Elizabethtown College News 
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7/27/2009
Young Center's Scott Featured in the Daily American
Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies'
Scott Discusses How Amish Community
Moving Out of State
Stephen Scott, Administrative and Research Associate at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, commented in the "Daily American" this weekend on the trend of Amish migrating to other states. In an article by Tiffany Wright, Scott's research showed that Pennsylvania lost 468 Amish families in the last five years.
Stephen Scott attended Cedarville College and Wright State University and has extensively studied the life and history of conservative Anabaptist and Pietist groups. His publications include “Plain Buggies,” “Why Do They Dress That Way?,” “The Amish Wedding and Other Special Occasions of the Old Order Communities,” and “Living Without Electricity” among others.
The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College promotes
the scholarly study of Anabaptist and Pietist groups. Scholarly and
interpretive investigations of the life, culture and beliefs of
Anabaptists and Pietists, primarily in their North American context,
are conducted by the Young Center staff, visiting scholars and students
under the Center's auspices. In addition, the Center interprets the
cultural and religious heritage of Anabaptist and Pietist communities
to the general public and serves as a clearinghouse for information
through a variety of programs. These programs include public lectures,
colloquia, seminars, exhibits and conferences. Learn more about Anabaptists and Pietists.
Read the full article in
the "Daily American." The "Daily American" is a six-day daily newspaper
serving Somerset, Pennsylvania and the surrounding Laurel Highland
outdoor recreation area.
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7/22/2009
9/16 Best-Selling Author, the “Savvy Traveler” Takes You Around the World
Get Lost: World Travel with Doug Lansky
Best-selling author and travel expert Doug Lansky takes Elizabethtown College on a multimedia journey around the world at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the college’s Leffler Chapel.
Join Lansky as he shares his knowledge and experience from traveling around the world more than 10 years. This informative and comical presentation, sponsored by Called to Lead, the Office of Student Activities and the Office of International Programs, is free and open to the public. Lansky will give away a $1,000 Eurail Pass to one lucky member of the audience.
Lansky was born in Manhattan, raised in Minnesota, and attended Colorado College, where he later taught journalism. He worked the copy machine at the “Late Show with David Letterman,” Spy Magazine and The New Yorker before beginning his journey around the globe.
Lansky traveled for two and half years, picking bananas in Israel, guiding snowmobiles in the Alps, taking tango lessons in Argentina and sand surfing in Namibia before a car accident in Thailand brought him home. Six months later he began traveling again, this time as America’s youngest nationally syndicated columnist. His weekly feature, “Vagabond” grew to reach more than 10 million readers of 40 major newspapers.
To date, Lansky has traveled in more than 100 countries. He hosted a travel documentary for the Discovery Channel/Travel Channel and for five years served as the world-travel expert on Public Radio’s “Savvy Traveler.” He is a regular contributor to “National Geographic Adventure” magazine.
His award winning books are filled with both information and humor related to travel and survival. His most recent publication, “Lonely Planet: Signspotting 3,” is a collection of unintentionally entertaining road signs.
See Lansky’s entertaining and inspiring lecture at 7:30 p.m., Sept.16 at Leffler Chapel.
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7/21/2009
Mount Gretna Jazz Festival
Mount Gretna Jazz Festival August 26 - 29
The second annual Mount Gretna Jazz Festival, with five concerts, takes place Wednesday, Aug. 26, through Saturday, Aug. 29.
The Godfathers of Groove, who have teamed with major funk and groove artists Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, James Brown and the Rolling Stones start the festival Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Philly drummer Rob H. Henderson, founder of The H-Factor, teams for the first time with the Karendra Devroop Trio, featuring Elizabethtown and Messiah colleges jazz professors Karendra Devroop and Kirk Reese, Thursday, Aug. 27.
Hard bop keyboard legend Cedar Walton brings his trio to town Friday, Aug. 28. Cedar has been at the center of the bop jazz scene since leaving Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the early ’60s. That’s 40 years at the top of bop.
The 15-piece Phil Giordano Jazz Orchestra, led by Phil Giordano himself, a veteran of Jimmy Dorsey’s and Sammy Kaye’s bands, plays classic songs and original charts with dazzling precision Saturday, Aug. 2, at a matinee show. An hour before the gig, Phil will talk about how the band performs such musical prestidigitation, and how they balance the new with the classics.
Saturday evening, Two Sides of the Great American Songbook, feature vocalists Hilary Kole and Claudia Acuna, will perform a set of the standards their way—Kole in the ear-tingling, eye-popping, absolutely smokin’ torch-song tradition, Acuna with a flair distinctly Latin. They will be backed by the 2008 Grammy Award winning Arturo O’Farrell Trio.
All evening Music at Gretna 2009 Jazz Festival concerts take place at 8 p.m. at the Mount Gretna Playhouse. The matinee is at 2 p.m. Passes for the festival start at $80; single ticket prices vary per event. A limited number of budget tickets will be available for most events, beginning at $12. Discount tickets also are available for ages 26 and under. To order tickets, visit the website or call 717-361-1508.
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7/16/2009
NY Times Greets Guidance Counselors on Bike Trip to Elizabethtown Campus
On the Road Again...Counselors Bike
to Elizabethtown College
A brigade of 6 adventurous and curious guidance counselors began a 400-mile bicycle trip to more than twelve Pennsylvania colleges; the group was also traveling on to Delaware and Maryland. The ride of more than 400 miles brought the counselors to Elizabethtown College on Tuesday, July 14, where they were greeted by Paul Cramer, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Debbie Murray, Director of Admissions.
 The annual trip allows counselors to visit colleges “up close and personal” and enrich their knowledge of colleges that they then bring back to their high school students. This unique trip allows counselors to immerse themselves in the campus and surrounding areas. As one counselor put it, colleges “are often best-observed slowly, ideally from the open-air perch of a bike saddle.” On Tuesday, the New York Times came to the E-town College campus to cover the event. Read more about this trip on the New York Times web site.
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7/16/2009
Provost Traverso Featured on Public Radio
Traverso Discusses the Economy and Higher Education on WITF
Provost and Senior Vice President Susan Traverso was featured on WITF radio this week. Traverso discussed the effects of the current economic climate on institutions of higher education and the steps Elizabethtown College took earlier this year to prepare for a continued economic downturn. In her conversation, she emphasized that Etown did make contingency budget cuts in case enrollment targets were not achieved. She also highlighted our increase in financial aid to students during these difficult financial times.
 Susan Traverso joined E-town in 2007, coming from Redlands University. She received her undergraduate degree from Simmons College in Boston; her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is the Chief Academic Officer of the College and is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing the college’s academic policies as well as for oversight of the College’s academic expense budget. Dr. Traverso advises the President on all major matters of resource allocation within the academic areas of the College including construction and other capital projects, space allocation, and distribution of new positions within the faculty.
Listen to Provost Traverso’s comments on the WITF website. WITF-FM (89.5) is s a public radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The station aired its first show in 1971, featuring classical music and NPR news throughout the local area – Harrisburg Lancaster, Lebanon and York. The station is part of the PBS network. WITF-FM is a dual-format station, presenting both news and classical music during the day.
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7/10/2009
E-town Blue Jays Soar -- ‘08/’09 Athletics Accomplishments
Another Banner Year for the E-town Blue Jays
The 2008/2009 academic year marked another milestone for the Elizabethtown College Blue Jays. With 20 teams and a rich tradition of scholar/athletes, the athletics department had many achievements to be recognized this year.
Read more about our athletes and our teams.
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7/8/2009
High Family Business Center Adds Dynamic New Leadership
New Executive Director, McGrann, is International Family Business Expert
New Marketing Director, Martin, also Joins Center Staff
A nationally known expert in family enterprise and entrepreneurship, Michael N. McGrann, has been named Executive Director of the S. Dale High Center for Family Business at Elizabethtown College. His appointment marks a significant expansion of operations in order to provide increased services to existing members as well as to attract new members.
 “The importance of family businesses cannot be understated. They are responsible for more than half of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States, and they create a majority of the jobs in this country. They are the dominant form of enterprise worldwide, outperforming non-family businesses in nearly every long-term measure,” McGrann said. “Our family businesses are vitally important to our economy. Our goal is to give them the tools, the support, and a strong network to succeed at every level–as a management team and as a unified family group.”
McGrann has extensive experience working with family businesses on issues such as leadership transitions, developing accountability structures, empowering next generation teams, building unified shareholder groups, and identifying the unique characteristics of a family business that can produce a competitive advantage. He previously served as an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and as assistant director of Babson College’s Institute for Family Enterprise. Prior to his work at Babson, Mike co-managed an academic center at the Wharton Enterprising Families Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a founder and principal of the Telos Group.
He holds a BA in economics from Cornell University, an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. McGrann also has a faculty appointment at Elizabethtown College as the Sara Lodge Executive-in-Residence for 2009-10, and will share his business acumen with the College community through classroom instruction; formal presentations; internal publications; and informal meetings to expose the students and faculty to current business practices, issues, and opportunities.
The S. Dale High Center also appointed Gale Martin in a new post as director of marketing and membership. Martin was previously the director of marketing and communications at Alvernia University in Reading and associate director of College Relations at Elizabethtown College. She has an MA in Business Management and a BS in Education from Penn State University.
 McGrann and Martin will join long-time director and Elizabethtown College executive Mary Beth Matteo in offering family businesses an innovative curriculum and unique programs on a range of issues to increase their competitiveness.
Established in 1995, the S. Dale High Center for Family Business is one of largest of its kind in the United States. Created by a group of business people, family business owners, and representatives of Elizabethtown College, the Center is dedicated to bringing the best available resources to family businesses. Serving South-central Pennsylvania and beyond, the Center believes that strengthening entrepreneurial families enhances the community and the economy as well. Contact: email FBC@etown.edu or call 717.361.1275.
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7/8/2009
Elizabethtown College to Host 2010 NCAA Division III Golf Championships
National Golf Championships Coming to Pennsylvania
Elizabethtown College, in partnership with the Hershey Golf Collection, announced today that it has been selected as the host institution for the 2010 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships.
 The four-day event will be held May 11-14, 2010 on the courses of the Hershey Golf Collection. The first two rounds will be played on the East Course at Hershey Country Club and at Hershey Links, and Hershey Links will provide a stern test for the final two rounds. The Division III Men’s Golf Championship will feature 36 collegiate teams from across the country, along with the top five individuals not participating with their teams. There will be a total of 185 competitors.
 
"We are thrilled that the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Committee has selected Elizabethtown College to host the 2010 championships,” said Nancy Latimore, Elizabethtown College’s director of athletics. “We are confident that, working with the NCAA and Hershey Golf Collection, we will provide the participating student-athletes and coaches with a first-class and memorable experience."
“We are excited to be partnering with Elizabethtown College to host this national event,” said Ned Graff, director of golf operations for Hershey Golf Collection. “Hershey has a great tradition of national golf events – dating back to the 1940 PGA Championship that was played on our historic West Course. Bringing an NCAA championship event to our courses is both a great opportunity and a great honor. The destination of Hershey is an ideal venue for players, families, and NCAA staff and officials to enjoy a memorable championship week.”
Elizabethtown College participated in the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship in both 2008 and 2009, earning an automatic bid after winning the Commonwealth Conference tournament championship in both years. The Elizabethtown Blue Jays have had a long relationship with the Hershey Golf Collection, hosting collegiate tournaments in the fall and spring at both the East Course at Hershey Country Club and Hershey Links.
For details about the Hershey Golf Collection, visit HersheyGolfCollection.com or call 1-800-HERSHEY (1-800-437-7439).
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7/7/2009
The End of the Free Market Era by Dr. Sanjay Paul
Department of Business Chair’s Editorial Featured on PennLive.com
Dr. Sanjay Paul’s recent editorial on the end of the free market era in today’s economy appeared on a PennLive.com, a favorite central Pennsylvania web site. He refers to America’s “decimation of the housing market, the collapse of the titans of finance and the emergence of a global recession,” and how “doubts about the efficacy of the capitalist enterprise have become markedly more pronounced.”
Dr. Paul is also an associate professor of economics at Elizabethtown College. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the State University of New York, Buffalo and joined Elizabethtown College in fall 2002. Dr. Paul taught economics at a liberal-arts college in the Midwest for 10 years. He teaches microeconomics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, international economics, economic development, and managerial economics. His areas of specialty include globalization, trade policy and innovation. He writes a newspaper column on economic issues and “drinks too much coffee for his own good.”
PennLive.com is Central Pennsylvania's favorite local Web site. With 467,000 unique visitors and 22 million page views per month, PennLive.com is Central Pennsylvania's most popular news and information site. PennLive.com is a comprehensive Web site featuring news and information about Central Pennsylvania. PennLive.com features daily news, sports, entertainment, classifieds, business, travel, health, weather, chat and more.
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7/6/2009
Music Travels From Elizabethtown to South Africa
Elizabethtown College Faculty Brings Music
to South Africa
Professors Karendra Devroop, director of music education, and Michael Roy, professor of psychology, traveled to South Africa with 45 wind instruments to create a music program in a disadvantaged school. The trip marks the culmination of the 2009 South African Music Program initiated last year by Devroop and a team of faculty and students from Elizabethtown College.
Devroop is a native of South Africa and was born in Pietermaritzburg, the city in which the music program has been established. According to Devroop, he South African music program was conceived out of his passion for music and need to give back to his home country and city of his birth.
 Last year, Devroop and a team of faculty and students started a concert band at Northbury Park Secondary School, a rural disadvantaged school in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. According to Devroop approximately 40% of the students at the school were orphaned by one or both parents, 30% were living with a parent that had AIDS, many students were HIV positive and faced crime and poverty on a daily basis. The instrumental program, hailed as a tremendous success, was one of the very first attempts to bring a concert band program to the public school system in South Africa. Devroop partnered with faculty from two South African universities, Professor Pete Jugmohan from the University of Kwazulu-Natal and Professor Chats Devroop from the University of South Africa.
 The team launched a concert band program at another school and a string program at t a concert band at Eastwood Secondary School in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. According the school principal, the majority of the students at the school lives in poverty and is classified as “head of household” meaning they are orphaned by both parents and take care of their younger siblings. Devroop and Roy have spent several months collecting instruments, books, supplies and equipment from area schools, churches and individuals from the community in Central Pennsylvania in an effort to secure the necessary instruments and equipment to start the program. Several area schools assisted in securing instruments and equipment including Hempfield High School, Manheim Township High School and Manheim Central Middle School.
The team taught the students and music teacher to sustain and continue to develop the program after their departure. “The principal at the school is very excited and so are the students,” Devroop said. Devroop documented their week of teaching via a live webcast, which enables students at Elizabethtown College and area schools to interact with Devroop and his team and the students at Eastwood Secondary School.
 The group will also spend a significant amount of time conducting follow-up research studies on the program started last year and research on the impact of the new program, leading to three separate psychology of music studies to be submitted to peer-reviewed journals in the United States and in South Africa.
According to Devroop –arts education in South Africa was eliminated from public schools in the aftermath of apartheid. “Thirteen years ago, the then newly formed democratic government removed music from school system,” he explained. “Today, there is little to no music education in the public school system, yet motivation to make music on the part of that country’s students is extraordinarily high. The current shortfalls in education – coupled with the devastating impact of AIDS, high unemployment and crime in the country – make this project a beacon of hope for students wanting to study music. And this is an excellent opportunity for Elizabethtown College’s students to experience another culture and advance their own professional knowledge and skills.”
 Dr. Karendra Devroop is a Fulbright scholar from Durban, South Africa. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in South Africa and completed his PhD in music education at the University of North Texas. He has presented and published his research in the United States, South Africa, Germany and Canada. He was the 2002 national winner of the Alice Branfonbrener Young Investigator Award, which is sponsored by the Performing Arts Medical Association. He is also a saxophone and piano player from South Africa and a graduate from the University of North Texas. He has performed extensively throughout his homeland and the United States and has several live and studio recordings to his credit.
The South African Music Program is a partnership with faculty from the University of Kwazulu-Natal and the University of South Africa and is sponsored through a Collaborative Interdisciplinary Scholarship Program (CISP) grant from the College.
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7/2/2009
New Yorker Online Features Professor Mark Harman's Work
Who is Karl Rossman and What Does His Story Offer Today's Young Adults?
Mark Harman, Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Professor of German and English, is now featured on the New Yorker magazine website. The feature showcases his new translation of Franz Kafka’s book, “Amerika: The Missing Person.” The piece relates the search for careers by American students to the journey of Kafka’s character in the novel, Karl Rossman. Harman considers the work a coming-of-age novel.
 Harman is widely respected for his translations of Franz Kafka and other German-language authors. He has written extensively about modern German and Irish literature with particular emphasis on Joyce, Kafka, Beckett and Robert Walser. He won the first Lois Roth Award for a Translation of a Literary Work by the Modern Language Association of America (MLA). He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University College in Dublin and two master’s degrees and his Ph.D. from Yale University. He is the author of four books and a widely published author and co-author of scholarly articles.
Harman lives in Manheim Township with his wife, Nina Menke and has two grown children, Eva and Keara.
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7/1/2009
E-town Alumnus Brings GM out of Bankruptcy in Record Time
Al Koch, Class of '64, Brings GM through Bankruptcy Proceedings in Record Time
After being named as restructuring chief for General Motors, Al Koch wasted no time in guiding GM thorugh the bankruptcy process, emerging only 40 days later from the courts. The final deal saw the disposition of key operations and the sales of core brands such as Chevrolet and Cadillac, to a new company, majority-owned by the U.S. Treasury.
Albert A. Koch, Class of ’64, was named to head the largest corporate restructuring in American history as Chief Restructuring Officer for General Motors. This makes Koch the highest ranking outsider at GM. An accounting major at Elizabethtown, Koch is now Vice Chairman and Managing Director at AlixPartners LLP. He has led the restructuring of Kmart as interim chief financial officer; led Champion Enterprises as interim president and chief executive; served as interim CFO of Oxford Health Plans during a financial crisis. Koch was formerly a partner with the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.
Koch is considered a turnaround specialist. His newly created position at GM includes responsibilities for streamlining corporate units, representing GM in bankruptcy court protection, selling off targeted assets and collaborating with GM constituents -- management, debt holders, employees, customers and communities. The government expects GM to be out of court by September -- a fast turnaround by any standards.
Koch’s appointment has been covered by every major print, television and social media outlet since the announcement.
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