PNW Pridecast: Exceptional campus members shine on Founders Day

Listen to the Episode

Episode Script

Greetings, Purdue Northwest colleagues, and welcome back to the PNW Pridecast, bringing you up to speed on the latest faculty and staff news.

I’m the host, Kale Wilk, and for this episode we’ll recap honorees recognized during Founders Day, share how the School of Education and Counseling will support future primary educators with grant-funded curriculum during summer 2024, and learn more about how the Center for Cybersecurity is benefitting region law enforcement officials with grant-funded digital forensics training.

Standout students, faculty and staff honored during Founders Day

Recently, PNW students, faculty and staff members gathered for the university’s eighth annual Founders Day celebration. The festivities not only help recognize the university’s founding, but also offer a fun-filled reflection on our institutional mission to provide transformative and impactful change for Northwest Indiana.

During the Founders Day celebration, amid fanfare with a Chicago Bulls-themed introduction and a handful of lobster puns, Chancellor Holford shared his excitement for PNW’s bright future as the leading metropolitan university of choice that is adapting to meet new needs in Northwest Indiana and higher education.

Standout students, faculty and staff, nominated by their peers, were recognized for their exemplary service and professionalism. The nominees demonstrated terrific examples of advancing PNW’s mission through academics, scholarship and service to the campus community and Northwest Indiana.

When I look at it, it really touches my heart, because I think that it is not just my award, it is the award I have with my staff and supervisors. I cannot do what I do without them.

Karen Sullivan, director of Building Services

Several Founders Day staff award winners recently joined the PNW Today program to share more about their reactions to being selected, as well as how meaningful the recognitions felt for their service to the university and contributions to a supportive workspace.

Here’s Karen Sullivan, director of Building Services, with some of her comments from the show:

“It is an honor that people think to nominate you, and everyone who is nominated is well-deserving,” said Sullivan. “When I look at it, it really touches my heart, because I think that it is not just my award, it is the award I have with my staff and supervisors. I cannot do what I do without them.

“I do it because it is me…it is who I am, I am not going to change, I love helping people, I do what I do. But it is nice to realize that it is noticed, because I do not do it to be noticed, I just do it. It is such an honor and I am so overwhelmed.”

Congratulations to all those nominated for this year’s awards!

To view a full list of Founders Day award winners and years of service honorees, you can visit pnw.edu/founders-day.

Center for Cybersecurity fosters digital forensics teaching opportunity for law enforcement

PNW’s Center for Cybersecurity during March 2024 facilitated a professional development training for 30 local law enforcement officials in the assessment and processing of digital evidence.

Supported by a U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant, the center hosted a four-day training that covered topics concerning Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is a descriptor that captures the wide range of computing devices that have significant processing and connectivity capacities with not only internally-held data, but also the digital transfer of information with different networks. One can think of it as a confluence where physical items, like cell phones, security systems, device cameras, and more support digital ecosystems. These devices can be of interest to law enforcement in the processing of digital evidence.

Over four Fridays faculty, staff and graduate students with the center led sessions on examining low and high-profile IoT device forensics, database basics, smartphone forensics and analysis of smartphone forensics over digital networks. Participating law enforcement officers were able to join in hands-on activities to better understand how digital evidence and artifacts can first be extracted from consumer-grade technology and then analyzed for telling evidence.

It will not only help us to promote PNW, it will also help with the regional law enforcement community. This can foster future collaborations and be applied to other industries and sections as well.

Michael Tu, professor of Computer Information Technology and director of the Center for Cybersecurity

PNW’s Center for Cybersecurity’s core research mission is to improve security and resiliency in cyber systems, develop strategies for mitigating cybersecurity incidents and promoting high-quality education for future workforce training. As a designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency, the center’s leading researchers serve as subject-area experts who can provide impactful change and learning for local communities grappling with cybersecurity concerns.

Here’s Michael Tu, professor of Computer Information Technology and director of the Center for Cybersecurity, with more:

“We want to reach out and engage with our community, not only with academia but also industry, and of course, the law enforcement community,” said Tu. “It will not only help us to promote PNW, it will also help with the regional law enforcement community. This can foster future collaborations and be applied to other industries and sections as well.”

For more information, visit pnw.edu/cybersecurity.

State grant to support Science of Reading instruction for PNW Education students

A $38,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Education will help up to 85 eligible PNW Education students in improving their knowledge of state-mandated literacy standards before they earn qualifications to teach primary school students in Indiana.

During summer 2024, the students will take synchronous coursework that deepens their understanding of the Science of Reading, a standardized, systematic approach to learning best practices for instilling phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension for young Hoosiers.

PNW’s School of Education and Counseling was one of 17 recipients for Education Preparation Provider Literacy Endorsement Professional Development grants that support college students and future educators in adequately preparing to meet these new state-mandated standards.

Our Education students need to have a bank of teacher knowledge, how to assess for phonological awareness and what strategies are best to use. That is what we are focused on at Purdue Northwest.

Mary Ann Cahill, professor of Education

State legislation enacted in 2023 required school districts and charter schools to adopt curricula in line with Science of Reading standards by the 2024-25 school year. The legislation also requires that future Indiana primary education teachers intending to teach literacy for early childhood, elementary and special education students will need to earn a literacy endorsement. This certification must be supported through at least 80 hours of professional development aligned with Science of Reading, International Dyslexia Association and IDOE standards and completion of a written exam to demonstrate proficiency.

Here’s Mary Ann Cahill, professor of Education, with more:

“I think that the Science of Reading is excellent in that it shines a spotlight on phonological awareness and phonics and presenting explicit instruction in those areas,” Cahill said. “We know that for children who do not have phonological awareness, the ability to hear and manipulate sounds and words, learning to read will be much more challenging for them. The best possible thing that can happen is that teachers learn the specifics of phonological awareness and how to build fluency with phonic skills.

“Our Education students need to have a bank of teacher knowledge, how to assess for phonological awareness and what strategies are best to use. That is what we are focused on at Purdue Northwest.”

Recent News Items

Finally, we’ll list a few recent campus news items:

• We’d like to extend a big ‘congratulations’ to PNW’s American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I men’s ice hockey team for its Elite 8 finish in the ACHA national tournament.The team earned a bid to the tournament after winning the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL) tournament championship. As an 11-seed, the Pride first took down 22-seed Indiana Pennsylvania followed by a win over 6-seed Maryville. The Pride came up short 3-1 against 3-seed Central Oklahoma in the Elite 8.The Pride finished the season with a record-setting 31 wins and earned a #7 ranking in the final ACHA DI hockey rankings.

• If you’re interested in catching a view, with proper eye protection, of course, of the upcoming solar eclipse, you can join PNW’s office of Student Life on April 8 at the Hammond campus bell tower. Between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. you can take part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience by viewing a partial solar eclipse from the campus’ geographic positioning as the moon travels over Indiana. Refreshments and activities will also be provided. You can register on MyPNWLife.
• PNW’s Marketing and Communications team was recently recognized for marketing campaigns in two international marketing and advertising competitions.In the 2024 Educational Advertising Awards (EduAdAwards), the team received two gold awards for the 2023-24 student admit packet and revamped “Paying for College” website pathways and physical materials. The team also received a bronze award for its refresh of Program Finder search engine optimization (SEO) rankings and web traffic and a merit award for the student viewbook.

  In the 2023 Collegiate Advertising Awards, the team received a gold award for the student viewbook and a silver award for the 2023-24 student admit packet.

  Lastly, from Marketing and Communications, Katie Stompor, executive director of Digital Media and Brand Management, is selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities 2024 Emerging Leaders Program. Stompor will join a cohort of academic and administrative leaders representing 30 institutions that will participate in an intensive summer workshop in Washington, D.C. and other virtual workshops during the year. In addition, she lead a campus initiative or project that benefits PNW. At the same time, Stompor is working on her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Higher Education from Northern Illinois University.

• Finally, Afshin Zahraee, assistant professor of Construction Engineering and Management Technology, was honored with the Best Presenter Award at the 2024 Conference of Industry and Education Collaboration (CIEC), presented by the American Society for Engineering Education. Zahraee’s presentation was titled “Project ESCALATE: Enhancement of Students’ Classroom Activities in Learning and Teaching through Experiential Learning,” a talk that highlighted innovative teaching methods and linked best learning practices with industry needs.

That’s all we have for now. Remember, you can share your faculty and staff news suggestions with us by visiting pnw.edu/pridecast.

I’m Kale Wilk, signing off for now, and we’ll reconnect with you in a few weeks.