Admissions | Financial Aid | Academics | Library | Student Life | Continuing Education | Giving | About Us

McGeary receives 2009 Shirley Hendrick Award

Ken McGeary, regional director of Continuing Education for Penn State Lehigh Valley, is the recipient of the 2009 Vice President's Shirley Hendrick Award.

The Shirley Hendrick Award recognizes significant and visionary accomplishments that lead to the success of Penn State’s outreach mission, which is to transform the quality of life for individuals and communities. Dr. Shirley Hendrick (1936–2000) was associate dean for continuing education in the Smeal College of Business Administration, and the inaugural chair of the Commission for Adult Learners. She was a tireless advocate for adult learners, committed to providing them with access to certificate and degree programs. She was the first recipient of the Continuing Education Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership, and the award has been renamed in her memory.   The award is open to academic administrators University-wide, including deans, associate deans, assistant deans, and chancellors.

Since 1966, Ken McGeary has served the mission of Penn State continuing education in the Lehigh Valley.  McGeary is credited with creating and implementing innovative programming and directing the continued success of the Penn State Lehigh Valley Corporate Learning Center in Bethlehem.  His initiatives have garnered both public and University accolades throughout his 40-plus year career including Penn State's Outstanding Leadership Award in Continuing Education in 2003.  Notable programs in which McGeary has been involved include the Precollege Youth Partnership, which partners corporations, school districts, and community organizations to provide at-risk youth with academic and social programming opportunities; the Lehigh Valley Writing Project – a National Writing Project site that provides professional development for teachers; and the establishment of a master's program in teaching English as a second language in partnership with the University of Turabo in Puerto Rico.