Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
West Liberty University Professor of English Dr. W. Scott Hanna Announces Release of Debut Poetry Collection, The Only House on the Left
WEST LIBERTY, West Virginia, Feb. 3 -- West Liberty University issued the following news:
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West Liberty University Professor of English Dr. W. Scott Hanna Announces Release of Debut Poetry Collection, The Only House on the Left
West Liberty University professor of English W. Scott Hanna announces the release of his debut collection of poems, The Only House on the Left (Kelsay Books, 2026).
As described on the author's website:
"The Only House on the Left is a collection of poetry and prose arranged in five sections that can be read as a memoir in verse. The first section focuses on childhood
... Show Full Article
WEST LIBERTY, West Virginia, Feb. 3 -- West Liberty University issued the following news:
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West Liberty University Professor of English Dr. W. Scott Hanna Announces Release of Debut Poetry Collection, The Only House on the Left
West Liberty University professor of English W. Scott Hanna announces the release of his debut collection of poems, The Only House on the Left (Kelsay Books, 2026).
As described on the author's website:
"The Only House on the Left is a collection of poetry and prose arranged in five sections that can be read as a memoir in verse. The first section focuses on childhoodmemories and family portraits; the second section is a longer, metaphorical coming-of-age piece; the third section explores the nuances of relationships and marriage; the fourth section details experiences of fatherhood; and the final section grapples with the grief that results when a son loses a father. Cycling through this chronology of life experience, the book ultimately ends on a note of hope and the kind of redemption that can only be found deep in the roots of home and family."
West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman praised the collection, stating, "These are brave poems, unafraid to tackle fear and doubt, unafraid in their many elegiac remembrances that meticulously observe the dynamics of loss and dying with honesty and conviction."
Poet CJ Farnsworth adds, "With stark imagery of the Ohio Valley and an authentic exploration of all 'the questions the living keep living,' [the poems] encourage us to remember, to embody, the truth of this existence, our mutual 'need for someone to hold us up.'"
"Publishing this book has been a long-time goal of mine," said Hanna. "It really represents writing done over a nearly twenty-year span of time. To see it come together and to finally take shape and be published is really rewarding."
Born and raised in the Upper Ohio Valley, Hanna is a professor of English at West Liberty University, where he teaches creative writing and literature. His poetry and creative nonfiction have been published in Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, Cleaver Magazine, Still: The Journal, Porter House Review, and others. He also served as poetry editor of the Northern Appalachia Review from its inaugural volume in 2020 until 2025.
An official book launch event is scheduled for Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at The Urban Collective, located on Market Street in Wheeling. Books will be available for purchase. Copies are also available online at Kelsay Books (kelsaybooks.com) and Amazon. Additional information and illustrations from cover artist Kathryn Weir are available at wscotthanna.com.
West Liberty University blends a small-town environment with a comprehensive college experience, fostering students' aspirations through hands-on learning, personalized support, and unique academic programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. To apply or learn more about West Liberty University, visit westliberty.edu.
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Original text here: https://westliberty.edu/news/news/west-liberty-university-professor-of-english-dr-w-scott-hanna-announces-release-of-debut-poetry-collection-the-only-house-on-the-left/
Wayne State University: Gardening Safely in Detroit's Soil
DETROIT, Michigan, Feb. 3 -- Wayne State University issued the following news:
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Gardening safely in Detroit's soil
Nearly 1,400 community gardens feed the city of Detroit. Per capita, that's more than any other city in the U.S., said Sarah Black, a Ph.D. candidate in biological sciences at the Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and yet crops grown in urban environments face unique stressors.
"Two of the most pervasive are thermal pollution generated by urban heat islands (UHIs) and atmospheric deposition of heavy metals from industrial and vehicular emissions."
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, Feb. 3 -- Wayne State University issued the following news:
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Gardening safely in Detroit's soil
Nearly 1,400 community gardens feed the city of Detroit. Per capita, that's more than any other city in the U.S., said Sarah Black, a Ph.D. candidate in biological sciences at the Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and yet crops grown in urban environments face unique stressors.
"Two of the most pervasive are thermal pollution generated by urban heat islands (UHIs) and atmospheric deposition of heavy metals from industrial and vehicular emissions."
An urban heat island is a section of the city that's warmer by 5 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit than the rest of the city, Black said. For example, Midtown is much warmer than the Riverfront or Palmer Park, because there's less greenspace, less shade from trees, more buildings and reflective surfaces, like asphalt and windows that magnify sunlight.
Under the guidence of Associate Professor Glen Hood, Ph.D., and funded by the WSU One Health Initative, Black conducted a field experiment from 2022-2024 wherein she grew tomatoes, kale, chard, and carrots from seeds in pots in community gardens across the city to study heat island intensity and atmospheric metal disposition during growing seasons.
She will present her research at the Wayne State University Graduate Research Symposium on February 25, 2026, at the Student Center.
Black conferred with community gardens around the city to determine which plants are routinely eaten by Detroiters and which to study.
"I was interested in different organs of the plant. A carrot, we eat its root. Swiss chard, we eat the stem, sometimes the leaves. Kale, we eat its leaves. And tomatoes, we eat the fruit."
All organs retain metals differently, she explained, so it was important to study a spread.
Black discovered that up to an extent, UHIs actually resulted in an increase of micronutrients like copper and zinc that helped increase crop yield. But excessive heat forced a higher intake of metals, which lessened the protein content of crops. It's nuanced, Black said, but gardens near green space with fewer buildings and occasional shade, ultimately fared better.
The most measurable spikes in detriment levels of metals did not occur spread across particular UHIs but instead resulted on a block by block basis, Black said.
"I'd notice an influx and ask around the neighborhood about nearby events, and they'd tell me 'Oh, three houses were demoed on our block this week,' or 'It was the Fourth of July weekend, there were fireworks.'"
Such events result in heightened levels of heavy metals like chromium, lead, and aersinic in the air that then settle in the soil and are usurped by plants. Root vegetables in particular take the brunt, Black said. 10 to 15% of the carrots she grew tested above ambient concentrations. That's more than 200 parts per million (ppm) by EPA standards.
"A way to mediate that is to grow root vegetables in above ground beds or to not grow root vegetables at all," Black said, pointing out it's a suggestion when it comes to farming in urban areas supported by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. "Roots accumulate lead as a defense mechanism in plants to keep it from moving to other parts of the plant."
None of the other crops Black planted tested for meaningful levels of metals.
Black hopes her research can inform protections for produce grown in UHIs. The ultimate answer is to create more greenspace, she said. "Ferndale, for example, has made it a goal to be 40% forested by 2030. Meaning they're offering to plant trees in front of every home that doesn't have one in the median between the sidewalk and the street in an effort to reduce the amount of sunlight that reflects off the pavement directly into houses."
The same solution works to protect plants from excess sunlight and heat.
Black said other solutions that have been implemented in other cities include moving away from asphalt to other kinds of pavement that aren't so reflective, and green roofs on buildings that can absorb heat.
The greener the neighborhoods, the healthier the food that ends up on tables.
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Original text here: https://gradschool.wayne.edu/news/gardening-safely-in-detroits-soil-67989
Virginia Tech: How Olympic Athletes Use Science to Win, According to an Expert
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Feb. 3 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
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How Olympic athletes use science to win, according to an expert
Ahead of the Winter Olympics, a Virginia Tech aerodynamics expert breaks down how air resistance can determine who medals--and how some athletes try to bend the rules.
By Melody Warnick
Racing through the air at Olympic speeds, athletes at the Winter Olympics in Milan will need more than strength and skill--they'll need science. In sports like ski jumping, skeleton, and speed skating, aerodynamics can make the difference between getting the gold or
... Show Full Article
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, Feb. 3 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
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How Olympic athletes use science to win, according to an expert
Ahead of the Winter Olympics, a Virginia Tech aerodynamics expert breaks down how air resistance can determine who medals--and how some athletes try to bend the rules.
By Melody Warnick
Racing through the air at Olympic speeds, athletes at the Winter Olympics in Milan will need more than strength and skill--they'll need science. In sports like ski jumping, skeleton, and speed skating, aerodynamics can make the difference between getting the gold orgoing home empty-handed.
And athletes know it. A scandal erupted at the Nordic World Ski Championships recently when Norwegian team coaches illegally enlarged ski jumpers' suits to enhance aerodynamics, in the hopes the skiers would fly a few extra meters. One former champion called it "doping, just with a different needle."
Virginia Tech aerodynamics expert Chris Roy explained what athletes are doing to take advantage of the science of aerodynamics.
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Why did Norwegian coaches alter ski jumpers' suits?
"When trying to fly without propulsion, it comes down to maximizing your lift while minimizing your drag," Roy said. "One way to do that is by increasing your surface area, which is what the Norwegian coaches were trying to do."
But that's not the only way, Roy said. "You can also get higher lift by curving your shape, called camber, or by changing your angle relative to the oncoming wind. Increasing camber or angle both increase lift, but there's a limit. Too much camber or angle can lead to stall, where lift drops dramatically and drag increases. You don't want to hit stall during a ski jump."
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For Olympic athletes, how can aerodynamics shave off time?
"Shape is one of the key aspects of aerodynamics," Roy said. "Low drag requires an aerodynamic shape."
"That's why ski jumpers form a V with their skis, turning their body into efficient lift-generating surfaces. A streamlined wing shape can have 10 times less drag than a circular shape of the same thickness," Roy said.
Aerodynamics shows up in speed skating too, when skaters "draft" behind others. "By skating behind others, you can drastically reduce your aerodynamic drag, in some cases by up to 40 percent, allowing the skaters in the back to significantly reduce their effort."
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How do athletes use engineering research to train for the Winter Olympics?
"Lots of Winter Olympic sports use wind tunnel testing to improve aerodynamics, equipment, and apparel, including ski jumping, speed skating, bobsled, skeleton, and luge," Roy explained. "These sports also use computational fluid dynamics to model these effects on the computer."
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About Roy
Chris Roy is a professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he's affiliated with the Center for Research and Engineering in Aero/Hydrodynamic Technologies (CREATe). His research expertise centers around computational fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and the reliability of computer simulations. Read more about him here.
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Schedule an interview
To schedule an interview with Chris Roy, contact Mike Allen at mike.allen@vt.edu or 540-400-1700.
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Original text here: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/02/eng-aoe-science-speed-olympics-aerodynamics.html
UH College of Pharmacy Expands Degree Plans to Offer Doctorate and Master of Science in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology
HOUSTON, Texas, Feb. 3 -- The University of Houston issued the following news:
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UH College of Pharmacy Expands Degree Plans to Offer Doctorate and Master of Science in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology
New Graduate Degrees Address Workforce Gap
By Laurie Fickman, 713-743-8454, lafickma@Central.UH.EDU
Addressing a growing demand for graduate training in evaluating medication safety, effectiveness and outcomes in real-world clinical settings, the UH College of Pharmacy is expanding its offerings within the Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate program. The college will now offer a Master
... Show Full Article
HOUSTON, Texas, Feb. 3 -- The University of Houston issued the following news:
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UH College of Pharmacy Expands Degree Plans to Offer Doctorate and Master of Science in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology
New Graduate Degrees Address Workforce Gap
By Laurie Fickman, 713-743-8454, lafickma@Central.UH.EDU
Addressing a growing demand for graduate training in evaluating medication safety, effectiveness and outcomes in real-world clinical settings, the UH College of Pharmacy is expanding its offerings within the Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate program. The college will now offer a Masterof Science and a doctoral degree in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology.
The program is the first of its kind to combine population health and pharmacoepidemiology in the Houston metropolitan area, one of the nation's largest and most culturally rich healthcare markets.
"The program positions the UH College of Pharmacy as a hub for advanced training at the intersection of pharmacy, data science and population health," said Arash Bashirullah, dean of the UH College of Pharmacy.
"Graduates will be prepared for research and leadership positions in healthcare systems, government, industry, and academia, and benefit from UH's Tier One research environment and proximity to the Texas Medical Center," he said.
Population health shifts the focus from managing illness in individuals to proactively improving health outcomes in specific populations. Pharmacoepidemiology is one of the tools used by population health to study the impact of medications and improve health outcomes in large groups of people. It combines many different fields to study, connecting clinical sciences, data science and epidemiology.
"The program is a timely and strategic initiative that aligns with the growing demand for graduate training in these fields to fill a critical workforce gap while enhancing the college's educational portfolio," said Bashirullah. "Houston's expansive healthcare systems and academic medical centers provide a unique opportunity for the University of Houston to establish leadership in this field."
The degree track offers students training in epidemiologic methods, biostatistics, health data science and pharmacoepidemiology to generate evidence that informs clinical practice, health policy and healthcare system decision-making.
The new degree tracks will be housed in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy.
"The new program combines the unique strengths of this department with emerging data sciences specialization at UH and the University's population health initiatives," said Rajender Aparasu, Mustafa F. & Sanober Lokhandwala Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy.
Applicants to the MS and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Population Health & Pharmacoepidemiology must hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant field with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale. Preference is given to applicants with pharmacy, biomedical, or other health-related backgrounds.
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Original text here: https://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2026/february/02022026-pharmacy-expands-degree-plans.php
Regis College: Rights Activist, Lawyer Kerry Kennedy; Former Chief Nursing Officer Kathleen Jose; and Impact Investment Leader Tracy Palandjian at 2026 Commencement
WESTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 3 -- Regis College issued the following news:
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Rights Activist, Lawyer Kerry Kennedy; Former Chief Nursing Officer Kathleen Jose; and Impact Investment Leader Tracy Palandjian at 2026 Commencement
Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree at Regis College's Class of 2026 Commencement Exercises on Sat., May 9. The university will also bestow an honorary degree upon Kathleen Jose '87, '94, MSN, RN, former chair of the university's board and chief nursing officer
... Show Full Article
WESTON, Massachusetts, Feb. 3 -- Regis College issued the following news:
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Rights Activist, Lawyer Kerry Kennedy; Former Chief Nursing Officer Kathleen Jose; and Impact Investment Leader Tracy Palandjian at 2026 Commencement
Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree at Regis College's Class of 2026 Commencement Exercises on Sat., May 9. The university will also bestow an honorary degree upon Kathleen Jose '87, '94, MSN, RN, former chair of the university's board and chief nursing officerof Lahey Health, and Tracy Palandjian, MBA, co-founder and CEO of Social Finance.
"All three of these remarkable individuals embody the Regis mission and exemplify what it means to use one's gifts in service of others," said Regis President Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN. "Their work inspires our community and strengthens our shared commitment to service, justice, and the common good. It is a privilege to recognize them."
Ms. Kennedy is an attorney and author who is best known for her human rights activism. She has devoted more than 40 years to the pursuit of equal justice and the promotion and protection of basic rights; and led hundreds of human rights delegations in support of causes including child labor, women's rights, disappearances, indigenous land rights, judicial independence, freedom of expression, ethnic violence, criminal justice reform, immigration, impunity, and environmental justice.
Ms. Kennedy is the author of the New York Times best seller Being Catholic Now, as well as Speak Truth to Power and Robert F. Kennedy: Ripples of Hope. She is a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines and regularly appears as a commentator on national and international media outlets. Ms. Kennedy currently serves on the board of directors of the United States Institute of Peace, Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation Laureate and Leaders, as well as Kennedy Human Rights Center's numerous international affiliates. She is on the advisory committee for the Association of American Indian Affairs, the Albert Schweitzer Institute, Sankofa, San Patrignano, and the Center for Victims of Torture, and the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. Ms. Kennedy served as chair of the Amnesty International USA Leadership Council for over a decade. Among her many accolades, she received the humanitarian award from the Congress of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.
"I am deeply honored to receive this award from Regis College and to share this moment with the graduating class. Regis' commitment to service, justice, and compassion reflects the values that have guided my life's work, and I am inspired by these graduates who are stepping into the world ready to lead with courage, conscience, and hope," Ms. Kennedy said.
Kathleen Jose, Regis classes of 1987 and 1994, is the former chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Lahey Health. In this role, she was responsible for nursing practice across both tertiary and ambulatory settings. She served on the Regis Board of Trustees for nine years from 2016-2025, including four as chair from 2021-2025. As a senior leader at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, Mass., Ms. Jose oversaw the highest excellence in patient care and created operational programs that ensured quality and improved patient satisfaction while managing an $80 million budget and overseeing 1,200 full-time positions. She successfully led the entire Lahey organization to Magnet Status in 2009, an award given by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center (ANCC) to health care organizations that satisfy a set of criteria designed to measure the strength and quality of their nursing programs. In addition, Ms. Jose created the Pathways to Expertise program for Lahey employees who wanted to pursue the profession of nursing by providing funding and academic and community partnerships, including with Regis, to advance to the highest level of professionalism in nursing.
Ms. Jose is a former member of the board of directors of Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives (MONE), and member of the Nurse Executive Center Advisory Board Company and the American Organization of Nurses Executives (AONE). She attended Northeastern University prior to Regis and was a Wharton Nurse Executive Fellow in 2000.
"I am honored to be recognized by my alma mater Regis College, an institution of higher education whose core values of caring, diversity, inclusion and excellence have defined the university for nearly a century," said Jose. "Regis taught me the value of transformational leadership and developed in me the skills to build a nursing profession rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration in delivering compassionate, evidence-based patient care."
Tracy Palandjian is CEO and Co-Founder of Social Finance, a national nonprofit and registered investment advisor. In 2011, she co-founded Social Finance to seed the Pay For Success field in the United States, sparking a national conversation about new funding models to tackle systemic challenges and drive measurable impact. Since then, Social Finance has mobilized over $500 million in new investments designed to achieve improved outcomes across a range of issue areas, including economic mobility, health, and housing. In 2024, the organization launched the Social Finance Institute to advance the field through actionable research and educational outreach. Ms. Palandjian is a frequent speaker and writer on impact investing, social innovation, and results-oriented policymaking.
"I'm deeply honored to receive this recognition from Regis. I came to this country as a foreign student and decided to make my life here, an experience that shaped my commitment to ensuring everyone has access to economic opportunity," said Palandjian. "That's why I co-founded Social Finance, where we're bringing governments and markets together to build programs that are accountable for results, creating pathways to jobs that deliver meaningful wage gains and upward mobility."
Prior to Social Finance, Ms. Palandjian was a managing director for 11 years at The Parthenon Group, where she established and led the Nonprofit Practice to support foundations and NGOs to accomplish their missions in the U.S. and globally.
Ms. Palandjian is a member of the Harvard Corporation, and serves on the boards of The Barr Foundation, and The Boston Foundation. She is an elected member of American Academy Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Previously, she served on the boards of The Surdna Foundation, RFK Human Rights, Milton Academy, and Mass General Brigham, and is a 2019 recipient of Harvard Business School's Alumni Achievement Award.
A native of Hong Kong, Ms. Palandjian graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. magna cum laude in Economics and holds an M.B.A. with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar.
At the 95th commencement ceremony on May 9, Regis expects to graduate nearly 1,000 students, including nearly 600 nursing students, awarding degrees from the associate to doctoral levels. The ceremony will take place in the Boston Seaport at the Leader Bank Pavilion.
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Original text here: https://www.regiscollege.edu/about-regis/news/regis-college-honor-human-rights-activist-lawyer-kerry-kennedy-former-chief
Misericordia University and LCCC Announce Innovative Transfer Policy
DALLAS, Pennsylvania, Feb. 3 -- Misericordia University issued the following news:
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Misericordia University and LCCC Announce Innovative Transfer Policy
NANTICOKE, PA / DALLAS, PA - Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) and Misericordia University (MU) announced a new, innovative transfer policy that formally recognizes the academic value of an associate degree earned at LCCC and significantly simplifies the transfer process for students pursuing a bachelor's degree at Misericordia University.
Under the new policy, students who complete an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science
... Show Full Article
DALLAS, Pennsylvania, Feb. 3 -- Misericordia University issued the following news:
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Misericordia University and LCCC Announce Innovative Transfer Policy
NANTICOKE, PA / DALLAS, PA - Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) and Misericordia University (MU) announced a new, innovative transfer policy that formally recognizes the academic value of an associate degree earned at LCCC and significantly simplifies the transfer process for students pursuing a bachelor's degree at Misericordia University.
Under the new policy, students who complete an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science(AS) Degree at LCCC will have Misericordia University's undergraduate core curriculum requirements waived upon transfer. This means students can move more directly into coursework for their chosen major, reducing both the time and cost associated with earning a four-year degree.
"This agreement is a powerful statement about the quality and rigor of an LCCC education," said John Yudichak, president of Luzerne County Community College. "By recognizing the associate degree as a complete and meaningful academic credential, we are helping our graduates save money, avoid unnecessary coursework, and transition more confidently to a bachelor's degree program."
The policy applies to general education and core curriculum requirements only. Students will still complete all required coursework within their major and any prerequisite courses required for degree completion at Misericordia University. Up to 61 credits from LCCC may transfer toward a Misericordia bachelor's degree, consistent with university transfer credit policies, and eligible courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.
"Misericordia University has long been committed to making higher education accessible and student-centered," said Daniel J. Myers, Ph.D., president of Misericordia University. "We value the rigor of our core curriculum. Similarly, we know that LCCC prepares their students to succeed academically should they choose to pursue a bachelor's or master's degree in the future."
In addition to the benefits for students, the agreement significantly reduces transcript evaluation and processing time, allowing students to receive faster, clearer guidance as they plan their academic pathway.
This policy is the first of its kind between LCCC and any private college or university. It complements the many existing articulation agreements between the two institutions that outline efficient, major-specific transfer pathways and further enhance the student transfer experience.
LCCC faculty, staff, and administrators expressed strong enthusiasm for the new policy during recent joint discussions, noting that it will simplify advising conversations and provide students with greater clarity and confidence when considering transfer to Misericordia University.
The agreement also builds on a long history of collaboration between LCCC and Misericordia University. That partnership dates back to 1999 with the launch of Misericordia's Expressway accelerated degree program, which--prior to the widespread growth of online learning--was offered on LCCC's main campus and later expanded to additional LCCC locations and other partner institutions.
Both institutions expressed gratitude to the faculty, registrar, and provost's office at Misericordia University, as well as academic leaders and administrators at LCCC, whose collaboration, receptiveness, and encouragement made the policy possible.
"This policy addresses the two largest barriers that students face as they continue their post-secondary education, time and money. is about putting students first and educating critical thinkers who are highly competent in their chosen career fields," said Yudichak. "By working together, LCCC and Misericordia University are creating clearer, more affordable, and more efficient pathways to degree completion for our region."
The new transfer policy takes effect now, for spring semester 2026, and will be reviewed periodically to ensure it continues to meet the needs of students while maintaining the academic integrity of both institutions.
To learn more, click here (https://www.misericordia.edu/admissions/transfer-students/lccc-partnership).
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Original text here: https://www.misericordia.edu/news/news-post-page/~board/news/post/misericordia-university-and-lccc-announce-innovative-transfer-policy
CalState Poly-Pomona: Learning by Launch - Inside the CubeSTEP Ambitious Space Mission
POMONA, California, Feb. 3 -- California State Polytechnic University-Pomona issued the following news:
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Learning by Launch: Inside the CubeSTEP Ambitious Space Mission
Chris Park
For many engineering students, astronautics is something studied, not practiced. They'll look at theoretical equations on a whiteboard, see simulations on a screen and absorb knowledge through textbooks and lectures.
At Cal Poly Pomona, the CubeSTEP program does things differently. Under the direction of faculty lead Professor Navid Nakhjiri, CubeSTEP gives students the rare chance to design, build, test, launch
... Show Full Article
POMONA, California, Feb. 3 -- California State Polytechnic University-Pomona issued the following news:
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Learning by Launch: Inside the CubeSTEP Ambitious Space Mission
Chris Park
For many engineering students, astronautics is something studied, not practiced. They'll look at theoretical equations on a whiteboard, see simulations on a screen and absorb knowledge through textbooks and lectures.
At Cal Poly Pomona, the CubeSTEP program does things differently. Under the direction of faculty lead Professor Navid Nakhjiri, CubeSTEP gives students the rare chance to design, build, test, launchand operate a spacecraft carrying real technology for a real client: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
CubeSTEP was conceived not as a class or a club, but as a program for curious students to go hands-on with industry-funded astronautics projects. Students come out of the program transformed, discovering new passions, developing valuable skillsets and leveraging both to start careers.
A Real Mission, Not a Simulation
The inaugural CubeSTEP mission centers on a cutting-edge thermal technology developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): additively manufactured oscillating heat pipes (OHPs). These devices passively move large amounts of heat through intricately printed internal pipes for spacecraft, like satellites, launched into space. The promise is enormous for future deep-space satellite missions where thermal management can determine whether or not a spacecraft survives.
However, validating the technology via lab environments isn't enough. Microgravity, radiation and long-duration exposure can fundamentally change how materials behave in space. Flying the technology is the only way to raise its technology readiness level for future missions. Doing that inside a NASA center would be prohibitively expensive. Doing it through the CubeSTEP program, where students are building a CubeSat (a miniature satellite about the size of a loaf of bread) with OHP technology, offers a cost-effective solution where students get hands-on experience withdelivering real results to a actualclient.
Once complete, the CubeSat will be a payload in a rocket launch in February 2027, where it'll essentially hitch a ride to space. Students are responsible for the entire system: payload design, spacecraft integration, simulations, hardware testing, mission planning and operations.
"This is a great platform," Nakhjiri says, "We can bring technology that JPL wants to test, build it on a CubeSat and fly it. It's much cheaper than NASA doing it internally. At the same time, students going through this program have had the trajectory of their lives and careers changed. That's what excites me the most."
CJ Negrete ('25, aerospace engineering), former project manager for the program, said her participation in CubeSTEP was invaluable academically and for her career.
"What immediately stood out was that CubeSTEP wasn't just a student project," Negrete said. "It was a systems-driven program with real accountability, real constraints, and real stakeholders."
Negrete immediately went straight to work after high school as a leader in Sprouts Farmers Market, opening stores across multiple states. By happenstance, she had the chance to visit the NASA Space Center when opening a new store in Houston. The experience served as a catalyst of her return to higher education 10 years after high school and eventually CubeSTEP. The experience gained as project manager was transformative. Today, she is a systems engineer at Sophia Space.
"CubeSTEP taught me how to think in systems. I worked across mechanical, thermal, avionics, and mission domains, learning how decisions in one area affect the entire architecture," Negrete says. "That systems-level mindset directly influenced my transition into my current role."
Building Capability from the Ground Up
When the program began in 2019, Cal Poly Pomona did not yet have the infrastructure required to support a mission of this complexity. Over several years, Nakhjiri and his team built it piece by piece: a spacecraft clean room for assembly, specialized testing labs reconfigured for CubeSat-scale hardware, and now a dedicated mission operations center to command the satellite after launch.
Further, many of the analyses CubeSTEP requires--advanced thermal modeling, space-qualified design practices, mission verification--aren't covered in undergraduate coursework. Students in CubeSTEP learn them by doing, guided by co-advisors Nakhjiri and Assistant Professor Marco Maggia, industry mentors, and engineers at JPL. Several students spend summers embedded at JPL itself, working full-time internships aligned directly with CubeSTEP's technical needs, then bringing that expertise back to the project
"Being part of a spacecraft from the very beginning... from idea to design to launch and operation, that's not something many students can clai m," Nakhjiri says.
Why Faculty Commitment Matters
Programs like CubeSTEP demand years of sustained effort--writing proposals, managing grants, coordinating industry partners, mentoring students across multiple cohorts and carrying technical responsibility for hardware bound for space. That level of commitment goes far beyond a typical teaching load.
Nakhjiri took it on deliberately. Coming from a background heavy in theory and numerical work, he saw at Cal Poly Pomona an opportunity to close the gap between theory and practice and build something that would actually launch. He also saw how transformative that experience could be for students. Graduates of CubeSTEP don't just understand aerospace systems. They understand what it means to start and complete a real engineering project with real stakes.
"Most of my students who worked on CubeSTEP ended up in roles directly related to what they did here," Nakhjiri says. "These students can say, 'I've designed something that flew. That changes everything."
The outcomes reflect that. Of the students Nakhjiri has kept in contact with, roughly 85% are now working in aerospace roles or pursuing advanced study directly related to their CubeSTEP responsibilities. Many stepped into jobs that mirrored their project role, like systems engineering, thermal design additive manufacturing.
"The confidence I have in navigating complex systems, asking the right questions, and balancing technical rigor with practical execution traces directly back to CubeSTEP," says Negrete. "It bridged the gap between academic learning and real-world engineering in a way that few programs truly do."
Industry Funding Makes It Possible
This opportunity only exists because of external funding partners. The bulk of the funding comes from an approximately $900,000 NASA award in 2023. Before this, CubeSTEP was built on years of smaller investments and demonstrated capability.
Much of that funding flows directly back to students as it pays for internships at JPL, travel and hands-on work that might otherwise be inaccessible. It's a model where education, research, and workforce development create opportunities for engineering students to do real, hands-on work.
What's Next
For the CubeSTEP team approaching launch early next year, the excitement is real, but so is the pressure. Regardless of the outcome, the educational impact is already complete.
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Original text here: https://www.cpp.edu/news/content/2026/02/learning-by-launch-inside-the-cubestep-ambitious-space-mission/index.shtml
