A Comparison of the Effects of an Isometric Program, a Weight Training Program and an Isometric-weight Training Program on Strength Development

Many different methods of increasing strength have been tried and developed through the years, and there are many and varied reasons to account for this search for increased strength. A number of reasons has prompted the urge and desire in man to develop the best method of strength development. Isometric contractions have recently taken the spotlight in this search. With just a few minutes of time each day devoted to simple isometric exercises, research has indicated an individual can develop strength as quickly as with other methods of training. The basic purpose of this research was to compare the effects of three different training programs on strength development. An isometric contraction program, a weight training program, and an isometric-weight training program were compared for strength improvement. The subjects used in this study were freshmen students participating in the physical education service program. The following strength tests were administered at the beginning and end of the training program: McCloy’s Strength Test Revision, Sit-up test (2 minutes), and the Sargent Jump test. The following items were used for comparison of strength gains: grip strength, leg lift, back lift, vertical jump, sit-ups, and arm strength

Recipient of the 2013 Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award

Dr. Kathleen Plinske is a distinguished educational leader with a passion for providing access to higher education to traditionally disadvantaged students. At a young age of 32, Dr. Plinske serves as President of Valencia College’s Osceola and Lake Nona Campuses in Kissimmee and Orlando, Florida. Dr. Plinske is responsible for all academic, administrative and fiscal leadership of the campuses, and was responsible for overseeing the development of a new $45 million, 150,000 square foot building at the Osceola Campus. Recently named as the top community college in the nation by the Aspen Institute, the Osceola Campus serves 12,000 students per term, about 45% of whom are Hispanic. Dr. Plinske uses her fluency in Spanish to communicate with students and their families. Prior to her work at Valencia, Dr. Plinske spent several years working at McHenry County College in Illinois. Her role began with working with faculty interested in developing online classes. From there, Dr. Plinske’s extraordinary talents and professional commitment were quickly noticed, and she was promoted into several roles. In 2009, she was selected to serve as the Interim President of McHenry County College and was named one of McHenry County’s “Top 10 Under 40.” Dr. Plinske is vocal about her gratitude for the tremendous gift of her experiences at IMSA that were provided to her by the people of Illinois, and about the responsibility she feels to give back to her community. An enthusiastic member of her community, she serves as the President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Lake Nona in Orlando, and is an active member of several community organizations. She has been recognized for her leadership and accomplishments with several awards including being named the 2012 Outstanding Young Alumnus by Indiana University and “Woman of the Year” by the Orlando Business Journal in their 40 Under 40 competition. A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Plinske has a B.A. in Spanish and physics from Indiana University, an M.A. in Spanish from Roosevelt University, an M.B.A. from the University of Florida, and an Ed.D. from Pepperdine University

Creating Conditions for Developing and Nurturing Talent: The Work of School Leaders

In 1993, two decades after the 1972 U.S. Office of Education Report on the status of gifted and talented programs (the Marland Report), U. S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley issued a report stating that gifted education is essential to our nation’s future and documenting the “quiet risk” faced by gifted children and gifted education programs in the United States

A partial wave analysis of the π0π0\pi ^0\pi ^0 system produced in π−p\pi ^-p charge exchange collisions

A partial wave analysis of the of the $\pi ^0\pi ^0$ system produced in the charge exchange reaction: $\pi ^-p\to \pi ^0\pi ^0n$ at an incident momentum of $18.3 GeV/c$ is presented as a function of ${\pi ^0\pi ^0}$ invariant mass, $m_{\pi^0\pi^0}$, and momentum transfer squared, $| {t} |$, from the incident $\pi^-$ to the outgoing ${\pi ^0\pi ^0}$ system.Comment: 24 pages total,8 pages text, 14 figures, 1 table. Submitted to Phys Rev

The next generation of community college presidents: Critical characteristics, competencies, and professional experiences

Community colleges are an essential component of the higher education system and are critical to the nation's economic development. A number of challenges face community colleges, including the anticipated retirement of 84% of community college presidents within the next decade. In order to preserve their vitality, community colleges must be prepared to effectively select candidates to fill a large number of presidential vacancies. While the ultimate authority for hiring a community college president resides with boards of trustees, few studies have directly explored the perceptions of trustees regarding the desired qualifications of an ideal presidential candidate. The purpose of this study was to explore, from the perspective of experienced members of community college boards of trustees in Illinois, characteristics, competencies, and professional experiences considered essential for future community college presidents to possess. Through a 3-phase Delphi study, 41 trustees identified and rated the importance of 68 personal attributes, competencies, communication skills, leadership skills, professional experiences, and educational backgrounds. Nine items emerged as critically important for future community college presidents: (a) passionate about education - is a champion of community colleges; (b) good moral character–honest, has integrity, trustworthy; (c) articulate–ability to communicate in written and oral form clearly and professionally; (d) master's degree required; (e) dependable–follows through on commitments; arrives on-time or early for appointments and meetings; (f) good listener–makes people feel like what they're saying is important; is able to read body language effectively; (g) has the ability to establish trust; (h) team-player–understands the value of a team, able to recruit and assemble an effective team; and (i) vision–recognizes where the college is today, articulates where the college should be in the future, and generates buy-in for that vision. The findings of this study may be utilized by current and aspiring community college presidents, boards of trustees, and national associations and professional organizations. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate the need for additional research that explores trustees' expectations regarding future presidents as well as methodologies to effectively select candidates that are likely to be successful as community college presidents