic plans to provide in-person therapy this fall if circumstances allow.

Student clinicians serve clients with a range of communication disorders, including those in need of augmentative or alternative communication, speech sound disorders, language disorders, and social language impairments. Clinical experiences prepare students for external placements in medical and school settings.

LVC Community Doubles Blanket Challenge Goal

President James MacLaren, Ph.D., challenged the LVC community to make 250 no-sew blankets for children who have experienced abuse. The Valley community responded by creating nearly 600 blankets to be donated to the Children’s Resource Center (CRC) of Harrisburg and Lebanon. CRC provides blankets to children to reduce trauma and aid in healing.

“It’s been heartbreaking to learn of the recent cases of severe child abuse in our Annville community,” said Dr. MacLaren. “Blankets provide direct comfort to children in need. They’re one small but meaningful way we can help. I asked the LVC community to join my wife, Gina, our daughters, and me in this effort.”

Alumni Accolades

(l. to r.): Darrell Duri ’22, Fatima Madondo ’22, Dr. JonnaLynn Mandelbaum ’69, and Shingirai Guchu ’21

Alumni Honored

LVC will honor seven alumni who distinguished themselves in their careers and communities during Homecoming Weekend in October. Dr. JonnaLynn Mandelbaum ’69 will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award for her international missionary and nursing career. She also will be recognized for establishing The Almond Tree Scholarship, which provides significant support for students from sub-Saharan Africa to attend LVC.

The scholarship’s first recipient, Shingirai Guchu ’21, graduated in May.

Dr. Eric Roden ’83, Marsha Curry-Nixon ’04, and Todd Snovel ’06 will receive Alumni Citations. A professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Roden has numerous publications and citations, and has earned several grants. Curry-Nixon, executive director of AMiracle4Sure Inc., is renowned for her work engaging with individuals after incarceration and being a strong supporter of LVC’s intercultural affairs work. Snovel, special assistant to the president and director of strategic initiatives at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, was named by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf as the nation’s first executive director of a Commission on LGBTQ Affairs in 2018.

Dr. Mary Olanich ’05 will receive the Young Alumni Award. A former LVC Fulbright Scholar to France, she is a researcher at the Frederick (Md.) National Laboratory for Cancer Research (see p. 9). Jasmine Bucher ’97, M’11, P’14, P’23 will be honored as the June Herr Educator of the Year for her theatrical instruction work with the Palmyra School District, fundraising, and community service initiatives. Rev. Carolyn Gillette ’82 will receive the Creative Achievement Award for her work as an internationally and nationally acclaimed hymn writer in response to significant events.

Philanthropy Transforms

Heilman and Sorrentino Enhancements

Join Mike Rhoades ’95 and Jason Zitter ’96 to help revitalize the Louis A. Sorrentino ’54 Gymnasium and Heilman Center. The duo will match all gifts to the projects up to $100,000. The improvements will add locker rooms for three sports (men’s and women’s basketball, and volleyball), a state-of-the-art recruiting lounge, team meeting and study spaces, and more. Please visit www.lvc.edu/rhoades or contact Jordan Evangelista, director of individual giving, at evangeli@lvc.edu to donate or learn more.

Actively Intercultural

Black History Month Celebration

Faculty and staff honored Black History Month with various events, community service initiatives, and a Taste of Africa. The latter is a popular event where members of the Black Student Union serve Black, African, and Caribbean food commonly eaten in Black communities worldwide.

Events included Melanin. Magic Workshops, Black Jeopardy, Black History Trivia, and a Celebration of Black Excellence in Motion. Members of the Black Student Union collaborated with Gamma Sigma Sigma to hold a campus-wide sock drive to benefit the FRESH Start Emergency Shelter and students participated in Supporting Education of Girls in Underdeveloped Communities in sub-Saharan Africa, which supports the work of the American Foundation for Children with AIDS.

New Resource: Bias Resource and Education Team

A new bias reporting system and team of LVC faculty and staff—the Bias Resource and Education Team(BRET)—was created this year. BRET members will provide resources for individuals impacted by or involved in a reported incident through education, conflict resolution, and advocacy. They will respond to incidents of bias that have occurred and help build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.

LatinX Commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month

LatinX, LVC’s student-led group founded to raise awareness about historical, political, social, economic, and educational issues concern-ing the Latino and Hispanic populations in the United States, organized several campus and community events to recognize HispanicHeritage Month last October. LatinX hosted a “Try Latin FoodDinner” and an evening of Pot Painting. They also collaborated with the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery staff for a week of activities to include decorating an ofrenda for Day of the Dead. During the week, students made tissue paper flowers (paper marigolds), wrote poems (Calaveras), decorated skull cookies, and made traditionalMexican Pan de muerto (Bread of the Dead).

Anti-Racism and Privilege Focus of 8th Annual Symposium

The College’s annual Symposium on Inclusive Excellence featured keynote speaker Tim Wise, a prominent anti-racist writer and educator, and educational sessions for faculty, staff, and students. The Children’s Resource Center of UPMC Pinnacle Health was recognized as a crucial community partner for its collaboration on President James MacClaren’s no-sew blanket challenge (see p. 3).

“Our annual Symposium helps raise awareness and engages the campus in conversations about race and privilege,” said Dr. MacLaren. “As a college community, we have made progress in diversity and equity. We awarded microgrants to faculty to work on new initiatives that support inclusive excellence, and we have started incorporating inclusive excellence into faculty reviews and our search committees, but there is much more to be done. We must strive to make LVC affordable, accessible, and truly inclusive.”

The Sporting Life

Yingst Named MAC Coach of the Year

Matt Yingst, head coach of the women’s ice hockey team, was named the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Coach of the Year. Olivia Cindrich ’22 and Shelby Guinard ’23 were named All-MAC first team, with Guinard, a goalie, also named Defensive Player of the Year. Chloe Glass ’21 received an All-MAC Honorable Mention nod. Four men’s team members— Zach Balodis ’21, Tyler Romel ’22, Alex Borowiec ’22, and Aidan Richardson ’23 earned second-team all-conference accolades.

Men’s Hoops Dominate MACC Awards

The men’s basketball team was rewarded for achieving its best start (6–0) since 1998–99 and reaching the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MACC) Championship Game for the first time since 2017–18. Collin Jones’23 was named MACC Player of the Year after scoring 20.2 points per game (PPG) and garnering 8.7 rebounds per game, both good for second overall in the Commonwealth. Court mate Justin Baker ’20, M’21 earned MACC Defensive Player of the Year honors after helping hold opponents to just 74.5 points per game and leading the team in steals (21) and scoring 13.4 PPG.

Zach Tucker ’21 earned his second All-MACC honor, receiving second-team recognition this year, after scoring a team-second 15.2 PPG. Head Coach Brad McAlester, who finished his 27th season leading the Dutchmen, was named MACC Coach of the Year after coaching the squad to the Commonwealth Championship Game for the second time in four years. He has won 397 games during his tenure.

Coach Perry Retires

Wayne Perry ’78, head coach of women’s volleyball since the program’s inception in 1987, announced his retirement at the end of the spring 2021 season after 35 years. He’s a five-time Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MACC) Coach of the Year and boasts a 673–383 overall record, ranking him ninth among active coaches in wins in NCAA Division III and 19th all-time in DIII.

In 18 of his 33 seasons, Perry guided the Flying Dutchmen to at least 20 wins and had three 30-win campaigns (2008, 2009, 2013). He and his wife, Diana Perry, who has been an assistant coach for 30 years, led LVC to championships six times, including four consecutive MACC crowns from 2008–11. He has also taken his squads to the ECAC Tournament 10 times and has won the championship twice. Since 2001, Perry led his teams to the postseason in every season.

Perry coached dozens of outstanding players, including eight All-Americans and dozens of All-Conference selections. Various players received All-ECAC awards, MAC Commonwealth and ECAC Player of the Year nods, and two National Players of the Week.

Emily Mealey ’21 (l.)

Mealey ’21 and Kuffa ’23 Shine

Emily Mealey ’21 completed her illustrious women’s basketball career in a shortened, 11-game season yet managed to finish third on the program’s all-time scoring list (1,301 points) and pull down 851 career rebounds. She led the squad in scoring and rebounding the past three seasons and was named to the Middle Atlantic ConferenceCommonwealth (MACC) All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive year. Teammate Kennedy Kuffa ’21 was named an All-MACC Honorable Mention after finishing the season sixth in the conference in scoring(13.1 points per game) and leading LVC in steals (19) and blocks (11).

Jones Named Senior Scholar-Athlete

Keri Jones ’20, D’22, a physical therapy major with a 3.99 cumulative GPA, was named the Middle Atlantic Conference’s(MAC) 2020–21 Women’s Cross CountrySenior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Over the past few years, Jones has been one of the top cross country runners in the region. In 2019, Jones was named theMAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning individual honors at MAC’s. She became LVC’s second-ever runner crowned MAC individual champion, and achieved the fastest winning mark in MAC Championship history.

Academic Achievements

Dr. Dan Pitonyak

Dr. David Lyons

Duo Receive NSF Grants; Lyons Surpasses $1 Million in Career Grants

Dr. David Lyons, professor of mathematical sciences, and Dr. Dan Pitonyak ’08, assistant professor of physics, were awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) grants last semester. The$210,00 grant for Lyons was his fifth for which he was principal or co-principal investigator. He has surpassed $1 million in support for student-faculty work in his interdisciplinary research (mathematics, physics, and computer & data science) during the past 15 years. The most recent grant will help Lyons focus on Quantum State Symmetry and Applications. Pitonyak’s first NSF grant is for $164,000 and will fund his theoretical physics student-faculty research. Pitonyak was a member of Lyons’ Mathematical Physics Research Group as an undergraduate.

Musical Notes

(l. to r.): Alaina Gawel ’23, Ben Leavitt ’22, Tessa Shaffer ’22

Trio Earn Concerto-Aria Honors

Dr. Johannes Dietrich, Newton and Adelaide Burgner Endowed Professor of Instrumental Music and director of the LVC Symphony Orchestra, announced that Alaina Gawel ’23 (violin), Ben Leavitt ’22 (clarinet), and Tessa Shaffer ’22 (clarinet) were named winners of the annual Concerto-Aria Competition. A panel of three judges selected the trio of music education majors after performing in a live competition.

The LVC Symphony Orchestra has a long and rich tradition of featuring the winners of the Concert-Aria Competition in performances throughout the following academic year, including at the orchestra’s concert on November 14.

Dr. Justin Morell

Dr. Morell Releases Song in Honor of Son

Dr. Justin Morell, associate professor of music, released “AllWithout Words” April 30 in honor of his son, Loren, and duringAutism Awareness Month. Dr. Morell wrote the compositionbased on his experience as a parent of a non-verbal autistic child.

Visit www.lvc.edu/the-valley for more news.