CLARION – Nine Clarion University faculty members including four with over 30 years of service, were honored at a retirement reception held in Moore Hall. Combined they had 235 years of experience.
The retirees included: Dr. Lisbeth Brown, Dr. Brian Dunn, Dr. Katharine Fleissner, Dr. Katherine Graham, Kay King, Barry McCauliff, Dr. Ann Stearns, Jane Fox Tarr, and Dr. Bernard Vavrek.
DR. LISBETH BROWN, EDUCATION, 1973-2009
Dr. Lisbeth Brown received her B.A. from Mercyhurst College, M.Ed. from Edinboro University, and Ph.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After three years of public school teaching in the Millcreek School District, Brown became an instructor at the Flexible All-Year School at Clarion University in 1973.
She joined the faculty of the education department when the Flexible All-Year School closed in 1980. Her contributions to the college and the department include serving as the coordinator for the NCATE Continuing Accreditation Visits in 1993 and 2003. With the implementation of an online visit in 2003, Clarion’s NCATE Accreditation was continued with no recommendations for improvement in an exemplary report.
The program reports Brown wrote for the National Association for the Education of
Young Children received national recognition. She developed instructional design models for the keystone course in teacher education, the rubrics and pilot project for the Student Teacher Performance Profile, and the Early Childhood Electronic Portfolio Project.
Outside of the classroom, Brown was a chapter counselor for Kappa Delta Pi from 1985–2000. During her service to the organization, the members were selected to present annually at the national conference.
DR. BRIAN DUNN, HISTORY, 1978-09
Dr. Brian Dunn’s Clarion University roots run deep. In 1967, he entered Clarion State College as a freshman, receiving his degree in 1971. After serving in the military, he took graduate courses at the University of Pennsylvania, and received his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr. The Clarion University Alumni Association awarded Dunn its Distinguished Faculty Award in 2001.
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t Clarion he has taught an array of classes in British, early modern, and modern European history as well as serving as department chair for decades. His courses played an important role in the curriculum for the history B.A. degree and the B.S. in secondary education (social studies).
In the community, Dunn just completed his 22nd year as organist at the First Presbyterian Church.
DR. KATHERINE FLEISSNER, SOCIOLOGY, 1995–2009
Dr. Katherine Fleissner received a B.A. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin and masters’ degrees in social work and public health, as well as a Ph.D. in social work, from the University of Pittsburgh.
She came to Clarion University in 1995 to design and teach the social work curriculum, following a career in social services that focused on crisis intervention, case management, and counseling. She was the driving force behind the development of the department’s very successful minor degree in social work.
Fleissner managed the supervised field study students, an internship experience required of all social work minors, which was also a popular option for sociology majors and sociology/psychology majors. She helped shape the professional careers of many of Clarion students who went on to get their master’s degree in social work. Fleissner also developed excellent working relationships with social service agencies in the Clarion area.
DR. KATHRYN GRAHAM, ENGLISH, 1977—2009
Dr. Kathryn Graham received her B.A. in English education from Salisbury State College in Maryland, M.A. in English from Virginia Tech, and Ph.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
She began her teaching career at Clarion University in 1977.
At Clarion, Graham was instrumental in the development of Women’s Studies and she helped foster programs designed to improve the lives and women, at-risk students, and people of color. She helped to form the Clarion University Presidential Commission on Sexual Harassment, the Women’s Studies Advisory Committee, and the Women’s Study Program. For many years, she worked extensively with the annual Clarion University Women’s Conference. She participated in Our Foremothers’ Legacy Project Presents: The Women’s Suffrage March Re-enactment in the role of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Graham worked with the Office of Social Equity on the hiring of people of color at Clarion University. She dedicated many years to the work of the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP), teaching writing classes for at-risk students. EOP recently honored Graham with an award for her many years of service; for over 20 years, she taught sections of writing for these students during the summer.
KAY KING, OFFICE OF COUNSELING SERVICES, 1992–2008
Kay King received her B.A. from Grove City College and M.S.W. from University of Pittsburgh. She became a faculty member in the Office of Counseling Services at Clarion
University in January 1992.
For many years, she served as a counselor at both the Clarion and Venango campuses. She was used often as a consultant by faculty, coaches, staff, and administrators. She offered outreach programming to both student and faculty groups.
As a licensed social worker, King was especially interested in networking and was always willing to find resources and make connections for students who needed them. She had a special interest in the international programs, offering interactive workshops to aid these students in their adjustment to Clarion and the United States. She enjoyed this group of students so much that, on several occasions, she took students to the Strip District in Pittsburgh to purchase international foods and seasonings.
King was often called upon to do speaking engagements for campus groups and community organizations, including: the Psi Chi, Banquet, STAR, Faculty Mentor Dinner, Mary Walters Leadership Development Series, ACES, United Way Kick-off, and the Clarion Rotary Club.
During King’s tenure, she was very involved in the Presidential Women’s Commission, the Curriculum Infusion Committee, the Social Equity Reception Committee, Women’s Conference Planning Committee, and served as the facilitator for the commission’s retreat. She was part of the Faculty Professional Development Committee, which granted funding to faculty members in counseling, nursing, and academic enrichment. Often, she was called upon to facilitate Faculty Round Tables for Partners in Teaching, leading discussions on how to handle difficult or distressed students.
In addition to serving Clarion University, King was part of the faculty at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland where she taught and demonstrated clinical skills to practicing therapists for the institute’s graduate training program. At Clarion, she was often called upon to speak to psychology classes about Gestalt Therapy.
BARRY MCCAULIFF, MASS MEDIA ARTS, JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES, 1974–2009
Barry McCauliff is a Clarion University graduate, receiving his B.A. degree in 1972 and going on to earn an M.A. from Central Michigan University.
McCauliff has taught and developed many courses in speech communication since he joined the faculty in September 1974. He served as chair of the Speech Communication Department from 2000–07. His three passions at Clarion were the Debate Team, the Honors Program, and Clarion University baseball.
He served as debate coach from 1974-85, and the team brought home many trophies from tournaments around the country. For two consecutive years in the late 1970s, Clarion University was ranked number one in the country for schools with under 9,000 enrollment for debate and individual events. He is still an active advocate for the team.
An avid sports fan, McCauliff has affection for all of the university sports teams, but has a special fondness for the baseball team. He served as the head baseball coach from Fall 1976-85 season. Several players signed professional contracts and entered minor league baseball under his leadership. In 1984, Clarion won the western division of PSAC, and ended their season one game shy of making it to the College World Series in NCAA Division II.
He also strongly supports the Honors Program, and has worked to strengthen the program’s curriculum, recruiting, and retention efforts. He and Dr. Ralph Leary team teach, “Modes of Discourse,” a class that honors students lovingly refer to as “Boot Camp.”
DR. ANN STEARNS, SPECIAL EDUCATION, 1997–2009
Dr. Ann Stearns earned her B.A. degree from Hood College and M.Ed., Ed.S., and Ph.D. from University of Virginia.
Stearns came to Clarion from the University of Virginia, one of the top special education schools in the country. She had previously been employed at James Madison University and Augusta County Public Schools in Virginia.
During her tenure at Clarion, Stearns taught courses covering a variety of topics; however, she is best known as the department’s expert in translating the discipline of special education to regular education pre-service teachers through our course, “Exceptionalities in the Regular Classroom.”
Stearns participated in the recent program revisions and completed a directed study on advanced degrees in special education. Her publication activity has spanned more than 30 years, and she has been integral in the acquisition of more than $10,000 worth of additions to the department’s Assistive Technology Lab.
In the community, Stearns has been a part of Special Olympics, Camp Wesley Woods, and a variety of other organizations.
JANE FOX TARR, SCHOOL OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH, 1986–2008
Jane Fox Tarr received her R.N. degree from Hamot Hospital School of Nursing, B.S.N. from Long Island University, and M.S.N. from Adelphia University.
Tarr has been a nurse since 1966 and a member of the nursing faculty since 1986. She is a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric mental health nursing and a certified nurse educator. A seasoned nurse educator who loved her students, she “went that extra mile” to make sure they felt connected and did their best. She served Clarion and the community on committees, orienting new faculty, and presenting papers and workshops.
DR. BERNARD VAVREK, LIBRARY SCIENCE, 1971-2008
Dr. Bernard Vavrek received his undergraduate degree from California University of
Pennsylvania and his M.L.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Clarion University faculty in 1971.
In a career spanning more than 35 years, Vavrek undertook research, wrote grants, and guided students in all areas of librarianship. However, his great love was the field of rural librarianship, a specialization with which Vavrek’s name is virtually synonymous.
In addition to teaching in such areas as reference, research, and marketing, Vavrek developed and taught two graduate courses in rural librarianship and served as director of the department’s Center for the Study of Rural Librarianship. During his career at Clarion, Vavrek secured more than $1 million in grants to underwrite the work of the center.
His commitment to the study and teaching of rural librarianship led Vavrek to found the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, a thriving professional organization which now provides a professional home to rural librarians around the globe, many of whom earned their professional credentials from Clarion. His research on rural librarianship has been published in most of the major journals in the field of library science, and he founded and edited two influential journals in the field, Rural Libraries and Bookmobile and Outreach Services.
Though his career was largely associated with rural librarianship, Vavrek provided leadership in other areas of librarianship as well, including the development of the department’s highly successful online graduate programs for which he wrote a $298,000 grant to launch, and the founding of the Information Futures Institute, a think-tank of information specialists around the nation.