Provost David Stinebeck (3rd from left) presents the 2005 President's Award for
Leadership in Learning for a Lifetime to Mary Mazzoni (2nd from left) and the staff
of the Berks County Transition Coordinating Council.   photo: Barbara J. Marshall

In April, Albright presented the Berks County Transition Coordinating Council with the 2005 President’s Award for Leadership in Learning for a Lifetime.

The award recognizes pace-setting programs and organizations in Berks County that foster learning in the broadest sense and allow individuals of all ages to expand their horizons. The award was conceived by Edward Gilbert, Ph.D., professor of psychology.

Provost David Stinebeck, Ph.D., presented the award at the council’s 10th anniversary celebration. “At Albright, we believe in the importance of lifetime learning. There are many excellent programs in Berks County that do a phenomenal job helping people to better their lives through education. This award was created to recognize those who do an outstanding job in that area.”

The Berks County Transition Coordinating Council plans and facilitates successful movement of students with disabilities from school programs to adult life. The goal of the council is for each student with a disability to achieve his/her maximum potential for inclusion and independence in all aspects of adult life.

Organizations or programs eligible for Albright’s Annual President’s Award for Leadership in Learning for a Lifetime may be civic, religious, professional, social-welfare or philanthropic organizations, as well as businesses, educational institutions and many others. Programs may provide education in the areas of physical or mental health, the arts, community service, fostering leadership, creating an informed citizenry, teaching social advocacy or economic/ financial/consumer skills, developing career or vocational skills, furthering environmental awareness, to name a few examples.

Sidney Dreese, special collections librar-ian, recently won two grants to benefit the Special Collections Department of Albright’s library.

A cash grant, made possible through the office of Pennsylvania Congressman Dante Santoni Jr., was awarded to purchase supplies such as special archival quality storage boxes, folders, tools and protective cases for some of Albright’s rare materials.

The second grant was awarded by the Center for the Conservation of Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation and preservation. This grant enables Albright to have one of CCAHA’s highly trained consultants come to campus and assess the preservation needs of the collection. A detailed report will be provided to the College. Once the report is complete, Dreese will prepare a preservation plan and continue to seek grant funds to preserve Albright’s history and historic
artifacts.

Albright students Meridith Hippert ’06 and Kristina McCreesh ’07 were honored by the Tug McGraw Foundation as two of 18 winners from across the country selected as the first recipients of the foundation’s “Diamond 45 Scholarship.”

The Tug McGraw Foundation established the Diamond 45 Scholarship Program to honor McGraw’s belief in the value of higher education.

The scholarship was awarded to college students nationwide who exemplify McGraw’s “Ya Gotta Believe” philosophy and show promise to become leaders and carry on McGraw’s name and spirit. Applicants were judged on academic accomplishments, community involvement and leadership ability. They also had to submit an essay about how McGraw’s “Ya Gotta Believe” philosophy plays a role in their lives.

McCreesh wrote that McGraw’s philosophy means “giving everything you have when you feel like you have nothing left” and “always striving to do your absolute best,” beliefs she applies to her time spent on the softball field.

Tug McGraw, whose career spanned 21 years with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, created the foundation to help brain tumor survivors and their families to live well through the funding of pioneering neuro-oncology quality of life research and to raise public awareness about brain cancer.

McGraw died from brain cancer in 2004.