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Negotiators for APSCUF and the State System met June 10. Click here to read Friday’s press release.

The next faculty negotiations session is scheduled for June 24. The next coach session is slated for June 27.

Members, click here to sign up for text-message alerts about future contract news.

In case you happened to miss them when we first shared them on our social media accounts, we are revisiting some examples of our faculty members’ and coaches’ accomplishments.

• A Bloomsburg University coach was named to the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame.
• A California University professor of biological and environmental science received an award for preserving the lives of rare songbirds.
• A Cheyney University art professor painted the APSCUF-sponsored dinosaur for Harrisburg’s Dinomite Summer art exhibition. The piece is featured on Front Street for the summer.
• For a biology professor at Clarion University, simply reading facts was not satisfactory for him to teach his students, so he decided to build his own plane.
• Researchers named a rare species of insect after an East Stroudsburg biology professor who contributed his findings to their work.
• A professor of forensic science at Edinboro University made a remarkable discovery using the chemical luminal to detect blood traces that date back to the Revolutionary War.
• Have you ever wondered if the sell-by date on your food was completely accurate? A physics professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania believes he’s found a far more accurate alternative.
• For a geology professor from Kutztown University, curiosity sparked greater interest for her and some of her students. They are searching for a kiln containing historic military effects.
• Numerous faculty members have full-time work loads, but they still manage to work on personal accomplishments. Dr. Laurie Cannady from Lock Haven University recently published her memoir, “Crave.”
• Out of 290 nominees, Mansfield University’s professor Jeffrey Jacobsen has been nominated for the 2017 Music Educator Award.
• For a Millersville University professor, basic fire and bus drills are not enough to protect children from the dangers their generation faces. He advocates for additional terror preparedness for children, especially in the wake of increased school shootings.
• A Shippensburg University professor dedicated her time and effort to a cause she is passionate about: a bilingual textbook for Taiwanese students to teach them English.
• As the heat continues to rise in these upcoming summer months, an exercise-science professor at Slippery Rock University shares his personal experience with melanoma, along with his research findings on the risks associated with harmful sun exposure.
• A West Chester University art professor uses her art as an avenue to display her interests, both politically and environmentally.

APSCUF strives to keep our members and followers updated on our faculty members’ and coaches’ numerous accomplishments. Don’t forget to follow us on our social media sites for more great stories featuring our incredible faculty and coaches. Have a tip for us? Tag APSCUF on social media or email it to .

—Corrinne Rebuck, APSCUF intern

Left photos: Marietta Dantonio-Madsen paints APSCUF’s Gradusaurus. She took pictures throughout the process and plans to self-publish a book about the project. Second from right: Dantonio-Madsen visits the finished dinosaur on Front Street in Harrisburg. (Photos courtesy of Marietta Dantonio-Madsen) Far right: A closer look at Gradusaurus.

Marietta Dantonio-Madsen laughed constantly during a recent project.

“I’ve never painted baby dinosaurs,” she said with a chuckle.

The Cheyney University art professor depicted the miniature prehistoric creatures on a much larger reptile: APSCUF’s Tyrannosaurus Rex, part of Harrisburg’s Dinomite Summer outdoor art exhibition. The T-Rex features 14 tiny dinos — one for each State System university — on each side.

Dantonio-Madsen spent eight to 10 hours a day in a frigid storage area on her campus adding academic symbols, a torch, a medallion, and a mortarboard (Her own undergraduate cap is under the foam, fiberglass cloth, and resin.) to the almost-8-foot fiberglass Gradusaurus.

She had from mid-April to mid-May to complete the piece, and she used every day — except for a single-day hiatus for eye surgery.

Visiting the makeshift studio to help were the artist’s husband, fellow faculty members, and students — including a brand-new transfer student who spent three days with Dantonio-Madsen. She also solicited ideas from Cheyney faculty members, said B.J. Mullaney, APSCUF’s Cheyney chapter president.

The project was an opportunity for a university going through challenges to have some fun, showcase talent, and to connect it to fellow institutions in the State System, Mullaney said.

“I know that the faculty were very excited that Cheyney was the university that was able to do the dino,” she said.

This was not Dantonio-Madsen’s first ginormous-animal-painting rodeo. She worked on the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Foundation’s sculpture in Harrisburg’s 2004 Cow Parade. (The bovine now resides in the university’s library.)

“I knew the amount of work,” she said. “And I knew I could do it.”

She looked at the project — for which she volunteered — as an opportunity to give back.

“This was my way to help,” she said. “Through art, I’ve always been able to reach a much larger audience. I am such an advocate of education, and I want everyone to see the advantages of higher education.”

One of Dantonio-Madsen’s biggest challenges while creating the piece was the humidity. It rained during the weeks in the garage, and that plus the cold temperatures slowed the paint’s dry time. Health issues also made ladder work painful.

Dantonio-Madsen offered to paint the dinosaur after APSCUF’s Executive Council approved the sponsorship, which benefits Shalom House in Harrisburg. APSCUF is listed on the plaque at the base of the T-Rex, and the exhibition includes additional opportunities for the association’s exposure.

“It’s good to have a dinosaur representing our professors and students in a positive way,” APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash said, alluding to a faculty member being called an “old dinosaur” in March’s budget-appropriations hearings.

Gradusaurus will stand up for higher education near the APSCUF office on Front Street in Harrisburg throughout the summer. APSCUF then will determine its permanent home.

—Kathryn Morton, APSCUF associate director of communications

Mansfield University student Corrinne Rebuck will work in the state office through August. Click here to learn more about future APSCUF internships.

State APSCUF’s government-relations and communications summer 2016 intern is Corrinne Rebuck, who just completed her junior year at Mansfield University. Rebuck double majors in political science with an international-security concentration and psychology with a human-resource-management concentration.

The Harrisburg native said she is looking forward to the state events in which she will be involved.

“I hope to gain a greater perspective and understanding into what APSCUF is doing for my university’s faculty, as well as the other members APSCUF represents,” Rebuck said.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends, and engaging in outdoor activities.

Gov. Tom Wolf talks with APSCUF members June 8 in the Capitol. Photo/Kathryn Morton

Members advocated for public higher education this week during two APSCUF activities in Pennsylvania’s capital.

Last night was APSCUF’s legislative reception, where members met with legislators, staff, and representatives from other unions at Federal Taphouse in Harrisburg. Our summer intern ran our Snapchat account for the evening, and you can view images from the event here.

Today, members met with legislators in the Capitol. The morning concluded with a visit to Gov. Tom Wolf’s office for introductions, a statement about the importance of public higher education, and a group photo. Within 48 hours, the governor’s office will post images from the meet-and-greet here.