October 2019

The Princeton Review recognized The University of Scranton, and just 412 other colleges in the world, for expressing “strong commitments to green practices and programs” by inclusion in the 2019 edition of “The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges.” Most of the schools selected for the guide, which was published online in October, are in the U.S., with just 16 schools from Canada, one from Egypt and one from Greece also listed. This is the third consecutive year that Scranton has made this list.

The Princeton Review analyzed more than 25 data points to determine the final selection of colleges for the guide based on information from surveys of nearly 700 schools. The criteria broadly covered the schools’ academic offerings and initiatives, campus policies and practices, and green-career preparation for students. The colleges making the list “are standouts for their exemplary commitments to sustainability,” according to Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief.

According to Franek, college applicants and their parents are increasingly concerned about the environment and sustainability issues. He cited a solid majority (64%) of the 11,900 teens and parents that The Princeton Review polled for its 2019 College Hopes and Worries Survey as saying that having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend the school

Scranton’s long-established sustainability efforts include academics, facilities and community education and outreach. Scranton has infused issues of sustainability in courses across the curriculum, ranging from theology, to business, to the natural sciences, to education, as well as other disciplines. Scranton uses numerous “green” procedures in building maintenance practices, as well as in building design and construction. Scranton currently has three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings: Leahy Hall, the Loyola Science Center and the DeNaples Center, which became the city’s first LEED certified structure in 2008. The University also conducts multiple community educational programs organized through its Office of Sustainability, which include a community garden, an Earth Day Essay Contest, an Earth Day Fair and an Evening of Environmental Science program for area children and families.

In addition, the Sustainability Office began a Work Study Program that engages work-study students in service-learning opportunities to help them grow in knowledge practical applications of sustainability concepts taught in their classes.

In addition to its “Guide to Green Colleges,” The Princeton Review has listed Scranton in its “Best Colleges” guidebooks for 18 consecutive years, also ranking Scranton in its 2020 edition among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 7), “Best Campus Food” (No. 10), and “Best-Run Colleges” (No. 20).

The University of Scranton will host a presentation of the 2019 update of the Living Wage Report and a discussion on what it costs to live a modest but dignified life in Northeastern Pennsylvania in 2019. The previous report can be found online at: scranton.edu/livingwage.

In 2016, The University of Scranton and The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development produced a report that went beyond the poverty rate to analyze what is required for economic security in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Three years later, the data has been updated including key changes in the costs associated with meeting basic needs.

The report once again includes perspectives from community leaders and new policy recommendations rooted in Catholic Social Teaching on economic justice.

Presenters will include Teri Ooms, executive director of The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development; Mike Allison, Ph.D., chair, Department of Political Science, The University of Scranton; and Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of Community & Government Relations, The University of Scranton.

The 2019 Living Wage Report is a collaboration of The Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development and The University of Scranton Office of Community & Government Relations, the Ellacuría Initiative and the Department of Political Science.

This event, which is open to the University and broader Scranton community, will be held in the Kane Forum in Leahy Hall at The University of Scranton on Friday, Nov. 15, from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to community@scranton.edu.

The outlook, skills and training required for jobs in the future will be discussed by Denis McDonough, former chief of staff to President Obama and current senior principal at the Markle Foundation, where he chairs the Rework America Task Force.

“From the White House to the Work Force,” featuring a conversation with McDonough, will launch The University of Scranton’s Humanities in Action Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities. The discussion will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The event is free of charge and open to the public.

Markle is engaged in a nationwide initiative aimed at driving innovations that expand opportunities for employment and broaden ways for all Americans to learn and train for the work of the future, according to its website. The foundation’s Rework America Task Force, which McDonough chairs, is a national initiative to transform the labor market so that all Americans can thrive in the digital economy.

At the Humanities in Action Lecture, University of Scranton philosophy professor Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., and Scranton Times-Tribune education reporter Sarah Hofius Hall will lead a question and answer session with McDonough. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions as well.

About Denis McDonough

From February 2013 to January 2017, McDonough served as White House chief of staff for President Barack Obama. In that role, he managed the White House staff, as well as cabinet secretaries and agency leaders. He advised the president on domestic policy and national security challenges facing the country, management issues facing the federal government and devised and enforced plans and accountability for performance and goals, maintaining the Obama Administration’s reputation for an effective, ethical operation. He planned and coordinated efforts to recruit and retain key talent – including an unprecedented expansion of technology experts and engineers within the White House and across the federal government.

Prior to his role as chief of staff, McDonough was assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor. He chaired the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee. Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, McDonough served as senior foreign policy advisor for Obama for America.

Currently, McDonough also serves as senior advisor for technology and global policy for Macro Advisory Partners, a strategic advisory firm which helps to navigate the intersection of global markets, geopolitics and policy. In addition, he is an executive fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, teaching a global policy seminar for graduate and undergraduate students. He serves on the board of directors for Catalyte, the National Democratic Institute and the SAFE Project, and is on the advisory council for the Tent Partnership for Refugees.

McDonough earned his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from St. John’s University in Minnesota and his master’s degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

About the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities

In May 2019, the University established the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities to advance the University’s liberal arts tradition and enhance the core role it plays in the formation of students to become “men and women for others.” The Center, named after the parents of benefactor and current University Trustee James M. Slattery ’86 and his wife, Betsy, will serve as a national model for humanities in action. Through the Center’s programs, elevated discourse on an array of topics and civic engagement will be encouraged by members of the University community, as well as by residents throughout the greater Scranton area.

For more information about the Humanities in Action Lecture, call 570-941-7401.

The University of Scranton established The Sondra H’87 and Morey Myers H’12 Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement, which was formally announced at a two-day event on campus Oct. 24 and 25. Tributes to the Myers were presented by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., Lonnie Bunch III, the 14^th secretary of the Smithsonian, and Rev. William J. Byron, S.J, the 21^st president of The University of Scranton, among others.

The fellowship will “help to enrich the community and elevate the type of serious thinking and reflection that Sondra and Morey constantly demonstrate,” said Gov. Wolf in a video tribute.

The fellowship will be housed in the University’s Slattery Center for the Humanities and will help to advance the University’s efforts to bring renowned scholars, artists, and thinkers to Scranton to share their work and enrich cultural and civic activity at The University and in Scranton. It honors Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D., who through their generous support and tireless work, have encouraged civic engagement and cultural excellence for the betterment of the University, the city of Scranton, and the country.  

University of Scranton philosophy professor Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., and the Myers’ son, David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA, and president, New Israel Fund, initiated the effort to begin a fellowship in honor of his parents. Through what Dr. Myers calls a “labor of love” and the support of the University, the fellowship has raised $450,000 to date through the generous support of dear friends, family and associates of the Myers’.

The fellowship was formally launched Oct. 24 at a lecture by Wayne Winborne, executive director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. The launch event continued Oct. 25 with a Festival of Ideas, at which distinguished scholars and activists discussed the way in which law, humanities and civic engagement can address the crisis of democracy in the 21^st century.

The University of Scranton will welcome acclaimed saxophonist and flautist Erica von Kleist as their soloist on Saturday, Nov. 2, for a concert presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. inside the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue). Admission is free and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

In addition to the concert in the evening, von Kleist will present an entry-level improvisation masterclass that afternoon. The class is open to student musicians, music teachers, amateur and professional instrumentalists, ages 16 and older. The masterclass is free of charge, and those interested in participating in the masterclass should pre-register by emailing music@scranton.edu for more information and registration materials.

Multi-instrumentalist, teacher and entrepreneur von Kleist began her career as a saxophonist and flautist in the New York jazz scene. A native of Connecticut, Erica moved to the city to study at the renowned Juilliard School and in 2004 earned the first bachelor’s degree in jazz in the school’s history. After graduation, von Kleist’s next ten years were filled with performances, tours and several Grammy-nominated recordings with various artists including the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Chris Potter, Sean Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Rufus Reid and The Addams Family on Broadway among, others. Honored with two ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, several mentions in Downbeat’s annual Readers and Critics Polls, and the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center, von Kleist then extended her scope as a bandleader with the release of three albums: Project E; Erica von Kleist and No Exceptions; and Alpine Clarity, with a fourth with tap dancer DeWitt Fleming Jr. due out in 2020.

A teacher for more than 20 years, von Kleist has always had a passion for education. Her theory text book “A Cool Approach to Jazz Theory” (currently in revisions for a second edition) has been used as a curriculum for several middle and high school jazz programs. As a clinician, she has lectured in music business and performance at The Juilliard School, UNC Greensboro, The University of Scranton, University of Montana, Stanford University and many others. She is an adjudicator for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Festival and a faculty member for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra Jazz Program.

The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 22-member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, made up of University student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform four or more times per year, and the majority of their performances are open to the public, free of admission charge, and often feature a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.

For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.

Bernard Schanzer, M.D., and Henry Schanzer, J.D., will present “A Twin Tale of Survival in the Holocaust” for The University of Scranton’s Judaic Studies Institute Lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. The Schanzers will tell their story of survival, which was made possible through the help of a righteous non-Jew.

Twin brothers, the Schanzers were born in 1935 in Belgium. Their family was forced to flee from the German invasion in 1940, eventually settling in St. Etienne, France. However, by 1942, the French government began participating in the arrest and transportation of Jews, and for their safety, their parents sent the twins to live with a Christian acquaintance and sent their older sister, Anna, to a boarding school in Lyon. Shortly after, their apartment in St. Etienne was seized, and their father, Bruno, was sent to a French detention camp and ultimately died in Auschwitz.

The twins shuffled from place to place until their mother found them an arrangement at the farm of Adolphine Dorel in St. Pal de Mons, whom they came to love. They remained there until the end of the war, after which they reunited with their mother and sister. Finally, in 1946, the family moved across an ocean to New York City. Bernard eventually became a neurologist, and Henry, a patent lawyer.

The Schanzers have lectured across the country, including at Baylor College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, the New Jersey Holocaust Commemoration (Yom HaShoah) Program and Torah Links of Middlesex County. Bernard currently lives in West Orange, New Jersey, and Henry lives in Edison, New Jersey.

The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute was created in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community. The Institute fosters a better understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars and writers and supports library acquisitions, publications, faculty research, travel and other scholarly endeavors. The work of the Institute was further enhanced by a $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg in 1990.

For further information, contact Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies and the Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.

In collaboration with the AllOne Foundation and Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE), the Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment presented “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities” at The University of Scranton’s 18^th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility on Oct. 10 on campus.

The speakers at the conference included: Patrick R. Progar, Ph.D., BCBA-D, vice president of behavioral services at The Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health; autism advocates Deya Velasco and her son Jose Velasco Jr.; Kerry Magro, Ph.D., an award-winning professional speaker and best-selling author; and Jeremy Sicile-Kira, an acclaimed intuitive artist. This year’s conference also included a Meet-and-Greet reception with U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr.

The conference also highlighted the continued work being accomplished through ACCE, which are part of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar regional initiative led by the AllOne Foundation to enhance the service delivery system for individuals with autism and their families living in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania.

University professors Rebecca Spirito Dalgin, Ph.D., and Lori Bruch, Ed.D., served as conference co-chairs, and Edward R. and Patricia Leahy served as honorary conference co-chairs.

The Asian Studies Program in conjunction with the Asia Club and Asian Studies Honor Society at The University of Scranton, celebrated the 2019 Asian Moon Festival with the renowned New Asia Chamber Music Society. The interactive event included tea/coffee and a sampling of Asian moon cake and featured East-West music and an educational workshop.

The Asian Moon Festival is one of the major festivals in Asia honoring family, friends, and the community.

The event, which took place in Brennan Hall on campus, was free of charge and open to the public.

The University of Scranton participated in the America250 PA Direct Effect Innovation Challenge (Campus Round) with two student teams comprised of students from different academic departments from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Kania School of Management. The University is proud to be part of the effort to celebrate the rich history and diversity of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on the occasion of its semiquincentennial in 2026. 

The students engaged in design thinking and brainstorm exercises to share idea and synthesized and created concepts. Community judges included Stephanie Longo, director of Marketing and Communications at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and Donna Sedor, executive director of the Arc of Luzerne County. Faculty representatives, Stacy Smulowitz, assistant professor of Communication and Ahmed Gomaa, associate professor of Operations and Information Management, and director of the Entrepreneurship Program had recruited and supported the student participants. 

Per the judges’ guidance and suggestions, the winning team at The University of Scranton was a combination of the two teams, bringing the different ideas together into one innovative and interdisciplinary approach. The concept is called “Packaging PA” and includes a subscription box that allows people to celebrate and rediscover America by attaining a slice of what it’s like to live in the Keystone state. The subscriptions are integrated by “FINDE America250PA,” a platform where users are rewarded for posting America250 material on social media. The more likes, follows, and shares they get, the more prizes they earn, thus turning users into brand influencers for America250.

 The final University of Scranton winning team includes:

Liam Pietraszewski, advertising major, ‘21, Erika Witt, social media and strategic communication major, ‘22, Kiego Saito, entrepreneurship major, ‘20, Alex Pugliese, entrepreneurship major, ‘22, Brendan Cox, entrepreneurship major, ‘23, and Emmanuel Bisono, entrepreneurship major, ‘23. 

The team will now move on to the regional competition to be held on Oct. 26.

The annual Northeast PA Kids Judge Neuroscience Fair will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.! The event is free and open to up to 60 students in grades 4-7. The fair will take place in Loyola Science Center, room #133. Students will discover how the brain works by judging and participating in neuroscience experiments presented by students at the University of Scranton. 

All students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/troop leader. Children who have attended Kids Judge last year should not attend again. 

Registration closes Oct. 25, 2019. RSVP to community@scranton.edu or by calling 570-941-4419. 

The University of Scranton will host two Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 20, and Sunday, Nov. 3.

At the Open House, participants can learn about Scranton’s 68 undergraduate majors, meet with faculty, students, admissions counselors and financial aid representatives. Student-led campus tours will be conducted throughout the day and will include residence halls, dining halls, computer labs, science labs and academic facilities.

In addition, representatives of student organizations, athletic teams and Scranton’s programs of excellence, such as the Honors Program, Faculty-Student Research Program, Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Regis Honors Program in STEM, Business Honors Program and Business Leadership Honors Program, will also be available. Open house includes a complimentary brunch for prospective students and their families. Registration and campus tours begin at 9 a.m.

For 26 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Scranton among the 10 top Master’s Universities in the North and as a “Best Value” school for seven consecutive years. In the 2020 edition of the guidebook, U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 5 in its category for the nation’s “Most Innovative Schools,” and No. 12 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list of “Best Colleges” for 18 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 7) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 10) for five consecutive years, among other rankings.

For additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit www.scranton.edu/admissions.

A newly established fellowship at The University of Scranton will honor two highly-regarded community leaders from the region, Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D. Through their generous support and tireless work, both have encouraged civic engagement and cultural excellence for the betterment of the University, the city of Scranton, and the country.  

The Sondra H’87 and Morey Myers H’12 Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement, housed in the University’s Slattery Center for the Humanities, will help to advance the University’s efforts to bring renowned scholars, artists, and thinkers to Scranton to share their work and enrich cultural and civic activity at The University and in Scranton.

“Sondra and Morey Myers represent the profound potential inherent in the humanities to enable and encourage civic engagement for the good of others,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president. “Their work has enriched the life of the University and the lives of so many in our community and nation, and we are proud to name a fellowship in the humanities in their honor as part of the Slattery Center for the Humanities.”

In August 2018, University of Scranton philosophy professor Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., and David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA, and president, New Israel Fund, initiated the effort to begin a fellowship in honor of his parents. Through what Dr. Myers calls a “labor of love” and the support of the University, the fellowship has raised $450,000 to date through the generous support of dear friends, family and associates of the Myers’.

Dr. Myers said the extraordinary response “honors his parents’ lifelong commitment to the humanities and civic engagement in service of democracy, justice, and enlightenment in society.”  He said the support also affirms the University’s strong commitment to the humanities.

“A university can never be seen as isolated and disconnected. It can and must be deeply committed to society and its betterment,’ said Dr. Myers.

The fellowship will be formally launched on Thursday, Oct. 24, at a lecture by Wayne Winborne, executive director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark, which houses the largest archive of jazz history in the world. The lecture, which is presented free of charge and open to the public will begin at 5 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater in The DeNaples Center. The following day, Friday, Oct. 25, the University will host a Festival of Ideas with distinguished scholars and activists discussing the way in which law, humanities and civic engagement can address the crisis of democracy in the 21^st century. The panel discussions, which will occur throughout the day in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, are also open to the public free of charge.

Sondra Myers

Sondra Myers is a renowned national leader in the arts and humanities who serves as senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton. She has written, edited and co-edited several books, including, “The People’s Choice: Public Education and American Democracy,” “The Interdependence Handbook,” “The New Rwanda: Prosperity and the Public Good,” and “The Democracy Reader,” among others. She has presented programs on democracy and civic engagement in several countries and has organized and moderated symposia on culture and public policy for academic institutions and cultural organizations throughout the United States.

Before joining the University, Sondra Myers served as a senior associate at the University of Maryland’s Democracy Collaborative and as the Rapoport Democracy Fellow at the Walt Whitman Center at Rutgers University. She served as special assistant to the chairman for partnerships at the National Endowment for the Humanities and was cultural advisor to Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey. She was appointed by President Obama to the Commission on Presidential Scholars in 2011 and was appointed by President Carter to the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts in 1980.

Sondra Myers is a graduate of Connecticut College and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She has been a member and vice chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and received an honorary degree from the University in 1987.

Morey Myers

Morey Myers is one of the most distinguished and respected members of the Pennsylvania state bar.  He is a practitioner in state and federal court in civil and criminal law with an emphasis on complex litigation and civil rights matters. Myers is a founding partner of Myers, Brier and Kelly’s (MBK) and today serves actively of counsel at the firm. Previously, he served as general counsel to Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey and general counsel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

From 1990 to 1995, he was partner in the Philadelphia-based firm of Schnader, Harrison, Segal and Lewis and has served as advisor and counsel to businesses and individuals on all aspects of legal/commercial matters. He is a fellow of the American Bar Association; former commissioner, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws; and contributing author of the American Bar Association Handbook on Antitrust Grand Jury Investigations and the Temple Law Quarterly. He has contributed to the Harvard University-Brandeis University Cooperative Research Project for the Development of Israel Law.

During the civil rights movement, Morey Myers was among the few lawyers who traveled to the South as a volunteer to provide legal services for those engaged in civil disobedience, specifically in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1964 and in Mississippi in 1965.

He was a consultant to the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest; chief counsel to Pennsylvania’s Milk Control Commission; and chairman of the Hearing Committee of the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He serves frequently as a mediator in the United States Federal Court. He has been a visiting lecturer at several colleges, including Yale University, Rutgers University, The University of Scranton, Haverford College, University of Wyoming and Temple University.

Morey Myers is a graduate of the Yale University School of Law and Syracuse University. He served on the University’s Board of Trustees and as chair of the Commitment to Excellence Campaign at Scranton. He received an honorary degree from the University in 2012.

About the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities

In May 2019, the University established the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities to advance the University’s liberal arts tradition and enhance the core role it plays in the formation of students to become “men and women for others.” The Center, named after the parents of benefactor and current University Trustee James M. Slattery ’86 and his wife, Betsy, will serve as a national model for humanities in action. Through the Center’s programs, elevated discourse on an array of topics and civic engagement will be encouraged by members of the University community, as well as by residents throughout the greater Scranton area.

The University of Scranton’s Slattery Center for the Humanities will formally launch The Sondra H’87 and Morey Myers H’12 Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement at a lecture on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater in The DeNaples Center. The lecture will be presented by Wayne Winborne, executive director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark, which is the largest archive of jazz history in the world and houses more than 150,000 recordings and 6,000 books.

The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.

Winborne has served as advisor and consultant to numerous artists and jazz musicians and has worked with filmmakers, playwrights, and theater producers. He produced recordings for the MaxJazz, HighNote, and Savant labels, including “Daybreak” by Bruce Barth and “Feeling Good” by Mary Stallings. He also taught jazz history and appreciation at Stanford University.

Prior to his appointment at Rutgers, Winborne ran his own consulting firm, the Winborne Group, and was vice president for business diversity outreach at Prudential Financial. Previously, he was director of program and policy research at The National Conference for Community and Justice, program officer at the Ford Foundation, senior research coordinator at the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, and adjunct lecturer in psychology and research methods at New York University and the City University of New York’s Baruch and Medgar Evers Colleges. He earned degrees from Stanford University and New York University.

On Friday, Oct. 25, the University will host a day-long series of panel discussions about “The Crisis of Democracy Today: What Can the Humanities, Law, and Civic Activism Do to Address the Challenge?”  The event is open to the public, free of charge.

Opening remarks will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, followed at 10 a.m. with a panel discussion on how the humanities can address the current crisis of democracy. Brent Glass, Ph.D., director emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, will provide an introduction. Panelists include Jamil Zainaldin, Ph.D., president of the Georgia Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities; Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of history; Ana Ugarte, Ph.D., assistant professor of world languages and cultures at The University of Scranton; and Rebecca Beal, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre at The University of Scranton. Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre at The University of Scranton, will serve as moderator.

Following a luncheon, a panel discussion on how civic activism can address the current crisis of democracy will begin at 1 p.m. Harold Baillie, Ph.D., emeritus professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, will provide an introduction. Panelists will be Gail Kitch, founder of Miranda Consulting; Kevin Klose, professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland; Sister Carol Rittner, Distinguished Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Stockton University, New Jersey; and Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of community and government relations at The University of Scranton. Aiala Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at The University of Scranton, will serve as moderator.

A panel discussion on how law can address the current crisis of democracy will begin at 3 p.m. Michael Fairbanks ’79 H’06, chairman of the board, Silver Creek Medicines and fellow at the Weatherhead Institute for International Affairs at Harvard University, will provide an introduction.  Panelists will be David Cole, J.D., legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Hon. George J. Mitchell Professor in Law and Public Policy, Georgetown University; Nomi Stolzenberg, J.D., Nathan and Lilly Shapell Chair in Law, University of Southern California Gould School of Law; Marcia Greenberger, J.D., founder and co-president emerita of the National Women’s Law Center; and President Judge Michael Barrasse, J.D. ’78, G’78. Joel Kemp, J.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of theology and religious studies at The University of Scranton, will serve as moderator.

Sondra and Morey Myers will provide concluding remarks at 4:30 p.m.

About the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities

In May 2019, the University established the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities to advance the University’s liberal arts tradition and enhance the core role it plays in the formation of students to become “men and women for others.” The Center, named after the parents of benefactor and current University Trustee James M. Slattery ’86 and his wife, Betsy, will serve as a national model for humanities in action. Through the Center’s programs, elevated discourse on an array of topics and civic engagement will be encouraged by members of the University community, as well as by residents throughout the greater Scranton area.

Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by operatic baritone singer Wil Kellerman on Sunday, Oct. 20.  The recital will take place at 3 p.m. inside the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.

According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, Kellerman impressed Scranton student musicians and audience members alike when he performed at the University earlier this year in a performance by Boga and The University of Scranton Singers with Maestro Mark Gould and the Mannes School of Music Brass Orchestra.

“Unfortunately, he came in the spring to sing what were essentially solo snippets within the full choir and brass orchestra literature that was programmed. Had I known he was the guy Gould was bringing, I would have programmed a full solo section of the program for him,” Boga said. “So, that day, I asked him if he would come back in the fall and grace us with a full recital. The kids actually applauded from the risers when I asked … happily, he said yes.”

With recent performances that have been described as “superb” by OperaWire and “winning” by Schmopera, Kellerman is increasingly making a name for himself in the opera world. Among other roles, he has played the Secret Police Agent in Menotti’s “The Consul,” the title role in “The Mikado” with Bronx Opera, Colline in “La Bohème,” Alcade and Chirurgo in “La Forza del Destino” with New Amsterdam Opera, and Hunding in “Die Walküre” with Manhattan Opera Studio.

Meanwhile, he was a semi-finalist at the 2018 Mildred Miller International Competition, and he performed at last year’s Kosciuszko Foundation Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition.

A Radford, Virginia, native who now calls New York City home, Kellerman has served as an apprentice artist at Teatro Nuovo and as a young artist at Songfest in Los Angeles. Recently, he made his international debut in Sicily, where he sang as Marco in “Gianni Schicchi” and Baron Douphol in an updated adaptation of “La Traviata.”

A cum laude graduate of James Madison University, Kellerman just received his master’s degree from the Mannes School. There, he performed the roles of Figaro in “Le nozze di Figaro” and Nick Shadow in “The Rake's Progress.”

In addition to his vocal prowess, Kellerman is an accomplished and award-winning violinist.

For more information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Kellerman, visit wilbertkellerman.com.

Jeremy Sicile-Kira, an acclaimed intuitive artist, will be the evening keynote speaker at The University of Scranton’s 18th annual U.S. Conference on disAbility on Thursday, Oct. 10. He will present “Greatly I Dream...The Journey Towards A Colorful Life with Autism” at 4:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

In his early years, Sicile-Kira was placed in moderate/severe classrooms and an after-school home program. By age 17, he had little speech but learned to type and point to letters. Following assessments, his local high school placed him in general education classes, and he graduated at age 21 with a full academic diploma. Advocacy is important to Sicile-Kira, who co-authored a book, “A Full Life with Autism,” to help others transitioning to adult life.

In 2012, Sicile-Kira began to tell others about his dreams that he was painting the emotions of people into colorful abstract portraits. With encouragement by his mother to make these dreams come true, he began to paint. In 2016 his first curated solo show, which was covered by local and national media, sold out and led to many private commissions.

Sicile-Kira continues to participate in art shows and paint for commissions. To inspire others, Jeremy gives “ability awareness” talks at local elementary and high schools and does live painting demonstrations. He will share his story through a presentation including artistic expression at the conference, which is free and open to the public, with no reservation required.

The 18th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility is presented by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment, in collaboration with the AllOne Foundation and Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence. The annual conference brings together national, state and regional experts to discuss a multifaceted approach to improving employment, independent living and transition for all people with disabilities. This year’s conference participants include U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr., who will participate in a Meet-and-Greet reception at 6 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center.

Edward R. and Patricia Leahy serve as honorary conference co-chairs.

Additional information is available online or by contacting the conference co-chairs Rebecca Spirito Dalgin, Ph.D., director of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program, at rebecca.dalgin@scranton.edu; or Lori Bruch, Ed.D., chair of the Counseling and Human Services Department, at lori.bruch@scranton.edu.

Six local Rotary clubs sponsored a fundraising event held recently at Cooper’s Seafood Restaurant donating part of the funds to the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured. Rotary clubs of Abington, Dunmore, North Scranton, Scranton, North Pocono and the Passport Club participated. The Friday evening event raised $1,340 from basket raffle and 50/50 events to support the work of the clinic.

The Leahy Clinic, now in its 12^th year at The University of Scranton, provides free non-emergency healthcare to uninsured Lackawanna County residents who may otherwise forego healthcare due to cost or seek care in hospital emergency rooms. Through the innovative collaboration of community health provider volunteers with undergraduate and graduate student volunteers and faculty members, as well as other University resources, the clinic has been able to offer free care including medical, counseling, physical therapy and low vision services, along with exercise and nutrition classes.

The University of Scranton’s President’s Business Council (PBC) will present JoAnne M. Kuehner H’01 and Carl J. Kuehner ’62, H’11 with the President’s Medal at its 18th Annual Award Dinner Thursday, Oct. 10, at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.

JoAnne M. Castrogiovanni Kuehner is a native of Dunmore and an honorary doctorate degree recipient in the University’s Class of 2001. She founded Hope for Haiti in 1990 and has devoted the past 30 years of her “time, treasure and talent to helping the poorest of the poor.” Hope for Haiti is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children, through education, nutrition and healthcare. She recently published “Oh, for the Love of Haiti!,” a memoir in which she shares personal experiences with the people and communities that benefit from Hope for Haiti’s long-term partnerships.

In 2011, she stepped down from her formal CEO role at Hope for Haiti but remains an active member of the organization’s board of directors. She is a former Gulfshore Life Woman of the Year honoree and is a current member of the Board of Visitors of the University’s Panuska College for Professional Studies (PCPS).

Carl J. Kuehner is a native of North Scranton and the president of Real Estate Technology Corporation, a diversified real estate and investment firm based in Florida. Under his direction, Real Estate Technology Corp. has developed, among its many projects, low-income farm worker housing at sites in Collier County, Fla., where he has served in a variety of positions with Immokalee Non-Profit Housing, Inc. In recognition of his long-term dedication to Immokalee Non-Profit Housing, a community center was dedicated in his name in 2008. In 2010, he was honored with the Greater Naples Leadership Service Award. Over the years, he has served on several corporate and non-profit boards, including Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and The University of Scranton Board of Trustees, where he served as chairman from 2007 to 2009.

Carl Kuehner received his bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering at the University while also participating in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). In 2011, the University awarded him an honorary doctorate degree. He also holds a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Together, the Kuehners have been active, long-term participants and philanthropists in their communities beyond their commitment to Hope for Haiti. They established the Scranton chapter of the Order of Malta and have spent 20 years serving as a knight and a dame in this lay Catholic order whose ministry is to care for the poor and the sick of the world. They were lay chairs for the Wayne-Pike region for the Diocese of Scranton 2018 Annual Appeal. Their commitment to the University, to the Pride, Passion, Promise Capital Campaign and to University leadership was commemorated with the naming of Kuehner Hall in the Loyola Science Center in 2012. In the fall of 2018, the University also dedicated “A Place of Solitude” on the second floor of McGurrin Hall, an enclosed space featuring a running fountain and a living wall that provides a quiet, welcoming area for students, faculty and staff to reflect, pray and discern. The space was dedicated to JoAnne’s and Carl’s parents, as well as to the parents of PCPS Dean Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D. The Kuehners, who reside in Lake Ariel and Naples, Fla., have four children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

In presenting the President’s Medal, the University and the PBC recognize individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others. The proceeds from the Annual Award Dinner go directly to the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. The gala is a wonderful celebration of Scranton and of honorees whose lifetime achievements reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service. This year’s dinner will introduce black tie optional attire for attendees. Through its 17 dinners, the PBC has generated over $15 million for the scholarship fund.

Roundtrip bus service to and from this year’s dinner will again be available for guests traveling from Scranton and Philadelphia. Further details are available by contacting pbc@scranton.edu or 570-941-5837.

To support or attend the 18th Annual Award Dinner, visit the website. For more information on the PBC, including additional ways to participate in this year’s dinner, contact Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at (570) 941-5837 or pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.