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On Saturday, Sept. 27, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will host the Kyle Athayde Dance Party in double-header concerts and a masterclass as highlights of the University's Family Weekend events on campus.

All events are open to the public and will be held in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue). Admission to all events is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.

• The main evening concert, presented with funding support from Family Weekend, begins at 7:30 p.m. and will include an appearance by the University of Scranton Jazz Band.
• A children’s concert will be held at 1 p.m.
• Masterclasses with members of KADP will take place at 2 p.m. and are open to woodwind, brass and rhythm section musicians ranging from 16-year-old students to adult teachers and professionals. (Student musicians under age 16 are welcome to attend accompanied by a parent, guardian or music teacher.)

The San Francisco/New York-based big band is an 18-piece group of traditional big band instrumentation that is anything but traditional. Acclaimed for its versatility in the wide scope of styles it performs, KADP boasts an impressive roster of accomplished young jazz virtuosi and a genius composer and arranger in its leader and founder, Kyle Athayde, a San Francisco Bay Area-based composer, arranger, performer, teacher and bandleader. Athayde's writing and programming draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources, from video games and internet memes to jazz and classical masterworks. In addition to original music, Athayde also writes arrangements of well-known and popular songs of all kinds, while still retaining the unique sound and excitement for which the Dance Party is known. KADP comes together from the four corners of the U.S. to tour just a few times a year and has performed in a wide variety of venues ranging from Sitka and Juneau, Alaska, Jazz Festivals to Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

KADP’s one-of-a-kind children’s jazz concerts offer something for everyone. Built around imaginative, jazz-infused arrangements of beloved children's songs like “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “The Wheels on the Bus,” and “Five Speckled Frogs,” the show is a celebration of music that is fun, thoughtful and accessible for audiences of all ages. Through thoughtful programming, Athayde strikes a rare balance — creating music that delights young audiences, educates newcomers to jazz and satisfies even the most seasoned listener. Each tune is treated with care and creativity, turning familiar melodies into vibrant, jazz experiences that introduce kids to rhythm, improvisation and musical storytelling. Whether you’re a toddler, a jazz-curious parent or a lifelong music lover, this is a show where everyone walks away with something — joy, discovery and a deeper appreciation for jazz.

For additional information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website. For more on the Kyle Athayde Dance Party, visit its website.

 

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If You Go:

EVENING CONCERT

• What: FAMILY WEEKEND CONCERT featuring Kyle Athayde Dance Party with an appearance by The University of Scranton Jazz Band (with support from Family Weekend)
• When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, downtown Scranton
• Admission: Free

AFTERNOON CONCERT

• What: CHILDREN’S CONCERT featuring Kyle Athayde Dance Party!
• When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, 1 p.m.
• Where: Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, downtown Scranton
• Admission: Free

MASTERCLASSES

• What: Woodwind, brass, and rhythm section masterclasses (ages 16 and older)
• When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, 2 p.m.
• Where: Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, downtown Scranton
• Admission: Free

By Marcus Smith '27, Student Correspondent

Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan ʼ09 paid a visit to Robert S. ʼ68 and Marilyn A. Weiss Hall on Friday to tour the IDEA Center, which opened as a part of the new building earlier this semester.

University authorities gave Gaughan and a couple other county officials a special tour of the Center and Weiss Hall, much to their approval.

“This really does make you want to go back to school,” Gaughan said upon seeing the building’s new educational facilities.

The IDEA (Innovation, Design, Education, Application) Center serves as a creative space for students and faculty alike, with plans to open it to the community at large in the near future.

The Center is home to various creative machines and spaces including but not limited to a woodworking station, a podcast studio, embroidery machines and a laser-engraver.

The engraver is so precise it can be used to engrave almost anything from wood to metal to glass.

“You could even engrave Fig Newtons,” Gerry Zaboski ʼ87 G'95, the senior vice president for the office of the president, said.

He isn’t lying either. Cookies were actually engraved with special designs using the machines for the dedication ceremony two weeks ago.

Perhaps the standout attraction of the IDEA Center is the industrial quality 3-D printing station.

These state-of-the-art resin printers use flashes of ultraviolet light to create highly detailed models that are of a higher quality than traditional filament printers.

According to Tom Bryan, the director of the IDEA Center, these 3-D printers are of special interest to the Occupational and Physical Therapy Departments.

“These machines can create really accurate assistive technologies, customized for an individual’s specific physical structure,” Bryan said. “It’s a huge draw for students and faculty.”

Other highlights of the tour included seeing the Cybercrime and Homeland Security Department and meditation garden.

Additionally, there are 10,000 feet of unused space in the top floor of Weiss Hall that have yet to be implemented.

“You don’t have to build more space, more already exists,” Kristin Magurette, the county director for economic development, said.

Weiss Hall’s location near the edge of campus also is an advantage, as members of the Greater Scranton community will be able to make use of the IDEA Center’s resources in the near future.

According to Zaboski, the building was intended to be a bridge with the community.

“When we were designing Weiss Hall, we thought about how it would encourage community engagement,” Zaboski said.

Gaughan praised the new IDEA Center, particularly, and Weiss Hall, in general, as another fine addition to the Scranton community.

He hopes the new facilities will help attract more people to Lackawanna County in the future and help improve the city economy.

“The University has a history of working with the county, and this is another great addition to that history,” Gaughan said.

Marcus Smith '27, Schuylkill Haven, is an English and theatre double major at Scranton.

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Bishop Evelio Menjivar, who migrated from El Salvador to the U.S. in 1990 and in 2023 became the first Salvadoran bishop in the country, will speak at an event at Brennan Hall.

Bishop Menjivar’s talk, “Current Immigration Policy and the Catholic Responsibility to Uphold Human Dignity,” will take place at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Pearn Auditorium (Room 228). It is free and open to the public.

Bishop Menjivar, who speaks English, Spanish and Italian, was ordained to the priesthood for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington (in the District of Columbia) on May 29, 2004. He was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Washington on Feb. 21, 2023, by Cardinal Wilton Gregory at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C.

Born Aug. 14, 1970, in Chalatenango, El Salvador, Bishop Menjivar attended St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida, where he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He attended the North American College in Rome and obtained a master’s degree in theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome in 2002. He pursued licentiate studies at the Pontifical Scalabrinian Institute for Pastoral Theology for Human Mobility in Rome before his ordination.

Bishop Menjivar, who is a member of the Priest Personnel Board, Administrative Board, the College of Consultors, the Priest Council, has served numerous assignments in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Catholic Conference, Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services. He is also the Episcopal Moderator of the National Catholic Ecclesial Movements and a member of the USCCB Committee on Communications. He was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree in 2024 from Georgetown University.

Throughout his ministry, Bishop Menjivar has actively supported workers and continues to promote social justice for immigrants.

Bishop Menjivar’s appearance is organized by Christians for the Common Good, a project of The University of Scranton’s Peace and Justice Studies Program. The event is supported by Ethics Across the Curriculum and co-sponsored by the Ellacuría Initiative and the Office of Community Relations.

On Thursday, Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m., The University of Scranton offices and local community partners will host Jenny Gonzalez Monge, LSW, to speak on the topic of “The Migrant Workforce behind NEPA’s Agricultural Industry: Historical Realities and Current Implications.” This event will be held in the Pearn Auditorium in Brennan Hall, Room 228, and is part of events honoring Hispanic Heritage Month.

Gonzalez Monge is a Licensed Social Worker who works at Marywood University as the program director of S.T.A.R.S (Students Together Achieving Remarkable Success), an after-school program for first generation youth. Jenny has been working with and advocating for the civil and immigrants' rights of the growing immigrant and refugee populations in NEPA for more than a decade through her work and continued involvement at the Community Justice Project. She also serves as a member of WVIA's Community Advisory Board and WVIA's Education Bilingual Advisory Board and was a member of the Steering Committee of the "Scranton's Story, Our Nations' Story" project. She conducted this research as a volunteer at the Lackawanna Historical Society. 

Light Refreshments will be provided. Register for Migrant Workforce lecture. 

This event is co-sponsored by The University of Scranton Office of Community Relations and Multicultural Center, Marywood University, and the Lackawanna Historical Society. Questions can be directed to community@scranton.edu and 570-941-4419.

 

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminars series brings to campus a roster of distinguished speakers who will discuss baseball history, Egyptian archaeology and international relations.

The fall series will feature four seminars in total. All luncheon seminars take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the University’s campus. A remote viewing option is available for many of the luncheons. The Schemel Forum is sponsored by Munley Law.

The series opens Thursday, Oct. 2, with “Global Insights from Poland’s Consular General,” presented by Mateusz Sakowicz, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York. The luncheon presentation will be held in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at the University.

Drawing on his extensive diplomatic experience, Consul General Sakowicz will share insights into Poland’s role in transatlantic relations, the value of cultural diplomacy and the importance of Polish-American partnerships in addressing today’s global challenges.

Sakowicz is a career diplomat and appointed civil service officer with extensive experience in international relations, peace and security and cultural diplomacy. He has represented Poland in key diplomatic posts across Dublin, the United Nations, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, culminating in his appointment as Consul General in 2024.

Next, on Monday, Oct. 20, Tom Shieber, senior curator at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, will present “Around the World with A.G. Spalding: The Mystery of an 1888-89 Tourist’s Diary.” His luncheon presentation will be held in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus.

In 1888, baseball pitcher-turned-entrepreneur A.G. Spalding along with an entourage of ball players, sports writers and other adventurers embarked on a baseball tour around the world. Nearly 110 years later, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum received the donation of an unsigned diary kept by a member of the expedition. During the luncheon presentation, participants will relive the tour, visit exotic lands, view images of rare ephemera and artifacts from the journey and along the way solve the mystery of just who penned the diary.

It was a serendipitous series of events that led Shieber to his current role at America’s cherished baseball museum. During nearly a dozen years working in astrophysics at Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains, he drove to Dodger Stadium “more times than I care to admit,” he said.

“While I very much enjoyed my work at the Observatory, my passion had long been researching baseball history,” he said.

In 1998, Shieber traveled across the country for a job interview at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. While in Cooperstown, he was shown the very diary that plays a starring role in his Schemel Forum presentation.

“As luck would have it, I was well-acquainted with Spalding’s 1888-89 World Tour, and so when I returned to my hotel after the first day of my visit, I did much of the detective work that now, 27 years later, appears in my presentation,” he said. “In fact, I like to think that the work I did to help solve the mystery of who penned the diary is part of the reason I was hired.”

The diary, Shieber says, will never be mistaken as a great work of literature, but it does offer a glimpse into a world tour that took place just 16 years after the publication of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days.”

“While the baseball tourists took a lengthier six months to circumnavigate the globe, the trip (and the diary) still retained the spirit of adventurism, romanticism and even danger found in Verne’s classic novel,” he said.

For those attending Shieber’s presentation, he hopes “that with the combination of our national pastime with a long-ago trip to far-off lands both wrapped within a ‘whodunnit’ (or, in this case, a ‘whowroteit’) mystery, the presentation will have a little something for everyone.”

The fall luncheon series continues Thursday, Oct. 30, with a talk by Josef Wegner, Ph.D., professor of Egyptian Archaeology; chair, Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures; and curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Wegner will present “New Discoveries of the Penn Museum Excavations at Abydos, Egypt” at the luncheon being held in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus.

The University of Pennsylvania Museum has been excavating in Egypt for more than a century. During a Schemel Forum luncheon last fall, Dr. Wegner discussed the role of fieldwork in the formation of the Egyptological collection at Penn, and the current project to reinstall this important collection of 50,000 artifacts.

In a much-anticipated second part of the Schemel Forum’s exploration into Egyptian archaeology, this talk will focus on ongoing excavations at the site of Abydos where Dr. Wegner has been working on an excavation that, he says, reveals a lot of material about Egypt from 2000 – 1000 BCE.

Work at Abydos has identified a royal necropolis at the site named “Anubis Mountain.” There, at least 13 kings who reigned between 1850 and 1650 BCE were buried. These include previously unknown pharaohs such as the King Seneb-Kay discovered in 2014, as well as the mysterious owner of new royal tomb just discovered in January 2025.

“This is the largest tomb we have discovered from the Abydos Dynasty, and we are still searching for the identity of this new-found king,” said Dr. Wegner.

At the lecture, Dr. Wegner will also present fresh-from-the-field findings from his excavation at the Abydos site this fall.

As Dr. Wegner points out, there’s more to these excavations than discovering tombs.

“We’re examining royal tombs for shreds of evidence that help patch together a window into life at a certain period of time – who these kings were, the nature of the kingdoms they ruled over and the social climate of that era,” he said, noting that many aspects of Ancient Egypt are similar to our lives today.

Then and now, we are all searching for the answer to the fundamental question of “who we are as humans in the cosmos,” said Dr. Wegner.

During the lecture, Dr. Wegner will also provide an update on Penn Museum’s reinstallation of its collection of Egyptian artifacts. The first phase is expected to open in 2026 and the second phase in 2028.

The fall luncheon series will conclude Thursday, Nov. 21, with Matthew Duss, executive director, Center for International Policy, and former visiting scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who will discuss “America is Ready for a Pro-Peace Foreign Policy. Is Washington?” The presentation will be held in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at the University.

Washington’s post-Cold War foreign policy consensus has broken up, and the race is on to define a new one. Yet so many in Washington remain wedded to an ideology of American primacy undergirded by global military power. There are strong signs that voters are ready for something different. In every election since the end of the Cold War, with the exception of 2004, Americans have voted for the candidate who offered a less militaristic, more restrained vision of American foreign policy. Duss will discuss these trends and their implications for the next general election in the U.S.

Admission to the seminars is free for University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the seminars are $30 in-person (buffet lunch included) and $15 for remote access.

To register for the seminars, call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.

To pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.

Additional Schemel Forum events and information can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.

Dean Aulisio spoke about the fall Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.

The intersection of technology, accessibility and action will be examined at the 24th Annual U.S. Conference on Disability.

The event, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8, inside The University of Scranton’s DeNaples Center, will bring together thought leaders, advocates and professionals in support of disability rights, employment and services.

Registration is open for the conference, which is free to attend and will feature speakers, demonstrations, networking opportunities and other activities.

Tiffany Yu, an author and social media creator, will serve as the featured speaker. Yu, who earlier this year appeared on Forbes’ Accessibility 100 list, is a renowned disability advocate, entrepreneur and content creator with 134,000-plus TikTok followers. Yu’s book, “The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change and Building a Disability-Inclusive World,” is an Editors’ Pick at Amazon.

This year’s theme, “A.I. — Access — Action!” highlights the evolving role of artificial intelligence use for individuals with disabilities.

The conference, which is presented by the Leahy College of Health Sciences and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr., Endowment, will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until 4:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the conference’s webpage.

Hundreds of students, employees and community members gathered Thursday at The University of Scranton's annual Mass of the Holy Spirit.

The Mass, which was held inside the Byron Recreation Complex, is a long-standing tradition at Scranton and Jesuit institutions of higher learning around the world. Its roots date back to the 16th century and its purpose includes reminding the community that education is a spiritual journey, as well as an intellectual pursuit.

All classes were canceled and offices were closed at the University during the Mass, which was followed by a picnic lunch along the Dionne Green and DeNaples Center Patio.

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About 800 University of Scranton students attended Tuesday’s Volunteer and Service Fair, which brought about 70 organizations to the McIlhenny Ballroom inside the DeNaples Center.

The annual event, hosted by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, connects students with opportunities to participate in programs that benefit various individuals and communities in need.

Tuesday’s two-hour fair featured organizations dedicated to addressing homelessness, food insecurity, civic engagement, education, health care, hospice, support for children and older adults, individuals with disabilities and a range of other community needs.

University of Scranton students volunteer tens of thousands of hours of service per year, participating in countless community service activities.

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As we look ahead to the 250th anniversary of the United States, The University of Scranton’s Office of Community Relations, in collaboration with the Scranton Public Library and additional community partners, will host a “Constitution Day Dialogue: A Scranton Conversation” on Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Albright Memorial Library, 500 Vine Street in downtown Scranton. The event is held on Constitution Day which also marks National Voter Registration Day.

The dialogue is an opportunity to listen to other’s perspectives and to share your own in a structured format. Come ready to engage with your neighbors – not debate or persuade – and build better understanding.

Participants will be asked introductory questions to help them get to know one another. They will also be invited to share an experience or story that explains what America means to them and will have an opportunity to reflect on the Preamble to the Constitution and how its main themes relate to their values and perspectives.

Light refreshments will be served. Those interested should register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ConstitutionDialogue 

This event is co-sponsored by The University of Scranton, Black Scranton Project, NeighborWorks NEPA, Scranton Public Library, Lackawanna Historical Society, Lackawanna County Immigrant Inclusion Committee, and Scranton Area Ministerium. University co-sponsors include the Office of Community Relations and student political clubs (College Democrats and College Republicans). Questions can be directed to community@scranton.edu and 570-941-4419.

 

 

The University of Scranton on Wednesday dedicated and blessed Robert S. ’68 and Marilyn A. Weiss Hall at a ceremony inside the grand lobby at the University’s newest building.

“Two years ago, this magnificent space was just an idea,” said Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president. “And now, that idea has come to fulfillment: four stories, 90,000 square-feet of Jesuit education at its finest.

“I am filled with gratitude as the dedication of this building represents a new chapter in both the history — and more importantly, the future — of our beloved University.”

The stunning building has large, glass walls and was constructed with steel, stone and natural wood, adding a sense of craftsmanship and timeless quality to a campus whose roots and some buildings date back to the 19th century.

Other buildings, Bob Weiss noted, have just cropped up in recent years and follow a theme.

“When I walk the campus and look at all the great buildings we have here, I see Brennan Hall — Jack Brennan, Class of 1968. When I look a little around the corner, I see Leahy Hall — Ed Leahy, Class of 1968,” Bob Weiss said. “And now, when I look here, I see Weiss Hall — Bob Weiss, Class of 1968.

“So, no pressure on future classes, but we are a class that came back and remembered our roots and gave back what we took away so many years ago.”

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Weiss Hall has more than 30 offices/research spaces, as well as 12 study rooms, 11 classrooms, six exam rooms, two large seminar rooms and two rooftop terraces. The building also includes a 10,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art IDEA Center — equipped with wood making, 3D printing, laser-cutting, sewing and audio recording capabilities — and other specialized areas.

Honoring its mission as a Jesuit institution of higher learning, the University will use Weiss Hall to not only serve the campus, but the city and surrounding community, as well.

Among the programs that have moved to Weiss Hall are the University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which since 1980 has provided resources, support and funding to countless local startups and small businesses; and the University of Success, which since 1996 has helped hundreds of local high school students gain entry to colleges and universities.

Paige Cognetti, Scranton mayor, was among the local and University officials who spoke at Wednesday’s event. She referenced the Weisses’ roots, saying “all roads lead back to Scranton.”

“We’re so glad that you met at that dance — a Lake Ariel boy, a South Scranton girl. What a gift that you guys found each other,” Cognetti said. “And you have given this gift — and so many others — to ‘The U’ and to the city.

“Without The University of Scranton, the city could not be what it is today and throughout generations. It is an anchor for our economy. It’s an anchor for our culture. It’s an anchor for what people aspire to be and how they get educated and go out into the world and bring those gifts back here. Thank you so much on behalf of the city.”

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Fostering community outreach is one of Weiss Hall’s three main functions, along with supporting workforce development and applied research.

The Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology and the Department of Psychology are the two academic departments headquartered at Weiss Hall.

Additionally, the University’s Student Health Services and the Center for Health, Education and Wellness (CHEW) have moved to Weiss Hall.

Buse Onat ’26, a triple major in cybercrime and homeland security, philosophy and criminal justice from South Abington Township, spoke Wednesday about the buzz Weiss Hall has created among the student body and how the added resources will benefit them.

“This experience gave me a new appreciation for how much work really goes into making this campus better for all of us,” Onat said. “When I moved back to campus a couple weeks ago for R.A. training, there was this one question that I kept hearing from everyone: ‘Have you seen Weiss Hall yet?’ Honestly, the excitement among students is contagious. The professors are talking about it, the students are talking about it and even students in my classes that aren’t in my major are talking about it.”

Bob Weiss, whose career included serving as president and CEO of The Cooper Companies, Inc., the global leader in contact lenses, and Marilyn Weiss, a longtime nurse, have resided for the past several decades in California. However, they said, Scranton is never far from mind.

“I’m thrilled for all the students that are going to pass through these doors and get the education that Bob had for four years; I had about a year of it with the Scranton State Hospital … as part of our nursing school programming,” Marilyn Weiss said. “It was the foundation for the rest of our lives.”

The final steel beam was placed atop the structure’s skeleton in September of 2024, as crews were hard at work for the past year constructing the walls, windows, roofing, electrical, plumbing and more.

“We’re grateful for the love and generosity our benefactors, champions and laborers have poured into this building,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D. ’06, Weiss Hall faculty liaison and a professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology. “And with the support of the University administration, we look forward to taking up the honor and reflecting those values back to our community.”

More than 200 individuals attended Wednesday’s program, which, after brief remarks and Father Marina’s blessing, included tours of the building. Attendees were treated to an up-close look at the cybersecurity/cyber forensics classroom, the crime scene lab, a self-care room, meditation chapel, rooftop prayer garden and much more.

“There are many people and organizations who made this day possible, whether you worked from behind a desk to secure funding for the project or worked atop an aerial lift to install the solar panels on the roof,” Father Marina said. “Thank you. None of this could have happened without you. Of course, my deepest thanks to Bob and Marilyn, two of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met.”

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The Center for Service and Social Justice at The University of Scranton will hold its annual Volunteer and Service Fair for local nonprofit organizations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, on campus. Deadline to register is Monday, Sept. 8.

The fair offers University students and student-led clubs interested in service projects and community-based learning sites a chance to meet representatives from nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers.

Each year, more than 600 students attend the fair. Annually, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.

There is no cost for a nonprofit organization to participate in the fair, however, registration is required. To register, email ellen.judge@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7429.

The unmistakable sounds of rolling suitcases, echoing laughter and cheering orientation leaders mark the return of college students nationwide.

The University of Scranton’s soundtrack is a bit more musical with the inclusion of drumbeats, instrumental solos and more courtesy of its Jazz Band.

Under the direction of Cheryl Boga and Janelle Decker, conductors of performance music, the University’s Jazz Band performed numerous melodies during the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 23, at First-Year Move-In. The concert was held along the walkway between the DeNaples Center and the Dionne Green, where thousands of students and their families saw and heard them playing.

“Every year, we prep for move in and come in a few days early,” said Liam Gronwall ’26, a finance major from Sidney, New York. “We rehearse and pull together about 30 songs. Then, we play them for all the new kids moving in. It’s a good time to get our chops back and show everybody what we’re all about.”

The performance also serves as a recruitment tool for the Jazz Band, which has an upcoming concert Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Houlihan McLean Center. The show will feature guest soloist Marion Felder, who recently toured with Michael Buble.

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum fall courses feature two evening series exploring timely topics in women’s history and criminal justice.

The first course will be held on Tuesdays, beginning Sept. 2. The second course will be held on Mondays, beginning Oct. 20. Both courses will be taught by University of Scranton professors in six weekly sessions in the Weinberg Memorial Library, Room 305.

Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history, will present “American Mothers: Society, Science and Maternity after the Civil War.” Classes will be held Tuesdays, Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and Oct. 7 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.

This course will explore the public perception of maternity as reflected in the half-century campaign for a federal Mother’s Day holiday. With guided discussions, participants will review the social biology of 19th-century maternity, the use of motherhood by women's rights campaigners to claim political power, Gilded Age conflicts over birth control and abortion and the 1914 adoption of a Mother’s Day holiday that celebrates women’s domesticity.

The course topic is connected to Dr. Poulson’s research into the history of American motherhood in preparation for a presentation of that topic at a conference in November.

“I look forward to seeing which material prompts the greatest response, which will affect how I approach the topic in my research,” she said.

By the end of the course, Dr. Poulson hopes participants will have a much better understanding of the historical struggles over motherhood, in defining its value to society and in who can control the conditions of motherhood.

A longtime faculty member at Scranton, Dr. Poulson’s teaching specializes in the history of American women and 20th-century United States history with strong interests in political, social and foreign relation issues. Her past research has been on the history of women in higher education and women’s rights. She is currently working on research projects exploring mental health and criminal law in the late-19th century. She received a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Georgetown University.

For the second course for the fall semester, Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., professor of criminal justice and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology at The University of Scranton, will present “Criminal Street Gangs: Causes, Consequences and Controls.” Classes will be held Mondays, Oct. 20, 27 and Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.

According to Dr. Jenkins, it’s evident from speaking to criminal justice practitioners that many local crime problems are associated with gangs. But, he says, people’s common conceptions of a “gang” don’t always align with how the effects of gangs really play out in our communities.

“I believe that to have a real effect on the kinds of crimes that concern us, we need to have a clear understanding of what the causes and structures of the problem really are,” said Dr. Jenkins, who has worked with multiple gang violence intervention strategies in various cities and has studied the many ways to reduce gang-related violence.

This course will discuss criminological theories related to an understanding of gang involvement and crime, distinguish the characteristics of criminal street gangs, and review the literature on and practice of gang prevention, intervention and suppression methods.

“I hope participants walk away with a better understanding of gangs, their effects on communities, and the outcomes of our approaches to preventing gang crime, to encourage support for those strategies that prevent gang problems and to be critical of those approaches that unjustly bring people into the criminal justice system,” said Dr. Jenkins.

In addition to serving as professor and department chair, Dr. Jenkins is the founding executive director of the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime. He recently served as the director of academics on the creation of a Bachelor of Security Sciences program for a foreign ministry of interior. He earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. He has served as a Fulbright Scholar with the London Metropolitan Police and University College London and has published work on police-community relations and police organization.

The Schemel Forum is sponsored by Munley Law. To register for courses or for more information on the Schemel Forum, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.

Registration is free for University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members; and $100 per person and $175 per couple for non-members.

To pay for courses online and see additional events, visit the Schemel Forum webpage.

 

The 15th Annual Downtown Scavenger Hunt is set for Welcome Weekend 2025. This year’s Hunt begins on Friday, Aug. 29 at 3 p.m. on the DeNaples Patio. The first 100 Hunt participants to attend the event kickoff will receive a free Scavenger Hunt T-shirt. The fun continues at Doherty Park, 248 Wyoming Avenue, for the Awards Reception, which starts at 5 p.m. Refreshments and additional prizes will be available at the event; all participants are encouraged to attend for a chance at winning additional prizes!

The 15th Annual event features 33 participating downtown partners. Attendees are invited to learn more about the University's neighboring small businesses, cultural venues and murals.  The annual Scavenger Hunt is offered in partnership with The Center for Student Engagement, The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, and The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Metro Action and Scranton Tomorrow.

HOW TO WIN SCAVENGER HUNT PRIZES

The first team to visit 20 participating businesses and all seven downtown murals in 90 minutes or less will win two University hooded sweatshirts, a $25 gift card to Downtown Deli and a $25 gift card to Northern Light Espresso Bar and Cafe. Second and third place prizes will also be awarded. Scavenger Hunt posters will be displayed in participating business windows that feature our University’s “Iggy” mascot. Participants are invited to snap a team photo in front of each location to show they visited! All participants will receive a map featuring directions to locations.

Participants can compete in additional photo contests by visiting seven downtown murals and landmarks listed. To enter to win a grand prize, students must find the seven murals and landmarks, take photos, and tag the Office of Community Relations @ufoscommunity on Instagram.

 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCAVENGER HUNT

* Registration with a waiver is required in Royal Sync. Students can also register by scanning the QR codes on Scavenger Hunt posters located around campus.

* Registered students will receive an email on Wednesday, Aug. 27 with a rules sheet that will detail how the Scavenger Hunt will proceed. A smartphone will be necessary to follow our map, which will be posted online, and to take pictures of you and your team member in front of key locations.

To our new students, Class of 2029, welcome! To our returning students, welcome back! We hope to see you at this year’s Downtown Scavenger Hunt!

For more information about the annual Scavenger Hunt and the greater Scranton area, follow The Office of Community Relations on Facebook @uscrantoncommunityrelations and on Instagram and Twitter @uofscommunity, or contact by email at community@scranton.edu.

 

The University of Scranton is a proud sponsor and partner with the Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, Scranton Tomorrow and the mural artists who spearheaded the mural project, "Remembrance and Continuance: The Lenape Story in Scranton," which was dedicated on Friday, Aug. 1. The mural grew, in part, out of the University’s Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story initiative, which brought attention to the Indigenous history and heritage of the city amid other under-told local stories. The Lenape are among the original inhabitants of the City of Scranton and Lackawanna County and the modern-day descendants of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, which comprises eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and parts of New York and Delaware.  

The mural, located at 130 N. Washington Ave. in downtown Scranton, was designed and created by Lenape artist Ben Scott Miller, an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, together with renowned Spanish artist Miguel Angel Belinchón, known professionally as BELIN.

The mural dedication included speakers and representatives from the county, city, Scranton Tomorrow, the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau, and The University of Scranton, as well as artist Ben Miller, Delaware Tribe of Indians Chief Brad KillsCrow, and co-founder of the Lenape Center and Delaware Tribe member Curtis Zunigha. Traditional Lenape songs and dances were performed. Altogether, members from four tribes were present for the dedication: the Delaware Tribe of Indians, Bartlesville, Oklahoma; Delaware Nation, Anadarko, Oklahoma; Delaware Nation at Moravian Town, Ontario, Canada; and Munsee-Delaware Nation, Ontario, Canada.

More About the Mural and Lenape History

For more background on Lenape history, watch the 2022 keynote lecture of Curtis Zunigha, ”Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming.” 

For more background on the mural, including the story it shares and the symbolism it includes, visit the Scranton Tomorrow website. 

Watch a brief video narrated by Curtis Zunigha providing an overview of the mural’s story on the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau website. 

Fifteen aspiring entrepreneurs recently completed The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center (WEC) StartUP Spring Program, sponsored by Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance Business Finance Corporation.

This six-week certificate series offers attendees support and guidance in determining if entrepreneurship is an option for them. The program also encompasses teaching business startup basics, legal and insurance considerations, marketing and social media essentials, business plan development, accounting and budget skills, financing options and goal setting.

Participants who completed this year’s program include Sunita Samad, Kirsy Vargas, Kristin Brunori, Amber Sandy, Breanna Taylor-Collins, Nicole Williamson, Dynasty Vazquez, Natalie Zadrozna, Luzerne August, Kristin Brunori, Adamaris Colon, Holly Dryden, Laura Frank, Danielle Langley and one other participant.

The spring StartUP series was sponsored by NEPA Alliance Business Finance Corporation. Representatives from The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center and various local entrepreneurs also played a role in the program, sharing information and resources with participants.

Housed in the Kania School of Management, the University’s WEC is a program offering business startup information, guidance and encouragement with help from student interns.

For more information, visit the University’s website.

The "Be a Neighbor" podcast of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania recently hosted the staff of The University of Scranton Community Relations office. Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs, and Daysi Carreto, assistant director for community and civic engagement, discussed the work of the office with community partners, including community-based learning activities, collaboration with immigrant and refugee communities, support of downtown businesses and more. They also shared their career and professional backgrounds, highlights from initiatives they have organized and additional ways the office connects the University and the greater Scranton community. 

An excerpted clip from the podcast, episode No. 18, focuses on how catholic social teaching and the Jesuit tradition animates The University of Scranton's local engagement. The podcast is coordinated by Neighborworks’ staff Gerard Hetman and Parker Dorsey.

Listen to the full episode directly -- or find the podcast on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or various other podcast streaming services. 

Other episodes have featured University of Scranton-related initiatives and persons, including episode No.11 with Kimberly Crafton, oral histories coordinator of the Scranton Stories initiative, together with Doreen Fazzi, Scranton Stories interviewee and lifelong West Sider. Episode No. 10 included Dr. Doug Boyle, department chair and professor of the University’s accounting program, speaking about his work to develop a youth center in West Scranton which was highlighted in a recent issue of the University's alumni magazine, The Scranton Journal.

The "Be a Neighbor" podcast is coordinated by NeighborWorks’ staff Gerard Hetman and Parker Dorsey. They recently interviewed Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs, and Daysi Carreto, assistant director for community and civic engagement speak with  on the podcast of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania. Shown from left, are: Hetman, Dorsey, Schumacher Cohen and Carreto.