Mission Statement

Katelynn Stevens ’09
B.S., Accounting
West Chester University

When Katelynn Stevens enrolled in West Chester University after graduating from a vocational high school in 2005, she knew that she wanted to major in business primarily for practical reasons.

“I thought there would be more job opportunities in business, so that’s why I chose to study it,” recalls Stevens of East Goshen Township, Chester County. “In my freshman year I was a finance major.” Although Stevens had not considered accounting as her focus, that soon changed.

“When I met Professor Galbraith, he convinced me to become an accounting major. He told me about the possibilities for job opportunities, so I took his advice and decided to switch.”

Faculty Q & A: Timothy J. Brown

What is covered in the University’s Communication Studies program?

Students enrolled in the Communication Studies program are exposed to a range of topics– from media studies, public relations, and broadcasting to the more humanistic aspects of communications, such as interpersonal communications, conflict resolution, rhetorical criticism and persuasion.

No matter what their focus, we expect students to graduate from the program with strong oral and written skills, while acquiring competence in information literacy and research skills. And, while we believe the program prepares students for a number of careers, we organize our upper level courses into three areas: public relations and media studies, rhetoric and public communication and interpersonal and intercultural communications.

Tina Sloan Green ’66

College Major: B.S. in health and physical education, M.S. in education from Temple University

Current Job: Co-founder and president of the non-profit community based organization, Black Women in Sport Foundation

Tina Sloan Green is the first African American head coach in the history of women’s intercollegiate lacrosse. Shortly after her graduation from WCU she competed on the U.S. Women’s Field Hockey squad in 1966 and then on the U.S.A Women’s Lacrosse team between the years 1969-1973. As head coach of the Temple University women’s lacrosse team from 1973-1992 she is the only coach in the Owl’s history to win three national championships. While at Temple University she also coached their field hockey program for five years advancing the team …

The Millers Take the Checkered Flag But Their Race Continues

Autoweek magazine’s 50^th anniversary special edition in 2008 identified the best 50 car books of the past 50 years considered “essential reading” for auto and motorsport enthusiasts. The list includes Silent Thunder: Breaking Through Cultural, Racial and Class Barriers in Motorsports, (Red Sea Press, 2004), an autobiography by black car racing pioneer Leonard “Len” W. Miller’56. Silent Thunder recounts his lifelong passion for auto racing and the monumental roadblocks he encountered as a northern African American competing in a predominately white all-male sport.

Miller founded and co-owns Miller Racing Group, the first black-owned NASCAR racing team to win a track championship in its history. In the past, his team has been recognized as one of the top 60 teams …

Faculty Q & A: Anita Foeman

The DNA Discussion Project

In the 11 years she has taught intercultural communications, Professor of Communication Studies Anita Foeman has observed that students - and most people, for that matter - are willing to share narratives about themselves and their families because, “they are longing to be known, to feel that someone cares about them and about their story.”

Since 2006, Foeman has undertaken a project that takes a closer look at individuals’ family narratives and compares their “stories” to what DNA testing tells them about their ethnic heritage - often with surprising results. Her goal: to encourage people to “…talk about diversity in a new, positive and engaging way.”

Celebrating 50 Years of Women’s Athletics

Marian Washington ’70, an inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the keynote speaker for the June celebration, was a member of the West Chester team which won the first national title in women’s collegiate basketball.

Twice named an AAU All-American, Washington went on to earn many more accolades during her 31-year coaching career with the University of Kansas Jayhawks

In 2003, she was named Coach of the Year and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Coaches Association. She was the first African American to assist with an Olympic gold medal women’s basketball team and was the first African American head coach for a U.S. international team, winning a silver medal in 1982. Read More

Late Bloomer Graduate Continues to Climb Academic Ladder

On May 2, Synera Johnson proudly donned her cap and gown to accept her Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Studies, Early Childhood Education and Professional Education from West Chester University.

At the end of July, she packed her red Chrysler Neon and hit the road for Chicago, and began two years of graduate studies at the Erikson Institute, the nation’s premier graduate school in child development. Erikson is the third leg of the college odyssey that Johnson began at Community College of Philadelphia in 1990.