Student well-being to be final Faculty Lecture Series topic of academic year

Penn State Shenango Lecture Series presentation on April 4 is free and open to the public
Group of student playing four square volleyball outside

Shenango students compete in a game of four-square volleyball during an event organized by the Shenango Faculty Teaching Community during its "Working on Wellness Together" research project.

Credit: Penn State

SHARON, Pa. — Penn State Shenango will host the final Faculty Lecture Series talk of the spring 2024 semester at noon on Thursday, April 4. The collaborative presentation, titled “Better Together: Working on Wellness In and Out of the Classroom,” will feature Associate Teaching Professor of Human Development and Family Studies Roxanne Atterholt, Associate Teaching Professor of Occupational Therapy Tammy Divens, Assistant Teaching Professor of English Angela Pettitt, and Associate Professor of Science Kathy Shaffer. 

This cross-disciplinary group is part of the Shenango Faculty Teaching Community, which is made up of a collection of faculty members who share an interest in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, which is systematic inquiry about student learning, with a goal to expand upon the practice of teaching in higher education, before making the results public. 

The group formed during the 2019-20 academic year and quickly became a place of support and collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2022, the group has worked closely with Laura Cruz at the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at Penn State to develop and conduct a yearlong research project using evidence-based practices to address mental health and improve student well-being at Penn State Shenango. During the Faculty Lecture Series presentation, the group will share the findings of their research, which was conducted during the 2022-23 academic year. 

Admission to the Faculty Lecture Series is free and open to the public. The presentation will be held in Lecture Hall Room 222 on the Penn State Shenango campus.  

Questions about the Faculty Lecture Series can be directed to Tammi Day at 724-983-2860.