Millersville University

09/02/2026

Teachers: looking for a fun, free way to help engage your students in democracy? Join us on September 15 for our daylong conference about democracy - not only is it free for students and teachers, but registration also includes breakfast and lunch.

Millersville University is bringing elected officials, civic groups and journalists together for a daylong conference on democracy in two weeks.

09/01/2026

From the Review: Literacy Efforts and Accreditations Gain Millersville Recognition

It’s one thing to know you are doing good work. It’s another thing to have someone else recognize it.

Dr. Lara Willox, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, knew the College’s strategic investment in literacy put Millersville ahead of many peer institutions. The payoff was when others took notice of the University’s leadership in this area.

“Strong literacy instruction has always been a core strength at Millersville,” says Willox. “The accreditation process didn’t change our work; it confirmed it. Our faculty, particularly Dr. Aileen Hower and the literacy team, have consistently ensured our programs align with national standards and best practices. The difference now is that we have the opportunity to more visibly showcase Millersville’s leadership in literacy education.”

Through efforts led by Hower, Millersville’s M.Ed. in Language and Literacy with Certification program has been awarded two national accreditations.

Hower coordinates the Reading/Literacy Specialist program, which received the highest distinction awarded through the International Literacy Association National Recognition program in July 2025. Fewer than 10 programs have earned the designation since its introduction in 2019.

ILA National Recognition honors outstanding literacy preparation programs that equip candidates with a stronger knowledge base as PK-12 classroom teachers and reading/literacy specialists. Programs that receive this recognition demonstrate exemplary practice, adherence to rigorous standards and a strong commitment to preparing educators to meet today’s instructional challenges.

“ILA’s standards have been created with decades of research and expertise behind them – they are standards that we know will not waver and can be relied upon as highly effective goals to strive toward,” says Hower. “ILA is the North Star to our program, and by receiving this recognition, we know that all of our hard work is aligned to the right information.”

Hower and Dr. Jennifer Shettel, chair of the Department of Early, Middle and Elementary Education, also teamed up to gain accreditation for the Reading/Literacy Specialist program from the International Dyslexia Association. IDA accreditation “is a rigorous and prestigious process that ensures preparation programs meet the highest standards in structured literacy, especially for students with dyslexia.”

“Students attending our graduate program in language and literacy in reading can feel confident that they have been prepared to meet IDA’s standards, thanks to this accreditation,” Hower says.

These accreditations affirm the quality and rigor of Millersville’s educator preparation programs, Willox says. “We earned those recognitions last summer, and we are the only PASSHE school to do so. It’s good to share that we are leading the way in this literacy movement by validating what we were already doing.”

In addition to gaining both accreditations, Hower has worked to ensure that Millersville’s literacy curriculum and those who teach it are in compliance with Pennsylvania’s Act 47 of 2025, which establishes statewide requirements related to Structured Literacy professional development, evidence-based reading curriculum materials, and universal screening and reading intervention for students in kindergarten and grades one through three.

Structured Literacy is an evidence-based approach to reading instruction characterized by explicit, systematic and cumulative teaching of language structures – phonology, sound-symbol association, syllables, morphology, syntax and semantics. It is highly effective for all students, particularly those with dyslexia, by focusing on mastery through direct instruction.

Millersville’s curriculum has been redesigned to align with Structured Literacy principles, ensuring its graduates are prepared to meet the needs of all learners, and 32 faculty members have completed specialized training in Structured Literacy. “This demonstrates our deep commitment to professional development and evidence-based instruction,” Willox says.

“In a time of going back to the foundation of literacy learning, these accreditations of Millersville’s program help to ensure that it adheres to the Chapter 49 Structured Literacy Competencies championed throughout Pennsylvania,” says Hower.

The University welcomed the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Lancaster to campus in the fall of 2025, creating a powerful partnership that enhances community access to Structured Literacy support. Shettel tutored with the organization last year and learned they needed a new location.

“Millersville has always emphasized evidence-based practices in all content areas, including literacy,” says Shettel. “Having the Children’s Dyslexia Center located here on campus emphasizes the University’s local outreach in partnering with community literacy-based initiatives and our commitment to ensuring that all children have access to high-quality literacy instruction.”

“They are here, operationalized and tutoring kids,” Willox says. “Their location in Lancaster House makes it easy for our students who serve as tutors and get training there, because they are right here on campus.”

Other curricular initiatives include adding an English as a Second Language minor for undergraduates, which provides students with experience in an urban environment after their foundational education block, says Hower. “We partner with Penn Manor and the School District of Lancaster and are working with the University’s Migrant Education program to give undergrads this experience.”

A Literacy Coaching Endorsement has been added to the graduate curriculum for reading specialists who want to strengthen their professional knowledge, build skills in instructional coaching and stand out in their field. “Literacy coaches help improve the knowledge, skills and practices of teachers, which enhances student achievement,” says Hower.

Beyond the campus of Millersville, Hower is an active, engaged advocate for literacy efforts. She is a board member and past president of the Keystone State Literacy Association, which presented her with its Service Award in 2019. Hower also runs an annual Summer Literacy Institute on writing. She was just named to a Pennsylvania Department of Education Structured Literacy Advisory Committee after submitting an application on behalf of the undergraduate PK-4 early childhood major.

“There’s been a real focus and intentionality about literacy,” Willox says, “and Aileen was instrumental in all of it. She’s been really focused on graduate programming and has enhanced the program.”

Some of the great names in literacy education – including Dr. Jack Cassidy, professor emeritus who was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame, the highest honor for those in the field – have taught at Millersville, according to Hower. “The legacy of literacy at Millersville is why I came here,” she says. “All of those who came before have made it easy to pick up the torch and carry it on.”

08/28/2026

In the realm of Millersville University traditions, here’s a newer one you may not have heard of: putting pennies on the feet of the Marauder Statue for good luck during finals week.

The bronze statue, which was first unveiled on campus on October 29, 2011, was made possible by through gifts from the class of 1960 in recognition of their 50th anniversary and a senior class gift from the classes of 2008 and 2009, created by alumnus and artist Michael Hurrell ’95. Over time, it’s become an icon on campus, serving as a frequent stop for photo ops from new students to visiting alumni alike.

While not heavily documented online or in The Snapper, the tradition must have started sometime between the unveiling and 2019, where it’s first mentioned in an April blog posted by University Housing. That reference is made in the past tense, from which readers can infer the practice started sometime before then. According to comments the University received on social media, some students even placed quarters on the statue.

In 2025, the Office of Alumni Engagement also provided pennies and a card with information about the practice for students or alumni to pick up and place on their walk around campus.

If you didn’t get one last year, you’re lucky! Between the United States Mint officially discontinuing production of the penny and the mystery of the exact origin of this tradition, the alumni office still has pennies to share. Be sure to schedule a visit to the Duncan Alumni House to pick up your own copper coin and meet Joshua Belice ’08, ’10M, director of alumni engagement, and MU’s new assistant director of alumni engagement, Ronald Graham ’25, ’26M.

If you have any more information about this unique Marauder tradition, send us an email at [email protected].

08/27/2026

From the Review: Mike Fadale ’09 Manages Emergency Care Aboard Life Lion

A boyhood obsession with helicopters and a passion for providing life-saving care led Mike Fadale ’09 to a career as a flight nurse. In March 2026 – with 27 years of healthcare experience that included 21 years as a registered nurse and 14 years as a flight nurse – he was named chief flight nurse aboard Penn State Health Life Lion Critical Care Transport, which is based at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Fadale began his tenure with Life Lion as a part-time flight nurse – a specialized registered nurse who provides critical emergency care and life support to patients aboard helicopters during medical transport – in 2014 and then transitioned to full-time in 2017. “I have been at Life Lion full-time since then,” he says. “I interviewed for and took on the challenge of being chief flight nurse, which involves oversight of the nursing staff and quality management of the program.”

His journey to his current role began at a young age. “I have loved helicopters since I was about 5 years old,” he says. “I grew up in the Lehigh Valley, and my mom knew one of the pilots at Lehigh Valley Health Network MedEvac. They took me to see the helicopter up close and gave me a MedEvac keychain with a house key on it. They told me it was a key to the helicopter. From there, I was obsessed and had a strong fascination for helicopters and aviation.”

In high school, Fadale “leaned toward doing something medical.” He joined a healthcare explorer post at Lehigh Valley, and at 17, took a course to become an emergency medical technician. He worked or volunteered part-time as an EMT during high school and throughout his time at Millersville University.

“I was able to interact with and help offload the MedEvac crews when they flew in,” as a support partner for Lehigh Valley. “As an EMT, I would occasionally have to call for a helicopter and always had amazing interactions with flight providers. They provided a sense of calm, had an enormous amount of autonomy, and always seemed to know what to do in some very chaotic situations. Seeing them in those moments was what made me want to work in flight medicine. Their level of skill, compassion and professionalism set the standard that I would strive for in my own practice. My goal was to start flying by the age of 30.”

“I initially started at MU in 2000 out of high school with plans on going the bio/pre-med route,” Fadale says. “Part way through, I opted to transition to nursing school for my diploma classes in nursing. I graduated in 2005 but always planned to return to MU to finish my BSN. You could say my path to nursing was not the most traditional.”

After graduating from nursing school, Fadale worked in the emergency room at Lancaster General Hospital. He pursued his certification as a pre-hospital registered nurse so that he could continue working in emergency medical services and eventually move to flight nursing.

Fadale returned to Millersville, as planned, and completed his BSN in 2009 as a commuting student. In 2011, he applied for a position as a flight nurse with Lehigh Valley MedEvac and was selected. He started his flying career in 2012, nearly meeting his goal of flying by 30.

“Working in flight medicine is a privilege, and quite honestly is the best office view in the world,” he says. “Even after some of the most challenging patient transports, there is something calming and peaceful about the flight back to base that helps put everything into perspective.”

In addition to his work as a flight nurse, Fadale has also volunteered with Pennsylvania Vent Camp for 25 years, an opportunity he learned about as a Millersville student and member of the Respiratory Therapy Club. “I attended my first time as a Millersville student,” Fadale says. “The free camp is for children who are ventilator-dependent in some way. We take them swimming, ziplining, rock wall climbing and fishing, and they participate in events like a carnival, talent show and camp dance. This camp requires two to three counselors for each camper as well as many other medically trained staff helping to make sure these kids can have a safe and fun week. I function as a team leader, ensuring all campers in my cabin receive their required daily treatments, medications and therapies. “Many of these children require care around the clock. Pennsylvania Vent Camp is a week that provides these kids with experiences to help them feel like typical children, and it’s a week of respite for the families.”

Fadale has also dedicated more than a decade to the public safety aviation community through Every Coast Helicopter Operations. “ECHO is a nonprofit organization that is 100% volunteer-operated and works to provide low-cost education, peer support, safety standards and future flight clinician training across the entire public safety aviation community,” he says.
In 2017, Fadale helped develop and implement the ECHO Flight-Crew Assistance and Support Team, a “deployable, boots-on-the-ground group that provides peer support and assistance to flight crews across the country who have experienced a major incident or crash. We recognized that we in healthcare – and specifically, public safety aviation – do not do a great job of supporting ourselves, and we wanted to change that for the industry.”

Fadale served on ECHO’s board and assists with the Future Flight Crew team that trains future flight clinicians to be better prepared for entry into the industry. His most recent role with the organization is volunteering as a co-host for the Valor Flight Crew Podcast, a collaborative effort between ECHO and Vertical Valor Plus magazine to promote the personnel and equipment behind helicopter air ambulance services. Sponsorship dollars collected by the magazine go back to ECHO and, ultimately, to the frontline crews.

“The mission of ECHO really speaks to me,” he says. “At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what color flight suit you wear, what helicopter you fly in, or what kind of transports you do. We can all learn from each other and make this industry safer and better for both our patients and us.”

08/26/2026

Extra, extra, read all about it: The summer digital issue of the Review is here! Inside, you'll find stories about the 100 year anniversary of Winnie the Pooh, a professor emeritus who worked with former students on a research project, and students who offered up insights on their internships. Read it here: https://bit.ly/4xsMadc

08/25/2026

The 2026 candle lighting ceremony was so special. Do you remember doing this as a student?

08/24/2026

From Dr. Wubah to you: Welcome back, Marauders!

08/21/2026

Meet the incoming class for the fall 2026 semester! See anyone you know?

08/20/2026

It's another Millersville move in day - welcome home, Marauders!