Dawn Pfeifer Reitz

Assistant Teaching Professor
CAS 100 Coordinator
Penn State Berks
2020 TLT Faculty Fellow
Focus Area: Student Engagement

Pfeifer Reitz, assistant teaching professor and CAS 100 coordinator at Penn State Berks, recognizes a gap between “power skills” that employers value, like oral and written communication and adaptability, and how they fit into the rigid academic constraints of STEM programs. Her fellows project will work towards creating a digital “tool kit” that will engage students with specific work designed to improve their soft skills.

“This project is a wonderful opportunity to bridge the educational gap between what students are taught in their STEM curricula and other skills they need to succeed in professional life,” said Pfeifer Reitz. “Along with potential career impact, these ‘power skills’ that our project will promote can help improve student sociability, increase campus engagement, and improve in-class group work.”