Scranton alumnus honors a beloved professor with a scholarship in his name

DUNMORE, Pa. — Joseph P. Clifford enrolled at Penn State Scranton — then-named Penn State Worthington Scranton — in 1970 as a first-generation student, the first in his family to attend college. He said he chose the Commonwealth Campus because it was close to home (he’s a West Scranton native), and it made the most sense financially.

“I was a first-gen student,” he said. “I couldn’t at the time afford the higher tuition at some of the other colleges.”

Little did he realize at that time that his pragmatic decision would connect him to a professor who would help shape his future and leave an indelible, lifelong impression on the young man. Clifford graduated in 1972 with his electrical engineering technology degree — now, he has created a scholarship that will help future students to find their own path to success at the campus.

After graduating, Clifford started his career at PP&L and built a rewarding career, retiring from PPL Solutions, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation, as vice president of business development. However, he said, he never forgot Michael Abdalla, an assistant professor who taught math, physics and engineering at Penn State Scranton.

Abdalla, who retired from Penn State Scranton in 2005 after 38 years as assistant professor and serving as the varsity men’s basketball coach for over 17 years, said he had not realized the impact he had had on Clifford all those years ago until recently, when Clifford established a scholarship in his mentor’s name as a way of honoring the man he credits with helping him to be prepared for his professional career and life.

“I’m not an educator, but Mike had a way of teaching — a model, if you will — that we need to get back to. He made [the subject matter] interesting and relevant, as well as challenging. He wouldn’t let anyone be mediocre,” Clifford recalled. “I got the education at Penn State Worthington to become a professional engineer. I learned a lot from him. Most importantly, I learned how to learn. Learning to learn was more important than the subject matter.”

Back when he was a student, the campus operated on trimesters, as opposed to semesters, so students took 10-week courses.

“It was intensive and people couldn’t afford to fall behind. And Mike realized that and worked with his students make sure that they would succeed,” Clifford said.

One class Abdalla taught had 25 students, which was small enough to allow him to give more personal attention to each one, which was key, Clifford recalled, because the class was made up of recent high school graduates, military veterans and students of various ages and backgrounds.

For Abdalla, learning of the scholarship that will now bear his name was a huge surprise.

“I was overwhelmed,” he recounted, “especially because [Clifford] was such a special student and person. His generosity brought back a flood of great memories.”

Those memories include the love and compassion Abdalla had for his students and the enjoyment he experienced over the course of his 38-year teaching career.

“I loved the students ... and since they sensed this compassion, we had a caring relationship," Abdalla said. "Thankfully, because I found the vocation God meant for me, it was an easy and fun job.”

Abdalla said he believes that everyone has a calling in life, “and if we find it, and follow it, we will be happy. If you are happy at what you are doing, then you will do it well, whether teaching, nursing, stay-at-home-mom, waitress etc. I was happy fulfilling my vocation. Very importantly, I had a supportive wife and children.”

When asked what he hoped his former students remembered most about his classroom — beyond formulas and equations — Abdalla’s answer was humble and straightforward.

"I hope they remember working hard, having fun and a teacher who cared for them," he said.

His advice for the students of today contains the same principles he maintained during his teaching career: “Go to class, work hard and study every day.”

They are the same principles he instilled in his son, Patrick Abdalla, a Penn State Scranton and University Park alumnus, and a teacher in the Scranton School District and an adjunct professor at Penn State Scranton. Michael’s daughter, Mary Jo, is also an adjunct instructor at the campus, and his daughter-in-law, Molly Abdalla, is a research and instruction librarian at both the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre campuses.

“Penn State Scranton has always been home to me,” Patrick said, recalling coming to the campus when he was very young, accompanying his father to basketball practice, sitting in the bleachers with his brother eating M&M’s while watching basketball games, and spending days off from school in his father’s office.

“I learned a lot from him on campus during those years,” Patrick recalled. “I coach a lot now, and certain comments he made from the stands stuck with me. I remember a coach berating a player, and Dad saying he'd wished he'd yelled less. If a kid made a mistake, they knew it, he said, yelling at them didn't help. You could hold someone to high standards without screaming. The other thing was that he talked about not having kids stand around in practice. ‘That's just wasting their time and yours,’ he said.”

After graduating from Penn State and working as a journalist for 15 years, Patrick decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and switch his career to education. “I felt a real pull to it,” he said. “I honestly get emotional every fall when I arrive on campus. I usually teach in the same classroom I had Dad or Mr. [Paul] Perrone [assistant teaching professor of English at Penn State Scranton] in. Both of those men shaped who I am.”

To this day, Patrick said the value of education is one of the most important lessons he learned from his dad. “When I went to school, he didn't pressure me to pick a major that made money. I wanted to be a journalist or a teacher. He encouraged both ideas. But maybe more importantly, he stressed that I was there to learn. So, he kept telling me to take classes in anything I was interested in. It fostered a desire to learn for learning's sake. I ended up taking a lot of extra classes that made each semester more enjoyable. I tell all my students—whether they're in middle school, high school or college—that they should take the opportunity in college to take classes that excite their curiosity.”

Clifford also remembers Mike Abdalla’s commitment to teaching and wanting students to learn.

The newly established Michael Abdalla Scholarship will be given to full-time students who have a demonstrated financial need to meet necessary college expenses and pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The first Michael Abdalla Scholarship was awarded this year.

“This scholarship is more than financial assistance,” said Penn State Scranton Chief Academic Officer Durell Johnson. “It reflects the powerful and lasting impact a dedicated educator can have on a student’s life. By honoring his former professor, Joe Clifford reminds us that teaching reaches well beyond the classroom. We are sincerely grateful to Joe for this generous and thoughtful gift that will support future students and help them achieve their academic goals.”

Clifford hopes that now that it has been established, it will inspire other former students of Abdalla’s to contribute to it so that it can grow as time goes on, and continue to benefit more students, giving them the same type of encouragement and motivation that he and his peers received all those years ago in Mike Abdalla’s classroom.

Alumni and friends who wish to contribute to the scholarship can find out more information by visiting scranton.psu.edu/giving. Questions can be directed to Desiree Voitek at 570-450-3015.

Gifts to the Mike Abdalla Scholarship advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.