PhilaU got an extra dose of Ram Pride today when the University’s new mascot made his first appearance on campus. He’s tough. He’s full of school spirit. He’s none other than, Phil the Ram.

Phil had a chance to introduce himself earlier today when he met faculty, staff and students in the Kanbar Campus Center, the Gallagher Center, the Fitness Center and around campus.

Phil also helped cheer on sophomore, cross-country stand-out Sarah Simonetti, who left today to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championship race this Saturday at Southern Indiana University.

The University community will officially meet Phil at the basketball kick off this Saturday, Nov. 21, when the Men’s Basketball team takes on Merrimack College. Fans should get to The Gallagher Center by 1 p.m. on Saturday. Admission to the game is $5 for each adult ticket and $3 for each non-PhilaU student ticket.

The first 300 students in attendance will receive a free 1970 Men’s Basketball National Championship throwback T-shirt. (students must show PhilaU ID to receive a T-shirt, which will be given out at half time)

A courtside ceremony recognizing Coach Magee’s 50 years of basketball greatness as an outstanding student athlete and one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history will take place prior to the home opener.

Do you have Ram Pride? Got your maroon and gray face paint ready? Come out Saturday and meet Phil the Ram at the basketball home opener.

On Monday, Nov. 16, President Stephen Spinelli Jr., Ph.D., spoke to Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business as part of their Distinguished Leaders Series.

As co-founder of Jiffy Lube, President Spinelli reflected upon his own experiences and discussed what made his company successful.  During his lecture, President Spinelli discussed entrepreneurial tactics that would help start a business from the ground up, including becoming opportunity driven; thinking and acting upon those opportunities; finding a competitive advantage; keeping a global perspective; taking responsibility; and “getting out of the trunk” when failure arises.  President Spinelli’s lecture can be viewed at http://msbmedia.org/?p=107.

The Distinguished Leaders Series brings to Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business accomplished leaders who share their experiences with undergraduate and graduate business students.

President Spinelli has an extensive background in executive education and consulting, and has written and co-written numerous books on entrepreneurship and other business topics. He also has conducted peer-reviewed research and presented academic papers on franchising, entrepreneurship and other related topics.

He received his Ph.D. in Economics from The Management School, Imperial College, University of London; an M.B.A. from Babson College and a B.A. in Economics from McDaniel College.

Thanksgiving takes on a new meaning for PhilaU where over 600 students will enjoy a sustainable feast featuring only local foods, sponsored by PhilaU’s Student Organization for Sustainable Action (SOSA), Thursday, November 19, 2009, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Ravenhill Dining Hall.

A national leader in sustainability, PhilaU and SOSA are working with Parkhurst Dining Services, the campus food service management provider, to help promote sustainable dining programs and events that increase local farm-fresh, high-quality food offered to students.

According to Bill Zimnoch, Parkhurst general manager, “To best organize this event, we worked with SOSA, which is extremely committed to reducing the carbon footprint on campus and supporting local agriculture, and Fair Food Philadelphia, which is dedicated to bringing locally grown food into the Philadelphia marketplace and promoting a humane, sustainable agriculture for the Greater Philadelphia region.”

“Philadelphia University is committed to promoting sustainability practices throughout campus, including in our academic programs, applied research and campus operations, which includes dining services,” said Randy Gentzler, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, who heads the University’s sustainability committee. “We are particularly pleased to partner with Parkhurst Dining Services, whose goal is to ensure that we offer a wide variety of locally sourced foods everyday throughout all of our dining operations, and for this special locally grown Thanksgiving dinner, supported by our student sustainability group SOSA.”

Parkhurst Executive Chef Gerald Hunter and Executive Sous Chefs Rich Watson and Dustin Puyear will prepare naturally fed, all natural turkeys from Koch’s Turkey Farm of Lewistown Valley, PA.  Farmer representatives from Koch’s will also discuss how turkeys are grown and fed utilizing locally grown corn and roasted soybeans for their specialty formulated feed, as well as the proper care of and treatment of turkeys by giving them free range access to outdoor areas that provide natural sunlight and fresh air.

In addition to fresh turkey, smoked duck with lingonberry and pecan glaze and roasted fresh pork loin from Hatfield Meats, will be served with unique sides prepared with locally procured produce including Kennett Square wild mushrooms.  (See complete menu)

To promote the dinner on campus, SOSA members will create “community supported agriculture” opportunities for students and faculty members to purchase local produce at their student-made farm stand, while they distribute information about the event.
Through its partnership with PhilaU, Parkhurst Dining Services also provides multiple opportunities for local farmers to be involved with them through their FarmSource program, an operation which connects farmers directly to Parkhurst dining locations.

This reduces the time and effort required of each location and is key to their success as larger hospitality operations often find the challenge of connecting directly with farmers an overwhelming commitment due to the ordering system, inventory management and lack of delivery systems. Currently, Parkhurst purchases 30 percent of their food from local producers.

Parkhurst Dining Services was recently awarded the 7th Annual Harvest Award for connecting communities, farmers and food. This award was created by the Glynwood organization, the not-for-profit organization whose mission is to save farming in the North East in order to highlight innovative work being done to increase access to fresh, locally-produced food and to recognize leaders across the country who support regional agricultural systems.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, CAB will be sponsoring PhilaU’s Film Festival at 8 p.m. in the Kanbar Campus Center Performance Space. Students are invited to take a break from their hectic schedules and enjoy exceptional entertainment created by their peers.

The Film Fest is broken into two categories: animation and live action. Films presented in the animation category include: “How to Meditate,” by Butch Truesdale; “How to Be a Nerd,” created by Joseph Adams; “Lady Rising,” by Ivana Miranovic; and “How to Start a Fight Club,” by William Dean.

Those in the live action include: “Planet Earth: Ronson,” by Alex Opperman;“Here are the Birds” by Rachel Ferretti and Kaitlin Young feat Joseph Adams and William Dean, and “The Ghetto Banks,” by James Bonney.

Free refreshments will be served and movie prizes will be given away during the festival.

Don’t forget to bring canned food to all November CAB events for the chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Each canned good is worth one raffle ticket.

Philadelphia University students in the Consumer Behavior course will host “Surviving a Recession…College Style,” on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Kanbar Campus Center Performance Space.

This is an exciting opportunity for Philadelphia University students to gain an understanding of alternatives and options during tough economic times.

Community and corporate partners for the event include Wachovia Bank, TD Bank, The Scharf Group, FedEx Kinko’s, T Mobile, Keswick Cycle, Personality Pathfinders, Bed Bath & Beyond, Franko Antolovich – Accredited DISC Training Provider, Five Below, Dunkin Donuts and The Pierogie Kitchen.

Philadelphia University offices participating in the event include the University Bookstore, Residence Life, Athletics, the Paul J. Gutman Library, Counseling Services, Disability Services/AAP/Honors, Financial Aid, Study Abroad and the Career Services Center.