New at Pitt-Bradford for 2015-16

We're almost ready for the start of the 2015-16 academic year. The sidewalks are repaired, the windows are washed and the staff emails and phone calls are flying as we get make final preparations. We've got some new faces on campus this fall, some folks in new positions, and a couple of other new things to check out.

People

Five staff members were promoted this summer at the Pitt-Bradford campus to help lead the newly established Office of Enrollment Management.

James Baldwin, formerly assistant dean of academic affairs, registrar and director of Science in Motion, assumed responsibility for the new office as its vice president of enrollment management.

Both Alex Nazemetz, director of admissions, and Melissa Ibañez, director of financial aid, were promoted to associate vice president of enrollment management.

Bob Dilks, director of transfer and nontraditional student recruitment, was promoted to assistant vice president of enrollment management. Christina Marrone, previously associate registrar and assistant director of enrollment services, has been promoted to registrar and director of enrollment services.

In residential life and housing, Pitt-Bradford has two new assistant directors, Darnell Barksdale and Ryan Coll. Barksdale comes to Pitt-Bradford from Jackson (Miss.) State University, where he was residence life coordinator and assisted with intramural sports. Coll's most recent collegiate experience was as a hall director at Western Wyoming Community College.

Two new coaches will be on the sidelines of women's sports this academic year. Sean Brown Sr., a longtime Frostburg State University assistant men's basketball coach, will lead the women's basketball team. Brown comes to Pitt-Bradford after spending eight seasons as the top assistant on the Frostburg State men's basketball program.

Longtime assistant women's volleyball coach Tom Roof will take over the duties of head coach this fall after former head volleyball coach Tina Phillips resigned to focus on coaching softball and fulfilling her role as assistant athletic director. Roof has helped coach the Panthers for six years.

In July, Pitt-Bradford named award-winning journalist and former YES Network correspondent Josh Horton as its new Sports Information Director. Horton comes to Pitt-Bradford from Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., where he was the assistant sports information director.

Also during the summer, Ryan K. Sowers began as Pitt-Bradford's new assistant director for annual giving. Sowers is a 2015 graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he raised $40,000 over two years while serving as chairman of the university's first undergraduate capital campaign.

On the academic side, Melissa Odorisio is the new laboratory administrator, teaching general chemistry, general chemistry labs, science education courses and introductory math.

New full-time faculty members are Dr. Claudio DiMarco, assistant professor of mathematics and director of the mathematics learning center; Dr. Ovidiu D. Frantescu, assistant professor of petroleum technology and director of the petroleum technology program; Dr. Joshua B. Groffman, assistant professor of music; Dr. Tracee L. Howell, assistant professor of English, director of the composition program, and director of the writing center; Shelley A. Jack, visiting assistant professor of marketing; Dr. Shelly R. Klinek, assistant professor of health and physical education and director of the health and physical education program; Catherine A. Kula, visiting instructor and assistant director of the writing center; Sarah A. Lonzi, visiting instructor of exercise science; Dr. Duane E. Mitchell, assistant professor of business management; and Terry L. Stanley, visiting instructor of education.

Places

The nursing program simulation lab at Pitt-Bradford underwent a renovation this summer to allow for more space and more realistic and complex simulations for students. The new lab will allow faculty to observe students from outside the “patient” room and speak for the patient. Also, helpful for students and faculty will be more room to maneuver around the computer-programmable mannequins that are the patients. Recording technology will allow professors to make notes about students' performances, then review the recordings with the students, or broadcast them to a larger group of students outside the lab.

Things

Pitt-Bradford partnered with Presto Sports to create and launch a new athletic website in April. The new site, athletics.pittbradford.org, features large photos, integrated statistics, and an easy-to-use calendar.