Office of Research and Sponsored Programs: Grants in Action

African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) and Sister Leadership Development Initiative: SLDI

Principal Investigator: Sr. Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, Ph.D. Executive Director, ASEC/SLDI; Diane W. Keller, Ph.D., Co-Investigator, SLDI
Sponsor: Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Department: ASEC, in conjunction with School of Social Work
College: Health and Human Services

Capacity-building of African Sisters and the development of leadership competencies for effective ministry are at the heart of the mission of the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) and the needs of African Sisters.  This project provides technological and/or leadership skills to  African Sisters in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

The Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) is an innovative partnership envisioned by Steven Hilton, President and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The purpose is to increase access for management and leadership skill-building for African Sisters through training and education and adaptable to the specific needs and contexts in which the Sisters are working.

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Eastern PA-Delaware Geriatric Education Center in Collaboration with Thomas Jefferson Medical College (EPaDGEC)

Principal Investigator: B. Lynn Hutchings, PhD, M. Arch., MFA., Assistant Professor
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Department: School of Social Work Lehigh Valley Program
College: Health and Human Services

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Head Start Speech, Language Hearing Project

Principal Investigator: Andrea Novak, Clinical Director
Sponsor: PNC Foundation
Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders
College: Reap College of Education and Human Development

Program Director Andrea Novak and twenty-three graduate Communication Sciences and Disorder students will work with ASHA-certified and Pennsylvania-licensed speech-language pathologists and audiologists to offer required testing, screening, and activities to local Head Start programs allowing for the assessment and early detection of  possible delays with speech-language and hearing development.

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Keystone STARS Merit and Education and Retention

Principal Investigator: Gwynne Gilbert, Fricchione Day Care Director
Sponsor: Office of Child Development and Early Learning

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Nursing Faculty Lines

Principal Investigator: Dr. Diane Haleem, Associate Professor,
Sponsor: PA Higher Education Foundation (PHED)
Department: Nursing and Public Administration
College: Health and Human Services

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Physician Assistant Training Program Expansion

Principal Investigator: Karen Arscott, D.O., Program Director
Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Department: Physician Assistant Program
College: Health and Human Services

Marywood University's Physician Assistant Program received a $704,000 grant from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that will be used toward scholarships for students who commit to practicing in primary care within the community for at least two years upon graduation.  The students began their classes during Summer I 2011 and will receive funding over the next four years.  The Physician Assistant Program began in 2000 and presently has over 200 alumni.  Program Director, Karen Arscott, D.O., M.Sc., AOBNMM, was as thrilled as the scholarship recipients to be one of only 40 PA Programs granted nationwide.

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Resveratrol and Health

Principal Investigator: James Smoliga, DMV, Ph.S., Associate Professor
Sponsor: Vinomis Laboratories
Department: Health and Physical Education
College: Health and Human Services

James Smoliga, DMV, Ph. D., Associate Professor, Exercise Physiology and his research, Resveratrol and Health - A Comprehensive Review of Human Clinical Trials was  published in PubMed, June 20, 2011.  Sponsored by Vinomis Laboratories, Dr. Smoliga and graduate assistant Sarah Wherry work with the Human Physiology Lab team to further research possible health benefits resveratrol may provide including changes with physiological responses in humans.

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Student Academic Success and Inspiring Excellence (SASIE): Promoting Success in High School and Readiness for Higher Education

Principal Investigator: Kathleen Ruthkosky, Ph.D., Program Director; Tammy Brown, Ph.D, and Jane Helman, Program Coordinators
Sponsor: William G. McGowan Charitable Fund
Department: Education
College: Reap College of Education and Human Development

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund  has awarded $320,869 to Marywood University's Student Academic Success and Inspiring Excellence (SASIE) program for year two of a three-year program designed to provide opportunities for selected groups of high school students to enhance their success at the secondary school level and to increase their awareness and academic readiness to pursue higher education as an academic goal. The grant was used in part to create a new Learning Instructional Lab that includes a climate controlled environment housing 24 new computers learning stations, instructional station, projection screen and speakers.

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Students on Campus Achieving Success (SOAR)

Principal Investigator: Dr. Patricia Arter, Associate Professor
Sponsor: US Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Education
Department: Special Education
College: Reap College of Education and Human Development

SOAR (Students On-Campus Achieving Results) encourages independent living and prepares students with autism for competitive employment using real life experiences in an age-appropriate environment.  Students attend classes and participate in vocational and student activities.

June 9, 2011 marked the second annual Commencement Ceremonies for the SOAR program.  Graduates John Hevers, Daniel Ogozaly, and Rachel Boyer, proudly display their certificates alongside program administrators, Mary Ann Fedrick, Ph.D., Dean, Reap College of Education, Jack Kirby, Special Education Teacher, Patricia Arter, Ed.D., Program Director, Lisa Walters, Teacher Assistant, Dr. Clarence Lamanna, Acting Executive Director, NEIU and Anne Mary Doyle, Special Education Supervisor, NEIU.  

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Watershed Workshop for Educators II

Principal Investigator: Dr. Jay Clymer III, Associate Professor
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania American Water
Department: Science
College: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Watershed Workshop for Educators II, an interactive five day workshop designed to educate middle and high school teachers about local ecology and the value of natural watersheds was presented by Jay Clymer, III, Ph.D., in collaboration with Northeast Intermediate Unit 19 (NEIU) June 20-24, 2011.  The workshop included classroom instruction, lab exercises and field work in Lake Winola, the Lackawanna River, and the Lackawanna County Conservation District office in Mayfield, PA.   Information obtained from the workshop will allow participants to further educate their students of the importance this and all watersheds have both directly and indirectly to our communities.  The Lackawanna River flows from northern Wayne County to southern Lackawanna County where it eventually joins the Susquehanna River, then on to the Chesapeake Bay."   Young brown trout from the Lackawanna River pictured indicating an improvement of water quality. 

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