PCPS Faculty News

Read a selection of faculty news from the spring issue of the Panuska College of Professional Studies newsletter, Challenges below. You can read the entire newsletter online, here.

Sandra Pesavento, Faculty Specialist, Education

Sandra Pesavento, faculty specialist in the Education department, received her doctorate in educational leadership from Wilkes University. Pesavento was recognized with the Diane Place Doctoral Dissertation Award for her dissertation, Examining the Relationship Between 1:1 Technology Initiatives and Student Achievement in Classrooms in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This award honors a student who exhibits perseverance in completing doctoral studies, collegiality with peers, leadership in education and excellence in academics.

Mary Jane S. Hanson, Ph.D., CRNP, CNS, Nursing

Mary Jane S. Hanson, Ph.D., CRNP, CNS, has been elected vice chair of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s (CCNE) Board of Commissioners. CCNE is one of the largest accrediting agencies in the nation and is responsible for the accreditation of nursing programs at over 700 colleges and universities.

Dr. Nicholas Rodio, Physical Therapy

Dr. Nicholas Rodio was recently hired for a full-time faculty position in the Department of Physical Therapy at The University of Scranton. He graduated from Scranton with his DPT in 2010 and has been practicing in outpatient orthopedics and pediatrics for the past seven years. Dr. Rodio is certified in the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), and both Level 1 and 2 of the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). He is also a certified instructor in the Duffy-Rath System. Dr. Rodio became full-time faculty in February 2018, having served as a lab assistant in Orthopedics I, Orthopedics II and Therapeutic Exercise for the previous four years. He enjoys spending free time with family, traveling and golfing.

Dr. Julie Cerrito Receives Award from PSCA

Dr. Julie Cerrito, assistant professor and Director of the School Counseling Program, has been awarded Counselor Educator of the Year by the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA).

She was presented with this honor at the organization’s annual conference awards ceremony held in December 2017 in Hershey, Pa. The organization noted her exemplary leadership and advocacy in preparing school counseling students for their future practitioner roles. Dr. Cerrito is recognized as an emerging leader and role model for the profession of school counseling. She has been involved on a state level with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and serves as co-chair for Professional School Counselors on the Pennsylvania College and Career Readiness Consortium. She has also been involved nationally with the Reach Higher Initiative, aimed at assisting school-aged students with their post-secondary educational goals and the work that school counselors do to assist in that process.