Albright Awarded
Grant to Establish Wireless Education and Training Center
Albright College has been awarded a $99,350 grant
from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)
to develop the infrastructure for a Wireless Education and Training
Center.
Professor Daniel J. Falabella, Ph.D., chair of the Computer Science
Depart-ment, developed the project. “This grant will enable
Albright to create a facility for research, application development,
and training in the use of wireless technology,” Falabella
said. Two courses that specifically target wireless applications
for handheld devices are already in place and will be available
in fall 2004. Once the center is operational and courses have been
established, the College plans to extend training opportunities
in wireless networking to the greater Berks County community.
The grant will also help to establish a wireless
network on Albright’s
campus. Initially, two indoor common areas, possibly in the Library
and Campus Center, will be set up so that students can make use
of wireless devices. Campus parking lots are also being considered
so security officials can make use of an application currently
in the works for ticket writing on wireless personal digital assistants
(PDAs).
This grant expands the $277,000 Pennsylvania
Link-to-Learn grant awarded to Albright in 2000 for an innovative
educational program
in handheld wireless technology. Albright is the first academic
institution in the United States authorized as an academic training
partner with PalmSource, Inc. in the development of handheld wireless
technology.
“
This allows us to do some real cutting-edge work,” said Falabella. “Albright
profits from having the capability to offer this unique opportunity
to our students.”
At the Board of Trustees meeting
in October, six new members were appointed.
Robert J. Beall,
Ph.D. ’65 has been president and
CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) in Bethesda, Md. since
1994, and has been with the organization since 1984. Under his
leadership, CFF has become recognized for its creative and successful
approach to supporting biomedical research that leads to developing
new therapies for Cystic Fibrosis patients. He received his Ph.D.
and M.A. in biochemistry from the State University of New York
(SUNY) in Buffalo, and was awarded an Albright honorary degree
in 1998. Beall is married to Mary Ellen (O’Connor) Beall ’67.
He represents the Albright Alumni Association on the Board.
Kimberly
M. Field ’99, the Young Alumni Represen-tative
on the Board, is director of development, student affairs, at
Florida State University. Previously she was annual giving officer
at St. Peter’s College. Field received her master’s
in college student development from Illinois State University
in 2001.
Robert
Gottfried is president and co-founder of Cross Current
Corporation, a software development company located in New Hope,
Pa. Cross Current develops both traditional applications and
web-based application development for Fortune 500 companies,
the public sector in 10 states, and internationally, for example,
a computer-aided dispatching (CAD) system for emergency communications
agencies, and a web-enabled time-management product. Gottfried’s
son Philip is a junior at Albright.
Kathleen
J. Grant, M.D. ’72 is retired from a career as
a cardiovascular surgeon at Three Rivers Cardiac, Inc. in Carnegie,
Pa. A member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and previously
president of the Pittsburgh Thoracic Surgeons Society, she has
been a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and director
of the American Heart Association in Allegheny County. She earned
her M.D. from Jefferson Medical College.
Jeffrey
W. Griffiths ’73 is
president and CEO of Electronics Boutique, among the world's largest
specialty retailers dedicated exclusively to video game hardware
and software, PC entertainment, PC productivity and educational software
and accessories. The company has 1,436 stores in the United States,
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway,
Puerto Rico, Sweden and South Korea, primarily under the names of
EB Games and Electronics Boutique. He holds an M.B.A. from Temple
University.
Gregory
A. Harbaugh, Esq. ’62 rejoins
the Board, having served as a Trustee from 1997 until 2000. He is
founding member of Houston Harbaugh, PC in Pittsburgh. His practice
is concentrated in tax and corporate law, estate planning and wealth
preservation. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County
Bar Associations, and a frequent lecturer on tax planning and wealth
preservation. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law
Center.
Robert J. Beall,
Ph.D. ’65 has been president and
CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) in Bethesda, Md. since
1994, and has been with the organization since 1984. Under his
leadership, CFF has become recognized for its creative and successful
approach to supporting biomedical research that leads to developing
new therapies for Cystic Fibrosis patients. He received his Ph.D.
and M.A. in biochemistry from the State University of New York
(SUNY) in Buffalo, and was awarded an Albright honorary degree
in 1998. Beall is married to Mary Ellen (O’Connor) Beall ’67.
He represents the Albright Alumni Association on the Board.
Kimberly
M. Field ’99, the Young Alumni Represen-tative
on the Board, is director of development, student affairs, at
Florida State University. Previously she was annual giving officer
at St. Peter’s College. Field received her master’s
in college student development from Illinois State University
in 2001. 
Robert
Gottfried is president and co-founder of Cross Current
Corporation, a software development company located in New Hope,
Pa. Cross Current develops both traditional applications and
web-based application development for Fortune 500 companies,
the public sector in 10 states, and internationally, for example,
a computer-aided dispatching (CAD) system for emergency communications
agencies, and a web-enabled time-management product. Gottfried’s
son Philip is a junior at Albright. 
Kathleen
J. Grant, M.D. ’72 is retired from a career as
a cardiovascular surgeon at Three Rivers Cardiac, Inc. in Carnegie,
Pa. A member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and previously
president of the Pittsburgh Thoracic Surgeons Society, she has
been a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and director
of the American Heart Association in Allegheny County. She earned
her M.D. from Jefferson Medical College.
Jeffrey
W. Griffiths ’73 is
president and CEO of Electronics Boutique, among the world's largest
specialty retailers dedicated exclusively to video game hardware
and software, PC entertainment, PC productivity and educational software
and accessories. The company has 1,436 stores in the United States,
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway,
Puerto Rico, Sweden and South Korea, primarily under the names of
EB Games and Electronics Boutique. He holds an M.B.A. from Temple
University. 
Gregory
A. Harbaugh, Esq. ’62 rejoins
the Board, having served as a Trustee from 1997 until 2000. He is
founding member of Houston Harbaugh, PC in Pittsburgh. His practice
is concentrated in tax and corporate law, estate planning and wealth
preservation. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and Allegheny County
Bar Associations, and a frequent lecturer on tax planning and wealth
preservation. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law
Center.