Think you know all there is about a Liberal Arts Education? Think again. A special night has been set aside to fully explore varied career paths opened by Penn State's Letters, Arts and Sciences (LAS) baccalaureate degree program. On Wednesday night, September 27th at 6:00 p.m. students and parents from throughout northeast Pennsylvania are invited to learn more. The event will be held in the K. Bruce Sherbine Lounge of the school's Study Learning Center.
Sandra Feather, associate director of admissions at Penn State Worthington Scranton created a series of Information Nights for several degree programs available at the school. "Letters, Arts and Sciences at Penn State asks students to make a basic choice - either humanities or social sciences," she said. "That choice opens pathways to a multitude of career options. Our students love it whether they are incoming freshman, adult students or students transferring from other schools," she said.
At Penn State, Letters, Arts and Sciences combines liberal arts education with the flexibility to design a program based on career options. With the help of a faculty advisor, students can create an academic program within the chosen option of humanities or social sciences.
"Right now our LAS degree provides entrée into masters or doctoral level study. The degree program also provides excellent preparation to such fields as education, medicine, dentistry, law, business, journalism and many others," explained Ms. Feather. "LAS is coordinated by two of the finest faculty available at Penn State, Professor John Dolis and Senior Instructor Paul Perrone. Both have an excellent appreciation of the multi-talented students attracted to this type of program, and the attention needed to help students make the right choices early in the process."
Dr. John Dolis, Professor of English and American Studies, Coordinator of International Programs and Co-Coordinator of the LAS Program, received his B.A. from Saint Louis University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Loyola University of Chicago. His academic awards include NEH Summer Fellowships at the University of Arizona and Yale University, Fulbright Professorships in American Literature at the University of Turin, Italy, and the University of Bucharest, Romania, as well as a Visiting Professorship in American Literature at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. His publications include numerous articles in literary, philosophical, and psychoanalytic journals, two television scripts, two volumes of poetry, and two books of literary criticism—on Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau, respectively. He presently serves on the editorial boards of the Arizona Quarterly, the Journal of American Culture, and the Nathaniel Hawthorne Review. Internationally recognized as a scholar of nineteenth-century American literature, he has been called, by the editor of the Arizona Quarterly, "one of the three or four most important Hawthorne scholars in the world."
Mr. Perrone, senior instructor of English, holds a B. S. and M.A. degrees in English from the University of Scranton. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (retired) with the United States Army, serving on active duty in the Federal Republic of Germany. His positions with the U.S. Army included troop commander, unit commander, adjutant, instructor and logistician.
Prior to his appointment at Penn State, Mr. Perrone was a teacher at the Scranton School District, Northern Burlington County, NJ Regional High School, Milton Eisner Yeshiva High School, and North Pocono High School.
Mr. Perrone is currently campus coordinator of the English department, chair of the University College committee on English and campus scholarship committee chair. He has received several awards for teaching and service to the University including the Campus Advisory Board Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts.
Students interested in learning more or to register for the program at Penn State Worthington Scranton should call 963-2500, or visit www.ws.psu.edu.