University News

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Inaugural Gratitude Reception and Impact Awards Ceremony

In November, the West Chester University Foundation held the inaugural Gratitude Reception and Impact Awards Ceremony to recognize individuals and organizations who inspire others through their philanthropy and volunteerism. The award honors recipients who demonstrate a passion for West Chester University, its students, and the community. Pictured (L-R) are Jacqueline Brignola M’21 and John Brignola ’83, honorees and members of the Brignola Family; Deb Cornelius ’91, WCU Foundation executive director; Dr. Laurie Bernotsky, WCU president; Dr. Zeb Davenport, vice president for university advancement and external affairs; and Dwayne Redd representing honoree State Farm Insurance Companies.

WCU Is Included Again in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Schools

WCU has been included again in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Schools for our strong commitment to the environment and sustainability.

There are 511 institutions included on the list with only the top 50 ranked. The Princeton Review selected colleges based on its 2023–2024 survey of administrators at nearly 600 colleges concerning their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. The company also surveyed students about their “green” campus experiences. The company’s editors analyzed more than 25 data points from the survey to tally green rating scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99.

Bradley J. Flamm, director of WCU’s Office of Sustainability said, “It’s worth noting that WCU scored 90 points on their 60-99 scale of sustainability features” that include each school’s use of renewable energy, recycling and conservation programs, the availability of environmental studies in academic offerings, and career guidance for green jobs.

“By being recognized as a Green School,” Flamm continued, “prospective students will learn that we have sustainability degree programs, we’re committed to tackling the climate crisis, and there are programs to make dining and commuting greener. We hope every first year or transfer student comes to West Chester curious to know more about what we’re doing and how they can get involved. There are so many ways to do so! First, on campus during their studies and then, after they graduate, when they take what they’ve learned about environmental, social, and economic sustainability into the world.”

Students Assist in Winter Salt Stream Snapshot

To bring awareness of how road salt applied during winter weather events affects the ecosystems of local streams and rivers, WCU biologist Dr. Megan Fork partnered with Stroud Water Research Center to sample and test water collected locally. During a stream snapshot event at West Chester Borough Hall on January 31, Stroud scientists used the data to produce a high-resolution map in real time of salt concentrations in streams across the region. WCU students volunteered at Borough Hall alongside Stroud Center scientists and volunteers. Dr. Martin Helmke, WCU professor of Earth and space science, guided students from his classes in sampling sites at Plum Run, which runs through South Campus and the University’s Gordon Natural Area (GNA), and Goose Creek, which runs mostly east of campus. Nur Ritter, GNA steward, also submitted samples from sites on and adjacent to campus, as did members of the public.

“This event gives our students the opportunity to apply their environmental science skills and passions to protect streams, but also to network,” said Dr. Fork, who manages the University’s Aquatic Ecosystems Lab.

A freshwater ecologist who has a longstanding relationship with Stroud, Dr. Fork first conducted a salt snapshot with Stroud in January 2023. Dr. Fork is also a board member of the Goose Creek Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to the monitoring and rehabilitation of that creek.

Stroud shared results on their website and at a February event at their Avondale, PA, location.

Students Assist in Winter Salt Stream Snapshot

Two WCU Biologists Named to New Online Directory Recognizing Contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Scientists

Dr. Oné R. Pagán and Dr. Manuela Ramalho, both WCU biology faculty, have been named to the Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists, a grassroots effort developed to showcase the expertise, talents, and diversity of Hispanic and Latinx scientific faculty in the United States. The atlas of nearly 400 Hispanic/Latinx Ph.D.-level scientists based in the United States was created as a space to build community and create mentorship opportunities.

Dr. Oné Pagán

Dr. Manuela Ramalho

In his native Puerto Rico, Dr. Oné Pagán earned a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and a master’s degree in biochemistry. He was a non-traditional student in his late 30s with a family to support when he came to the United States to earn his doctorate in pharmacology at Cornell University.

Students work with him in his lab where research focuses on planaria, the flatworms that possess the ability to regenerate lost body parts. With a neurotransmitter system and brain chemistry similar to vertebrate mammals, Dr. Pagán says they are ideal for pharmacology research. “We use them as models to try to come up with strategies to minimize or even prevent toxicity from abused drugs,” he explains. Other experiments use planaria to gauge the toxicity of pesticides in water. Another aspect of his research focuses on planarias’ regenerative ability.

Planaria were the focus of Dr. Pagán’s first book, The First Brain: The Neuroscience of Planarians (Oxford University Press, 2014). A second edition will be published in 2025. His classroom teaching inspired his next two books: Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins: A Trip Through the World of Animal Intoxication (2021) and Strange Survivors: How Organisms Attack and Defend in the Game of Life (2018). Published by BenBella Books, both were written to introduce fascinating scientific information to a non-science audience.

A cell and molecular biologist from Brazil, Dr. Manuela Ramalho studied at UNESP – Rio Claro and is broadly trained in host-microbe interactions at the genomic, cellular, organismal, and ecological levels. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that impact microbial communities, unraveling the role of ecology, diet, behavior, stage of development, and also phylogeny of the host in these symbiotic interactions. To better understand these mechanisms, she uses ants as a study model. In several ant genera, symbiotic interactions with microbial communities have been shown to have profound impacts on the host.

In addition to focusing on studying the microbiome of ants, Ramalho also advocates for a more diverse and inclusive scientific community. In her Ramalho Lab, a diverse group of scientists with different backgrounds conduct quality science with a commitment to promoting diversity supported by Dr. Ramalho’s experiences as a first-generation college student, a Latina woman in STEM, a parent in science, and an immigrant.

FACULTY HONORED AT DECEMBER COMMENCEMENT

During December’s commencement ceremonies, three WCU College of Arts and Humanities faculty were recognized for their excellence in the classroom and beyond.

In addition, Dr. Jessica Sowa, assistant professor of biology in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, who joined the University faculty in 2019, was recognized with the Campus Diversity Award for her outstanding contributions to the spirit of diversity on the University campus. In her lab, she and students research host-virus interactions using the model nematode C. elegans. She has been conducting research with nematodes for more than 10 years. She also directs and is primary investigator for the Nematode Hunters outreach program.

Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching

Dr. Jelena Colovic-Markovic, associate professor of languages and cultures, was awarded the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching in recognition of her outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual development of WCU students.

Dr. Colovic-Markovic, joined the University faculty in 2013, is director of the master of arts and certificate programs in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She trains teacher candidates to successfully work with ESL students in a variety of U.S. and international educational contexts, such as K-12 classrooms, adult education, intensive English programs, and higher education. Dr. Colovic-Markovic’s scholarship, motivated in part by her personal experiences in learning English as an additional language, focuses on TESOL teacher education, the knowledge and teaching of L2 vocabulary, and service-learning. The program enables students’ autonomy in designing and delivering their own instruction and provides experience in placement and needs assessment. The program supports students by securing field placements and assists in resume development.

Since 1961, the Lindback Foundation has made grants in support of the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award to colleges and universities primarily in the Greater Delaware Valley area.

Distinguished Research Award

Dr. Jea Sophia Oh, professor of philosophy, was presented with the Distinguished Research Award for her outstanding achievements in scholarly work over multiple years in religious studies, Asian philosophy, and ecofeminism, including public lectures, peer reviewed articles, and books.

Dr. Oh, who joined the University faculty in 2015, specializes in Asian and comparative theology and philosophy, environmental ethics, religion and ecology, as well as feminist and postcolonial theory. Her first book A Postcolonial Theology of Life: Planetarity East and West (Sopher Press 2011) is a path-making work in Korean ecofeminist theology and comparative philosophy. Dr. Oh has edited and co-authored Nature’s Transcendence and Immanence: A Comparative Interdisciplinary Ecstatic Naturalism (2017), Suffering and Evil in Nature: Comparative Responses from Ecstatic Naturalism and Healing Cultures (2021), Emotions (Jeong/Qing 情) in Korean Philosophy and Religion (2022). Most recently, she co-edited Greening Philosophy of Religion: Process, Ecology, and Ethics (2024), which offers radical hope and a sober vision for realizing a more sustainable planetary economy that places a high value on food sovereignty, an ethic of trust, and inter-religious conversations.

She is an elected board member of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy (SACP), chair of the Central Division, as well as chair of the International Society of Chinese Philosophy (ISCP) at the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association (APA). Additionally, she chairs the Society for the Study of Process Philosophy (SSPP) at the APA, covering all three divisions.

Council of Trustees Achievement Award

Dr. Gloria Maité Hernández, associate professor of languages and cultures, was presented with the University’s Council of Trustees Achievement Award.

Dr. Hernández’s research focuses on literature and religion. In the last 10 years, she has presented her work at major international conferences in Spain, India, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, and at different venues in the United States. She was invited to be a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of World Religions in Harvard University for one year.

Dr. Hernández, who joined the University faculty in 2011, has published articles in renowned journals, coauthored a book, and written two monographs. Her first scholarly book, titled Savoring God. Comparative Theopoetics, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021 and was co-winner of the 2022 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion: Textual Studies from the American Academy of Religion. The book is a literary and theological comparison of a Spanish mystical poem and an Indian poem in Sanskrit. Her writing has been described as “meticulous, in-depth, gorgeous, and direct.”

Her research interests include Iberian Medieval and Early Modern mystical literature, narrative, and poetry; traditions of translation; Indian mystical literature; comparative literature; comparative religion; Cuban literature of the exile in the 19th and 20th centuries; Cuban contemporary theater; and creative writing in Spanish.

Online MBA Program Celebrates 10 Consecutive Years in U.S. News’ Top 100

For 10 consecutive years, West Chester University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has been ranked in U.S. News’ top 100 Best Online MBA programs in the nation.

MBA Coordinator Brian J. Halsey, WCU professor of business law, noted, “We’ve maintained our status in a fiercely competitive environment. In 2025, we ranked at #88 out of several hundred online MBA programs. We’ve ranked in the top 100 in every year that we have participated in the survey. We are very proud of that accomplishment and how it reflects the quality of our MBA.”

100 BEST
ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS IN THE NATION
—U.S. NEWS

To produce their rankings, U.S. News surveys hundreds of schools annually to collect the data necessary to identify quality programs. In addition, they administer a separate peer assessment survey directly to the deans of business schools with online MBA programs and the top distance-learning officials at those institutions.

WCU’s online MBA is one of the most affordable AACSB-accredited programs in the country. Tuition has been frozen since 2019. The program has been online for more than 10 years and is offered in an asynchronous format taught almost exclusively by tenure and tenure track faculty with deep connections to business and industry, many of whom have taught online for more than 20 years.