Jerry Pattengale has a renaissance spirit, with a rich background in ancient history and a national presence in teaching, learning and student success issues. His Odyssey in Egypt program reached millions of viewers and became a top-ten website globally, and his Virtual Advising Link program led the way for online pictorial directories. He co-edited the first book on sophomore issues, Visible Solutions for Invisible Students (National Resource Center, USC, 2000), and is co-authoring another, Helping Sophomores Succeed: Understanding and Improving the Second-Year Experience (Jossey-Bass, in press). Jerry has received “The National Student Advocate Award,” the “NACADA Merit Award,” an NEH fellowship to Greece, campus-wide “Outstanding Faculty” awards, and various local, state, and regional appointments. He recently served on the national board for The National Resource Center for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition (USC), and serves on the advisory boards for the Collegiate Employment Research Institute (Michigan State University) and Veriana Networks, Inc., a next-generation media group.
In addition to appearing on national broadcasts and at a variety of institutes and conferences, Jerry continues to speak to a wide array of campuses. His publications range from a popular newsprint series and the “Accidental Author” (Paxton Media), to research-based texts and articles. He also continues to contribute in his area of history, (e.g., A History of World Civilizations (2009), A Brief Guide to Objective Inquiry (2007), Straight Talk: Clear Answers about Today's Christianity (2nd Edition, 2008) and a section in The Light of Discovery: Studies in Honor of Edwin M. Yamauchi (2007)).
Jerry led the development of Indiana Wesleyan University’s first-year experience program centered on a new liberal arts course, “Becoming World Changers.” Retention and graduation rates rose over 20%. In 2004, IWU received national recognition for these efforts through its selection as a Founding Institution in the Foundations of Excellence program of the National Policy Center (Brevard, NC).
In addition to his student success series for Magna Publications (e.g., The Teaching Professor), and PaperClips Communications, he has been a keynote speaker at conferences ranging from The College Personnel Association Conference for Arkansas and the Teaching Academic Survival Skills Conference (T.A.S.S, West Palm Beach.), to the Indiana Pathways Conference (Indianapolis) and the Modern Medievalism Conference (Kalamazoo). You'll find Jerry's comments in the forewords to the well-received Student Development in the First College Year: A Primer for College Educators (USC) and in Shedding Light on Sophomores (USC).
Jerry's mantra is "The Dream Needs To Be Stronger than the Struggle," a theme you’ll find discussed in this book. His major student success text is forthcoming, The Purpose-Guided Student (McGraw-Hill). His new book has prompted various essay contests and focus groups, Why I Teach: And Why It Matters to My Students.
2010