Michelle Kaschak

Ask Assistant Teaching Professor of English Michelle Kaschak why she loves teaching at Penn State Lehigh Valley, and you’re bound to get several responses.

“I love teaching for many reasons,” she said. “One is I enjoy helping students learn to be critical thinkers and better writers. Another is our campus community, which is unique because we are a small, commuter campus that is part of a much larger university. This gives students the opportunity to get a degree from a well-known institution, but also get a smaller, more personal connection to the faculty and staff on campus.”

Background

A native of Schuylkill County who now calls Fogelsville home, Professor Kaschak brings a variety of scholarly interests to her work, from student success and support, to diversity, equity and inclusion in writing classrooms, to narratives and how stories impact our learning (in relation to gaming, disability culture, etc.).

“I am passionate about these areas because I want to best serve my students in the classroom,” she said.

Professor Kaschak has presented at national conferences on student success and teaching writing. And she recently collaborated with fellow PSU-LV faculty members Jeffrey Stone and Daniel Jackson on an article on narrative in gaming.

Meanwhile, Professor Kaschak is fully committed to campus service. She’s the Chair-elect of the University College English Committee. In addition, she is the former co-coordinator of the annual Student Awards Ceremony and the former chair of the Undergraduate Research Symposium. She also coordinated the Fall 2021 English Conference for all English faculty across the University.

When she’s not at PSU-LV, Professor Kaschak is busy raising her children and working with rescue dogs. She’s also a board member for the Northwestern Lehigh Educational Foundation.